Tracing Quotations
J. B. S. Haldane? John Maynard Smith? W. D. Hamilton? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Kin selection is an important and sometimes controversial idea in genetics. The prominent biologist J. B. S. Haldane reportedly said: I would gladly give up my life for two brothers or eight cousins. I have been unable to find a citation …
Continue reading “He Was Prepared To Lay Down His Life for Eight Cousins or Two Brothers”
Derek Bok? Ann Landers? Char Meyers? Robert Orben? John Lubbock? P. B. de La Bruère? Rev. S. C. Morris? Charles Duncan Mclver? Albert Einstein? Barack Obama? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The cost of attending college has been increasing more rapidly than the rate of inflation for decades in the U.S. Students and parents have …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: If You Think Education Is Expensive, Try Ignorance”
Samuel Johnson? James Boswell? Thomas Carlyle? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Two statements that sound the same but have very different meanings have been attributed to the esteemed dictionary maker and man of letters Samuel Johnson: 1) Clear your mind of cant. 2) Clear your mind of can’t. In the first statement the noun “cant” referred …
Continue reading “Clear Your Mind of Cant / Clear Your Mind of Can’t”
David Bowie? Alan B. Krueger? David Kusek? Gerd Leonhard? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Music streaming services such as Spotify, Pandora, and Apple Music have grown greatly in popularity and power in recent times. Some pundits assert that music in the future will be viewed as a utility like water, gas, or electricity. But this insight …
Continue reading “Music Itself Is Going To Become Like Running Water or Electricity”
Benjamin Franklin? Thomas Fuller? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: If you wish to be remembered by posterity in a literate culture you have two options: 1) Write something that people wish to read. 2) Do something grand that inspires people to write. The famous statesman Benjamin Franklin has a secure place in history for both of …
Continue reading “Either Write Things Worth Reading or Do Things Worth the Writing”
Henry Ford? Jessie Potter? Dayle K. Maloney? Cathy Bolger? Susan Jeffers? Jackie “Moms” Mabley? Tony Robbins? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Why do people repeat foolish, ineffective, or self-destructive behaviors? Self-help books contain an adage about the consequences of thoughtless repetition. Here are three versions: 1) If you do what you’ve always done you’ll get what …
Neil Gaiman? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: In today’s world of search engines and myriad webpages some have questioned the future of libraries and librarians. The award-winning fantasy author Neil Gaiman coined an insightful saying on this topic. In essence, a librarian can help guide you to find the right answer from the hundreds of thousands …
Will Smith? Walter Winchell? Robert Quillen? Edgar Allan Moss? Tony Wons? Ken Murray? Emile Gauvreau? Walter Slezak? Will Rogers? Chuck Palahniuk? Tyler Durden? Dear Quote Investigator: Have you ever purchased an item and wondered the next day what motivated your inexplicable action? Here are two versions of an entertaining saying about consumerism: 1) Too many …
John Steinbeck? Harper Lee? Rod Serling? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Literary folklore asserts that John Steinbeck, the Nobel prize-winning author, was once asked to share a nugget of wisdom for aspiring authors, and he replied humorously and candidly that he did not really have any advice. In fact, if he had some good advice he …
Continue reading “Sorry — If I Had Any Advice To Give I’d Take It Myself”
Winston Churchill? Walter Winchell? Reader’s Digest? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: British leader Winston Churchill has been credited with a crafting a vivid definition for “appeaser” that cleverly employed figurative language: An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile — hoping it will eat him last. It supposedly was spoken during World War II, but …