Edgar Allan Poe? William Barton? John A. Joyce? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The following remark has been ascribed to the master of mystery and the macabre Edgar Allan Poe Religion evolved out of fraud, fear, and greed. Is this quotation accurate? Reply from Quote Investigator: A controversial remark of this type was included in …
Author Archives: quoteresearch
Quote Origin: Once You Replace Negative Thoughts with Positive Ones, You’ll Start Having Positive Results
Willie Nelson? Dale Carnegie? Norman Vincent Peale? James K. Van Fleet? John C. Maxwell? Question for Quote Investigator: Did country music star Willie Nelson say something about replacing negative thoughts with positive ones to achieve positive results? Reply from Quote Investigator: In 2006 Willie Nelson with Turk Pipkin published “The Tao of Willie: A Guide …
Quote Origin: To Be Happy at Home Is the Ultimate Result of All Ambition
Samuel Johnson? C. S. Lewis? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The famous English lexicographer Samuel Johnson apparently extolled domestic bliss. Did he write or say something like the following? The chief aim of all human endeavors is to be happy at home. Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1746 Samuel Johnson signed a contract to create …
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Quote Origin: History Is the Unfolding of Miscalculations
Barbara W. Tuchman? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The popular historian Barbara W. Tuchman crafted one or both of the following cautionary adages: Sometimes the final word is singular. Would you please help me unravel this mystery? Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1971 Tuchman published “Stilwell and the American Experience in China: 1911-45”. She discussed …
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Quote Origin: An Empty Taxi Arrived and Clement Attlee Stepped Out of It
Winston Churchill? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Critics of U.K. Prime Minister Clement Attlee viewed him as an insubstantial and dull figure. The following quip apparently circulated during the 1940s: An empty taxi arrived at 10 Downing Street and Clement Attlee got out of it. These words are often attributed to Winston Churchill. What do …
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Quote Origin: An Empty Carriage Drove Up To the Théâtre Français and Sarah Bernhardt Alighted From It
Target: Sarah Bernhardt? Alexander H. Stephens? Question for Quote Investigator: Complaints about the body shapes of people in the public eye have a very long history. Small and thin individuals have sometimes been targeted with the following type of quip: An empty vehicle rolled up to the hotel and so-and-so got out of it. Would …
Quote Origin: Change One Letter in That Phrase and You Have My Life Story
Dorothy Parker? Ben Hecht? Corey Ford? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The famous wit Dorothy Parker apparently constructed a risqué quip when she observed people ducking for apples at a party. Would you please explore this topic? Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest evidence of Parker’s jest located by QI appeared in the 1957 book …
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Quote Origin: Only One Man Ever Understood Me, and He Did Not Understand Me Either
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel? Heinrich Heine? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel had a major influence on later schools of thought including Marxism and existentialism. Yet, critics have complained of his unintelligibility. One colorful anecdote claims that Hegel made the following pronouncement on his deathbed: Only one man ever …
Quote Origin: Success Is Failure Turned Inside Out
John Greenleaf Whittier? Edgar Guest? Labor? Nellie Maxwell? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A popular poem about perseverance includes these lines: When all is pressing you down a bit— Rest if you must, but don’t you quit. The poets John Greenleaf Whittier and Edgar A. Guest have both been credited. Would you please determine the …
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Quote Origin: Every Word Has Consequences. Every Silence, Too
Jean-Paul Sartre? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Did the famous existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre say the following: Every word has consequences. Every silence, too. I am trying to find a citation for the original French version. Would you please help? Reply from Quote Investigator: Jean-Paul Sartre believed that writers should be politically engaged. He was …
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