Tracing Quotations
Ogden Nash? James Nelson Gowanloch? Frank Colby? Arthur Knight? Alfred Hitchcock? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The popular creator of light verse Ogden Nash once crafted a poem that playfully altered a common phrase describing a thorough search: “no stone unturned”. The comical transformation produced “no tern unstoned” and “no stern untoned”. Did Nash originate …
Continue reading “Wordplay Origin: No Stone Unturned. No Tern Unstoned. No Stern Untoned”
George Bernard Shaw? Catholic Standard and Times? Ethel Watts Mumford? Oliver Herford? Addison Mizner? Arthur Wimperis? Colette d’Arville? Ogden Nash? Diana Rigg? Question for Quote Investigator: The famous playwright George Bernard Shaw has been credited with a clever bit of wordplay concerning the role of a critic. The quip transforms the following venerable idiom describing …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: A Drama Critic Leaves No Turn Unstoned”
Upton Sinclair? H. L. Mencken? William Jennings Bryan? C. E. M. Joad? Christopher Matthews? Paul Krugman? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Financial incentives can compromise the critical faculties of an individual. Here are four versions of this insight: I think either muckraker Upton Sinclair or curmudgeon H. L. Mencken employed this expression. Would you please …
Muhammad Ali? Laila Ali? David Beckham? Aimee Lehto? Boyd Coyner? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A forceful statement about overcoming obstacles and adversity begins with the following statement: Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men . . . These words are usually attributed to the famous U.S. boxer Muhammad Ali, but …
Hilton Read? Theodore E. Woodward? Ele and Walt Dulaney? Harley S. Smyth? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: In medicine the symptoms of a patient are often compatible with a variety of ailments. A skilled diagnostician will use probabilistic reasoning when deciding which ailment is the most likely. Bayesian inference first highlights common maladies instead of …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: When You Hear Hoofbeats Look for Horses Not Zebras”
Gustave Flaubert? Edward Bulwer-Lytton? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The prominent French literary figure Gustave Flaubert, author of Madame Bovary, placed great value on reading. The following statement is often attributed to him: Read in order to live. Would you please determine whether these words are apocryphal? Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1867 Gustave Flaubert …
Anne Herbert? Chuck Wall? Ann Landers? George Carlin? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Anyone listening to the news is confronted by disheartening phrases such as “random act of violence” and “ugly act of cruelty”. Yet, these phrases have been creatively reconstructed to produce uplifting suggestions. Here are three versions: Would you please explore the history …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Practice Random Acts of Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty”
Albert Einstein? William Miller? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The blinkered pursuit of success can lead an individual to ignore other aspects of life such as adventure, humor, spirituality, exploration, altruism, and curiosity. Albert Einstein apparently offered pertinent advice. Here are four versions: Would you please examine the provenance of this expression? Reply from Quote …
Dwight D. Eisenhower? Winston Churchill? Richard M. Nixon? Helmuth von Moltke? Mike Tyson? Anonymous Question for Quote Investigator: The World War II leader and U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower apparently made a paradoxical statement about preparation. Here are two versions: 1) Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable. 2) Plans are worthless, but planning is …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Plans Are Worthless, But Planning Is Everything”
Victor Kiam? Home Savings Bank? Painless Withers Dental Company? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Each opportunity in life has an expiration date. One must act quickly. The successful entrepreneur and investor Victor Kiam apparently employed the following vivid metaphor: Procrastination is opportunity’s natural assassin. Would you please help find a citation? Reply from Quote Investigator: …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Procrastination Is the Assassin of Opportunity”