Winston Churchill? Clement Attlee? Emmanuel Shinwell? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: There was an extraordinary and ribald conversation between Winston Churchill and his political opponent Clement Attlee that supposedly took place in the men’s room of the House of Commons. Was this event authentic or apocryphal? Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest evidence located by …
Author Archives: quoteresearch
Quote Origin: Ah, Would That I Were Only 80 Years Old!
Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle? Samuel Rogers? Walter Besant? Helmuth von Moltke the Elder? Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.? Georges Clemenceau? Question for Quote Investigator: An amusing remark about longevity and libido has been ascribed to septuagenarians, octogenarians, nonagenarians, and centenarians. A venerable gentleman was sitting on a park bench with a friend, and he gazed …
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Quote Origin: I’d Put My Money on the Sun and Solar Energy
Thomas Edison? James D. Newton? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A fascinatingly prescient remark about energy has been attributed to the famous inventor and entrepreneur Thomas Edison: I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out …
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Quote Origin: Never Believe Anything Until It Is Officially Denied
Otto von Bismarck? Cynical Broker? Hy Sheridan? Claud Cockburn? Edward Cheyfitz? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Cynicism regarding official edicts is not a new phenomenon. Reportedly, the powerful German leader Otto von Bismarck once said: Never believe anything in politics until it has been officially denied. Yet, these words have also been attributed to more …
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Quote Origin: The Man Who First Flung a Word of Abuse at His Enemy Instead of a Spear Was the Founder of Civilization
Sigmund Freud? An English Writer? Walt Menninger? Joyce Brothers? Robert Byrne? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The control and deflection of violent impulses is central to the development of fruitful social interactions. A cogent remark on this topic has been attributed to the acclaimed father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud. Here are three versions: 1) The …
Quote Origin: First I Brush My Teeth and Then I Sharpen My Tongue
Dorothy Parker? Oscar Levant? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A famously trenchant wit was once asked to describe the daily routine followed after arising: I wake up in the morning and brush my teeth, and then I sharpen my tongue. These words have been attributed to the writer Dorothy Parker and to the pianist comedian …
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Quote Origin: I’ll Give You a Definite Maybe
Samuel Goldwyn? Jerry Wald? Jed Harris? Louis Sobol? Walter Winchell? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Making a weighty decision is difficult because one must be willing to forgo alternative choices and possibilities. The following equivocal statement comical illustrates this psychological tension: I can give you a definite maybe. The words above have been attributed to …
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Quote Origin: You Can Discover More About a Person in an Hour of Play than in a Year of Conversation
Plato? Richard Lingard? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Plato’s philosophical thoughts were explicated using the format of a dialogue in which the participants expressed clashing ideas. The following quotation attributed to Plato seems to be a comical twist on his true attitude: You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than …
Quote Origin: A False Enchantment Can All Too Easily Last a Lifetime
W. H. Auden? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The following evocative statement has been attributed to the prominent poet W. H. Auden: A false enchantment can all too easily last a lifetime. I find it so frustrating that people post and repost this quote without pointing to its precise source. Would you please help? Reply …
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Quote Origin: Life Is Too Important To Be Taken Seriously
Oscar Wilde? G. K. Chesterton? H. L. Mencken? Sebastian Melmoth? Question for Quote Investigator: The following cryptic paradox has been attributed to the famous wit Oscar Wilde: Life is too important to be taken seriously. Yet, I have not found this statement in Wilde’s plays or essays. Would you please examine its provenance? Reply from …
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