Tracing Quotations
Winston Churchill? Voltaire? Julian Amery? Ronald Reagan? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: According to legend a political rival of Winston Churchill was once praised with the description “He is a modest man.” Churchill responded with the quip “He has much to be modest about.” Would you please investigate this tale? Reply from Quote Investigator: Clement …
Continue reading “He Is a Modest Man Who Has a Great Deal To Be Modest About”
Charles F. Kettering? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Charles F. Kettering was a prominent inventor and the head of research at General Motors for more than twenty-five years. I believe he said that one couldn’t envision a better tomorrow if one was always thinking about yesterday. I am not sure of the precise phrasing he used. …
Continue reading “You Can’t Have a Better Tomorrow If You Are Thinking About Yesterday All the Time”
Carrie Fisher? Nelson Mandel? Malachy McCourt? Emmet Fox? Bert Ghezzi? Susan Cheever? Alan Brandt? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A vivid simile depicts the self-destructiveness of a common bitter emotion. Here are two versions: This figurative language has been credited to the actress Carrie Fisher, the statesman Nelson Mandela, the author Malachy McCourt, and others. …
Stephen R. Covey? Thomas Merton? Allen Raine? Anne Adaliza Evans? Mae Maloo? H. Jackson Brown? Sarah Frances Brown? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The metaphorical notion of climbing a ladder of success was in use by writers in the nineteenth century. Here is an intriguing cautionary twist about faulty objectives: When you get to the top …
Aristotle? Dale Carnegie? J. H. Jowett? Fred E. Marble? Royal Meeker? Henry Koster? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: For many years I have been encouraged to split my speeches into three parts. Here are two versions of the guidance: [A] Tell the audience what you’re going to say, say it; then tell them what you’ve said. …
Mohandas Gandhi? Jean Cocteau? Robbie Williams? Julian Beck? Earl B. Morgan? Tony Benn? Peter D. Jones? Louis Agassiz? Arthur Schopenhauer? Question for Quote Investigator: Mahatma Gandhi famously employed nonviolent strategies during the struggle for Indian independence. A quotation often attributed to him asserts that popular movements pass through four stages: First they ignore you. Then …
Vince Lombardi? Bobby Knight? Fielding H. Yost? John Cooper? Joe Paterno? Vernon Law? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: A popular sports maxim highlights the importance of preparation. Here are three versions: The will to win is important; the will to prepare to win is vital. The will to win is not nearly as important as the …
Continue reading “The Will To Win Is Not Worth Much Unless You Have the Will To Prepare To Win”
William Butler Yeats? Will Rogers? Edgar Guest? Margaret Lee Runbeck? Dorothy C. Wegner? Roberta Lieberman? Mitch Albom? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The Nobel Prize winning Irish poet William Butler Yeats often receives credit for the following sentiment: There are no strangers here; only friends you haven’t yet met. Is this ascription accurate? Quote Investigator: QI …
Continue reading “There Are No Strangers Here; Only Friends You Haven’t Yet Met”
Elizabeth Taylor? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor was paired with many high-profile costars such as Paul Newman, Richard Burton, Montgomery Clift, Rock Hudson, and James Dean during her long career. Nevertheless, she humorously once said that her best leading men were animals, e.g., dogs and horses. Would please help me to find …
Continue reading “Some of My Best Leading Men Have Been Dogs and Horses”
Aldous Huxley? William C. Hunter? Jacob Feuerring? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: When Aldous Huxley, the author of the famous dystopian novel “Brave New World”, was young he was eager to change the world. Yet, as he grew older he concluded that he could only change himself with any confidence. Would you please help me to …