Tracing Quotations
Vincent van Gogh? Émile Zola? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The famous Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh has been credited with the following fervent statement: I would rather die of passion than of boredom. Surprisingly, this remark has also been ascribed to the prominent French novelist Émile Zola. Would you please elucidate this topic? Reply …
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Lord Byron? Jacques Barzun? Robert Halsband? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: On a Pinterest pin-board I saw a picture of the famous British poet Lord Byron accompanying the following quotation: Letter writing is the only device for combining solitude with good company. I would like to use this expression in an article, but I have …
Winston Churchill? Jack Fishman? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Here is a mystifying question for you. Winston Churchill has been credited with crafting two nearly identical quotations beginning as follows: 1) Do not let specious plans … 2) Do not let spacious plans … The two expressions differed by a single word: specious/spacious. Did Churchill …
Walter Barbee? Walter Barbie? Walter Barbe? Robert Alcorn? Nancy Reese? Question for Quote Investigator: A cogent adage aimed at teachers begins with the following phrase: If you’ve told a child a thousand times and he still does not understand… The full expression concludes with a reversal of the traditional supposition and indicates that the teacher …
Simone Signoret? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: I am trying to find a citation for a statement attributed to the wonderful French movie actress Simone Signoret. Here is a paraphrase from my memory: marriages are not held together by chains; they are held together by hundreds of threads. Are you familiar with this saying? Would …
Octavia Butler? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Recently, a publisher in Silicon Valley tweeted an illustration of the prominent science fiction author Octavia Butler together with a quotation that offered intriguing advice about writing. The quote began: First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. When were these words written or said by Butler? Reply from …
Ray Bradbury? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: On Facebook I saw the following quotation displayed on a star-filled picture: We are an impossibility in an impossible universe The words were attributed to the prominent science fiction author Ray Bradbury, but I haven’t been able to find a citation. Would you please help? Reply from Quote …
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Helen Keller? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A wise statement about true happiness and its connection to the pursuit of a worthwhile objective has been attributed to the blind social activist Helen Keller. Are you familiar with this saying and is the ascription accurate? Reply from Quote Investigator: Hellen Keller maintained a journal during the …
Edward R. Murrow? David Horsey? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: In March 2016 the political cartoonist and commentator David Horsey of the “Los Angeles Times” published a cartoon showing the prominent journalist Edward R. Murrow seated in front of a television screen that displayed a group of angry clowns. The quotation accompanying the illustration compared …
Albert Einstein? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A learner may accumulate a large number of miscellaneous pieces of information without achieving an integrated understanding and without acquiring an ability to use the material intelligently. Reportedly, Albert Einstein made a germane remark: Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of minds to think. …