Tracing Quotations
Helen Castle? Charley Prentice? Walt Mason? Kenneth Richards? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Noah collected and placed pairs of living creatures onto the ark he constructed according to the famous biblical tale. But not all creatures are looked upon favorably by humankind. The following comical couplet chides Noah for missing a rare opportunity: If Noah had …
Continue reading “If Noah Had Been Truly Wise, He Would Have Swatted Those Two Flies”
Nikola Tesla? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Nikola Tesla was a brilliant inventor and showman with a science fictional mystique. The following ominous quotation is attributed to him: You may live to see man-made horrors beyond your comprehension. Would you please help to find a solid citation? Quote Investigator: The earliest strong match located by QI …
Continue reading “You May Live To See Man-Made Horrors Beyond Your Comprehension”
George Bernard Shaw? Martin Luther King? Maxim Gorky? Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan? C. E. M. Joad? Walter Winchell? Jack Paar? Anonymous? Quote Investigator: Technological progress today is shockingly vertiginous, but advancements toward human reconciliation and harmony are glacially slow. A saying from the previous century treats this topic with poignancy: Now that we have learned to fly …
Edmund Hillary? George Mallory? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Edmund Hillary and fellow mountaineer Tenzing Norgay were the first two people to reach the summit of the tallest peak on Earth, Mount Everest, in 1953. The grueling expedition required extensive planning and the climbers displayed remarkable self-control during the ascent. Hillary reportedly summarized the lesson of …
Continue reading “It Is Not the Mountain We Conquer, But Ourselves”
George Mallory? Edmund Hillary? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Mountaineers have spoken about the physical endurance and self-mastery required to stand atop a mountain. Here are two similar statements expressing this idea: 1) Have we vanquished an enemy? None but ourselves 2) It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves. Two individuals have been linked …
Continue reading “Have We Vanquished an Enemy? None But Ourselves”
Florence Nightingale? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Florence Nightingale was one of the great humanitarians of the nineteenth century. She was the founder of modern nursing, and her work as an educator, administrator, and activist saved many lives. Her calls for urgent action often elicited excuses, but she continued to move forward. She reportedly said the …
Continue reading “I Attribute My Success to This:—I Never Gave or Took an Excuse”
Theodor Seuss Geisel? Ludwig Jacobowski? Christopher Roche? Gabriel García Márquez? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: If you have ever been part of a group with camaraderie that accomplished some worthwhile goal then you know about the sadness experienced when the group finally dissolved. Here are two versions of a saying that offers consolation: Don’t cry because …
Continue reading “Don’t Cry Because It’s Over; Smile Because It Happened”
Buckminster Fuller? Thomas Fuller? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The prominent inventor and author Buckminster Fuller has been linked to an uncharacteristic quotation: Those who play with the devil’s toys will be brought by degrees to wield his sword. Would you please determine whether he wrote and said this remark? Quote Investigator: QI has located no …
Daniel J. Boorstin? Stephen Hawking? Henry Thomas Buckle? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Widely accepted false beliefs can hinder progress and new discoveries. For example, the mistaken belief that heavier-than-air flying machines were impossible or impractical deterred requisite financing and investigation. This thought has been expressed as follows: The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance; …
Mark Twain? H. L. Mencken? Peter Drucker? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: A popular saying presents a vivid warning about apparent solutions which are too good to be true. Here are four versions: There is a solution to every problem: simple, quick, and wrong. For every problem there is a solution that is simple, neat—and wrong. …