Tracing Quotations
Mark Twain? E. B. White? Katharine S. White? André Maurois? Marty Feldman? Dear Quote Investigator: A cogent simile about the cerebral examination of humor has been attributed to three clever individuals: humorist Mark Twain, children’s author E. B. White, and French author André Maurois. Here are four versions: Analyzing humor is a bit like dissecting …
Continue reading “Humor Can Be Dissected, as a Frog Can, But the Thing Dies in the Process”
Samuel Goldwyn? Herbert Fields? June Provines? Sheilah Graham? Alva Johnston? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Movie mogul Samuel Goldwyn was famous for his creative and idiosyncratic use of the English language. Hollywood legend asserts that Goldwyn participated in a complex, protracted, and tense corporate negotiation in the 1930s. But he was unhappy with the final deal, …
Dorothy Parker? William P. Rothwell? Soaker? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The notable wit Dorothy Parker was also known as an imbiber. She would sometimes generously buy a round of drinks for her companions using the phrase: This is on me. Once when asked to create an epitaph for her tombstone she selected the expression …
Titus Livius? John Wooden? Art Linkletter? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Everyone experiences some adversity, and that may help to explain the popularity of the following adage: Things turn out best for the people who make the best out of the way things turn out. These words have been attributed to at least three people: Roman …
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Walt Whitman? Horace Traubel? Morris L. Ernst? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Walt Whitman’s landmark poetry collection “Leaves of Grass” was shocking to some of his contemporaries, and he was told by publishers, critics, and attorneys that his work required expurgation. Whitman consented to this censorship initially, but he became increasingly unhappy and angry with this …
Continue reading “The Dirtiest Book in All the World Is the Expurgated Book”
Dorothy Parker? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The notable wit Dorothy Parker was once asked to create an epitaph for her tombstone. Apparently, she crafted several different candidates for inscription over the years. I am interested in the following: Wherever she went, including here, it was against her better judgment. Did the coruscating Algonquin Round Table …
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Abraham Lincoln? William Makepeace Thackeray? Laurence Hutton? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Selecting a profession can be quite difficult, and changing your initial choice may be necessary. Yet, you should always strive for excellence. The following inspirational words are heartening: Whatever you are, be a good one. The phrase is usually attributed to Abraham …
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Queen Victoria? Lucy Baldwin? Pierre Daninos? Lady Hillingham? Lady Hillingdon? Jonathan Gathorne-Hardy? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: There is a well-known though unreliable anecdote about the guidance offered to brides in the repressive Victorian era. Supposedly, Queen Victoria was asked by one of her newly married daughters about possible carnal activities in the marriage bed. Here …
Continue reading “Just Close Your Eyes and Think of England”
Lily Tomlin? Jackie Gleason? Bill Cunningham? William Sloane Coffin? Russell Baker? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: There is a popular quip about the competitive daily grind of the working world. Here are two versions: 1) Even if you win the rat race, you’re still a rat 2) So you’ve won the rat race. You’re still a …
Continue reading “Even If You Win the Rat Race, You’re Still a Rat”
Jean Piaget? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Jean Piaget was an influential developmental psychologist who studied the learning strategies of children. I am trying to determine if he said the following: When you teach a child something you take away forever his chance of discovering it for himself. I have not seen a precise citation for …
Continue reading “Every Time We Teach a Child Something, We Keep Him from Inventing It Himself”