Martin Luther King Jr.? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A speech by the civil rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr. included a section about the importance of altruism versus selfishness; he posed the following question: What are you doing for others? Would you please help me to locate this quotation? Reply from Quote Investigator: The …
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Quote Origin: Jealousy in Romance Is Like Salt in Food
Maya Angelou? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: I once read a piece by the prominent memoirist and poet Maya Angelou that contained a fascinating simile depicting jealousy in a love affair as a spice or salt because it enhanced the flavor of the relationship. I have not been able to relocate this passage, and now …
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Quote Origin: Obscene and Not Heard
Groucho Marx? Ethel Barrymore? Maurice Barrymore? Paul M. Potter? Gertrude Battles Lane? John Lennon? Joe E. Lewis? Robert Heinlein? Marilyn Manson? Augustus John? Oscar Wilde? Question for Quote Investigator: There is well-known and often repeated admonition directed at young people who are making too much noise: Children should be seen and not heard. Wordplay has …
Quote Origin: Purpose and Persistence Are Required for Success; Unrewarded Genius Is Almost a Proverb
Calvin Coolidge? Theodore Thornton Munger? M. M. Callen? Orison Swett Marden? Edward H. Hart? Question for Quote Investigator: Many books extolling self-improvement include a didactic passage that begins as follows: Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; …
Dialogue Origin: “I Bet I Could Get Three Words Out of You.” “You Lose.”
Calvin Coolidge? Frank B. Noyes? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: President Calvin Coolidge was known as “Silent Cal” because of his extraordinarily laconic speech. A famous anecdote tells of a dinner party during which the person sitting adjacent to the Coolidge said: “Mr. President I’ve made a large bet that I would be able to …
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Quote Origin: Death Is Nature’s Way of Telling You to Slow Down
Madison Avenue? Doctor’s Advice? Graffito? Dick Sharples? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: When I strained a muscle recently a friend told me that the injury was nature’s way of telling me to slow down. Another friend quipped: Death is nature’s way of telling you to slow down. Would you please explore this adage? Reply from …
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Quote Origin: It Always Seems Impossible Until It’s Done
Nelson Mandela? Pliny the Elder? Daniel Wilson? Elbert Anderson Young? Robert H. Goddard? Robert Heinlein? Norton Juster? Paul Eldridge? Question for Quote Investigator: Politicians, journalists, pundits, and self-help authors are fond of the following inspirational expression: It always seems impossible, until it is done. The words are usually attributed to the activist, statesman, and Nobel …
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Quote Origin: No Passion in the World Is Equal to the Passion to Alter Someone Else’s Draft
H. G. Wells? Barbara Wootton? Lawrence R. Klein? Stanley Kramer? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: If you have ever experienced the manuscript editing process as an editor or an editee you should fully comprehend this quotation: No passion in the world is equal to the passion to alter someone else’s draft. The above remark is …
Quote Origin: People Laugh at This Every Night, Which Explains Why a Democracy Can Never Be a Success
Robert Benchley? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The Broadway play “Abie’s Irish Rose” opened in 1922 and ran for more than five years which was a record-breaking achievement at the time. The writer and future actor Robert Benchley was the drama critic at “Life” magazine, and apparently he detested the production. Every week he crafted …
Quote Origin: Anyone Who Can Drive Safely While Kissing Is Simply Not Giving the Kiss the Attention It Deserves
Albert Einstein? Philippa? Fluffy Flapper? James Russell? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The modern traveler may encounter dangerous drivers who are texting while driving. But another risky behavior has been occurring on roadways for many decades: kissing while driving. The brilliant physicist Albert Einstein supposedly said: Any man who can drive safely while kissing …