Tracing Quotations
Frederik Pohl? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Frederik Pohl was an influential award-winning science-fiction author and editor. Apparently, Pohl’s Law states: Nothing is so good that somebody somewhere won’t hate it. Would you please examine this linkage? Reply from Quote Investigator: Multiple statements have been labeled “Pohl’s Law” over the years. In 1966 Pohl was …
Continue reading “Pohl’s Law Origin: Nothing Is So Good that Somebody Somewhere Won’t Hate It”
Lord Palmerston? George Peacocke? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: There is an anecdote about a fiendishly complex diplomatic agreement. Negotiating, signing, and comprehending the pact had sent one person to the grave, sent a second to a lunatic asylum, and left a third with memory loss. Are you familiar with this tale? Reply from Quote …
W. Edwards Deming? Edwin R. Fisher? Bernard Fisher? Cecil R. Reynolds? Brian L. Joiner? Ronald D. Snee? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Would you please examine a humorous empirically-minded statement that expands upon a famous motto appearing on U.S. currency. Here are three versions: When do you think this quip originated? Reply from Quote Investigator: …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: In God We Trust; Others Must Provide Data”
Kenneth Kernaghan? P.K. Kuruvilla? Paul Samuelson? Edith Greene? Irwin S. Bernstein? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Each datum in a collection of data may be considered a story. Yet, it is often difficult to make rigorous conclusions based on a motley collection of anecdotes. Scientific data should be collected in a methodical manner according to …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: The Plural of Anecdote Is Not Data”
Raymond Wolfinger? Roger G. Noll? Richard F. Fenno Jr.? Daniel Patrick Moynihan? George Stigler? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: An anecdote is a single fact or datum. When many of these facts are combined the collection is naturally called data. Apparently, a social scientist coined the following saying: The plural of anecdote is data. Would …
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Erma Bombeck? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The popular humorist Erma Bombeck once wrote about the melancholy feelings of some Christmas celebrants when they leave childhood behind. Would you please help me to find a citation? Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1967 Erma Bombeck wrote the following in her syndicated column, Emphasis added to excerpts: …
Josh Billings? Elmira Gazette? Charles Frohman? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Soon people will be making resolutions for the New Year. The popular U.S. humorist Josh Billings reportedly made an apropos remark about steadfastness. Here are two versions: I have been unable to find a solid citation for Billings. Would you please help trace this …
Aristotle? Marcus Bach? Albert Schweitzer? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Did the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle secretly work at a job placement agency? Probably not, but a popular family of sayings about career choice has been attributed to him. Here are three examples: I have been unable to find a solid citation for Aristotle? Would …
Will Rogers? Walter Trumbull? Franklin Rodman? Frances Rodman? Robert Phelps? Wynn Catlin? Harold Winkler? Robert Phelps? Question for Quote Investigator: The reassuring words of a diplomat may sharply diverge from the true agenda of the envoy. The following metaphor depicts hidden hostility: Diplomacy is the art of being able to say “nice doggie” until you …
Will Rogers? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The popular American humorist Will Rogers once made a memorable remark about liberty. Unfortunately, the precise phrasing was not memorable enough. Here are several versions: Would you please help me to determine whether Will Rogers really delivered one of these lines? Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1927 a …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Liberty Don’t Work as Good in Practice as It Does in Speech”