Tracing Quotations
W. H. Auden? George Herbert Palmer? Young Boy? Thomas Robert Dewar? John Foster Hall? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Altruism is a cornerstone of many religions and philosophies. Here are two versions of a humorous comment on this topic: If we are here to help others, I often wonder what the others are here for. We …
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Helen Keller? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: A website on education policy began a recent article with a statement attributed to Helen Keller: Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. No citation was given. Would you please examine this saying? Quote Investigator: There is good evidence that Helen Keller did speak …
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Swedish Councilor? Benjamin Disraeli? Australian Alderman? Casey Motsisi? Dennis Skinner? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Recently on twitter I saw a joke about the limits placed on unparliamentary language in Britain. A photo depicted an unhappy contemporary politician in the House of Commons with a caption similar to the following: Politician: Half the members of the …
Continue reading “Half of the Town Councilors Are Not Fools”
Nathaniel Hawthorne? Henry David Thoreau? L.? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: An ingenious and lovely simile about happiness is confusingly attributed to two prominent literary figures: Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry David Thoreau. Here are two versions: Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but which, if you will sit …
Continue reading “Happiness Is A Butterfly, Which When Pursued, Seems Always Just Beyond Your Grasp”
Albert Einstein? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: My University has an Academic Integrity Office which has launched a poster campaign that includes an image of Albert Einstein together with the following statement which has been ascribed to the brilliant physicist: Anyone who doesn’t take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted with large ones either. …
Thomas R. Ybarra? Contributor to Life Magazine? Victor L. Berger? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Individuals who attend church services without sincerity have long been criticized with the following sardonic description: Those who repent on Sunday, For what they did on Saturday, And plan to do again on Monday. I have been unable to determine who …
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Carl Sagan? Arthur Hays Sulzberger? Marianne Moore? E. E Cummings? William Allan Neilson? Walter Kotschnig? Samuel Butler? G. K. Chesterton? Max Radin? James Oberg? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: There is a desirable balance between exploring novel ideas with an open mind and maintaining a healthy skepticism. The following humorous cautionary statement exemplifies the tension: Do …
Continue reading “Do Not Be So Open-Minded That Your Brains Fall Out”
P.T. Barnum? Hungry Joe Lewis? Artemus Ward? Mike McDonald? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: A famous saying about gullibility is usually attributed to the well-known showman P. T. Barnum. Here are two versions: There’s a sucker born every minute. There’s a fool born every minute. Whether Barnum actually used either of these expressions is controversial. …
Alfred Lord Tennyson? Claudia Adrienne Grandi? Claudia Ghandi? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The website of a major international news organization has an article titled “Tennyson: 10 Essential Quotes” with the following item listed third:[ref] Website: BBC News Magazine, Article title: “Tennyson: 10 essential quotes”, Date on website: March 7, 2011, Website description: British Broadcasting Corporation, …
Frank A. Patterson Jr.? Maya Angelou? Carl W. Buehner? Carl W. Buechner? Carol Buchner? Don Aslett? Jerry Johnston? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The most valuable advice that I have ever heard for speakers and teachers is the following: They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel. This …
Continue reading “They May Forget What You Said, But They Will Never Forget How You Made Them Feel”