Tracing Quotations
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? Question for 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” …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Clear Your Mind of Cant / Clear Your Mind of Can’t”
David Bowie? Alan B. Krueger? David Kusek? Gerd Leonhard? Apocryphal? Question for 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 …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Music Itself Is Going To Become Like Running Water or Electricity”
Benjamin Franklin? Thomas Fuller? Apocryphal? Question for 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 …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: 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? Question for 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 …
Neil Gaiman? Apocryphal? Question for 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 …
Will Smith? Walter Winchell? Robert Quillen? Edgar Allan Moss? Tony Wons? Ken Murray? Emile Gauvreau? Walter Slezak? Will Rogers? Chuck Palahniuk? Tyler Durden? Question for 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 …
John Steinbeck? Harper Lee? Rod Serling? Apocryphal? Question for 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 …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: 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 …
Robert Frost? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The prominent poet Robert Frost thought that pursuing activities with an unremitting frenetic pace was unwise; periods of relaxation and leisure were indispensable. He has been credited with a passage that begins: There’s absolutely no reason for being rushed along with the rush. Everybody should be free to …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: There’s Absolutely No Reason for Being Rushed Along with the Rush”