Tracing Quotations
Benjamin Franklin? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The renowned statesman and scientist Benjamin Franklin has been credited with two variant statements about alcohol: 1) Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. 2) Wine is constant proof that God loves us and likes to see us happy. I am skeptical because …
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Mark Twain? Ernest T. Campbell? Anita Canfield? William Barclay? William McCartney? Tim Elmore? David Wood? Dave Martin? Helen Burns? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The number of fake Mark Twain quotations grows significantly every year. I fear that a civilization of the distant future will credit Twain with authorship of every extant text. Here are two …
Ralph Waldo Emerson? G. B. Emerson? Charles Gordon Ames? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The well-known lecturer and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson has been credited with a provocative remark about reading and memory: I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me. I have …
Vincent van Gogh? Émile Zola? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The famous Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh has been credited with the following fervent statement: I would rather die of passion than of boredom. Surprisingly, this remark has also been ascribed to the prominent French novelist Émile Zola. Would you please elucidate this topic? Quote Investigator: …
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Lord Byron? Jacques Barzun? Robert Halsband? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: On a Pinterest pin-board I saw a picture of the famous British poet Lord Byron accompanying the following quotation: Letter writing is the only device for combining solitude with good company. I would like to use this expression in an article, but I have not …
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Winston Churchill? Jack Fishman? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Here is a mystifying question for you. Winston Churchill has been credited with crafting two nearly identical quotations beginning as follows: 1) Do not let specious plans … 2) Do not let spacious plans … The two expressions differed by a single word: specious/spacious. Did Churchill utter …
Walter Barbee? Walter Barbie? Walter Barbe? Robert Alcorn? Nancy Reese? Dear Quote Investigator: A cogent adage aimed at teachers begins with the following phrase: If you’ve told a child a thousand times and he still does not understand… The full expression concludes with a reversal of the traditional supposition and indicates that the teacher is …
Simone Signoret? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: I am trying to find a citation for a statement attributed to the wonderful French movie actress Simone Signoret. Here is a paraphrase from my memory: marriages are not held together by chains; they are held together by hundreds of threads. Are you familiar with this saying? Would you …
Octavia Butler? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Recently, a publisher in Silicon Valley tweeted an illustration of the prominent science fiction author Octavia Butler together with a quotation that offered intriguing advice about writing. The quote began: First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. When were these words written or said by Butler? Quote Investigator: Octavia …
Ray Bradbury? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: On Facebook I saw the following quotation displayed on a star-filled picture: We are an impossibility in an impossible universe The words were attributed to the prominent science fiction author Ray Bradbury, but I haven’t been able to find a citation. Would you please help? Quote Investigator: In January …
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