Tracing Quotations
Wizard of Id? Jafar? Brant Parker? Johnny Hart? Dick Boland? Jack Caprio? Jesse Jackson? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The Golden Rule is a famous ethical principle that can be stated as follows: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. Several different lampoons and parodies have been constructed based on this moral …
Continue reading “The Golden Rule: Whoever Has the Gold Makes the Rules”
Aristotle? Elbert Hubbard? William Pitt? Fred Shero? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Receiving criticism is an unpleasant experience, but it is also inevitable. If your actions in the world are significant then you will draw detractors. This notion is cleverly expressed in the following pointed remark: To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing. This …
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Oscar Wilde? Ann Landers? Gershon Legman? Anonymous? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: In 1882 the coruscating wit Oscar Wilde came to the United States to see the country and to conduct a series of lectures. When he visited the Niagara Falls, a classic honeymoon destination, he was unimpressed. Here are two variants of a saying that …
Continue reading “Niagara Falls: The First Great Disappointment in Married Life”
Dorothy Parker? Life Magazine? Maxson Foxhall Judell? Edwin G. Nourse? Tom Lehrer? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The following adage about age and recalcitrance is familiar to many: You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. I am trying to trace a comical wordplay variant: You cannot teach an old dogma new tricks. This statement is …
A. A. Milne? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: “Penny Dreadful” was the name given to a class of literature which emerged in the nineteenth century and was designed to appeal to young men and boys. I am trying to trace a comical saying about the eclipse of these serials. A publisher created a new lower-priced collection …
Babe Ruth? Tom Meany? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: A humorous story is told about the renowned baseball slugger Babe Ruth. He was negotiating his salary during the depths of the economic depression and was told that the amount he had requested was outlandish because it exceeded the remuneration given to Herbert Hoover who was the …
Wolcott Gibbs? George Bernard Shaw? Margaret Case Harriman? Alexander Woollcott? Ivor Brown? Frank Case? Peter Fleming? Brooks Atkinson? George S. Kaufman? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: A wit once travelled to the opulent country estate of a friend and was shown the surrounding grounds which were well-manicured and extensively landscaped. Several large trees had been transplanted …
Continue reading “This Just Shows What God Could Do If He Had Money”
Gautama Buddha? Walter Scott? Lloyd Shearer? George Washington Carver? Dale Turner? Ann Landers? Bob Goddard? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The end of the year is fast approaching and some of your readers may be thinking about formulating New Year’s resolutions. I have heard a heartfelt resolution that encouraged one to be “compassionate with the aged”, …
Continue reading “Resolve To Be Tender with the Young and Compassionate with the Aged”
Charles Darwin? History Textbook? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: While reading a newspaper article I saw the following statement attributed to the famous scientist Charles Darwin: In the struggle for survival, the fittest win out at the expense of their rivals because they succeed in adapting themselves best to their environment. The article cited “On the …
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Maya Angelou? H. Jackson Brown Jr.? A 52-Year-Old Person? Dear Quote Investigator: Each of us must occasionally experience irritating situations. Maturity and self-control help to keep a person steady. A quotation touching on this theme has been attributed to the prominent poet and memoirist Maya Angelou. Here are two versions: I’ve learned that you can …
Continue reading “A Rainy Day, Lost Luggage, and Tangled Christmas Tree Lights”