Tracing Quotations
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:[1]Website: BBC News Magazine, Article title: “Tennyson: 10 essential quotes”, Date on website: March 7, 2011, Website description: British Broadcasting Corporation, public …
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”
Russell B. Long? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: It’s tax time again in the U.S., and I recently heard a humorous rhyming verse on this topic: Don’t tax you. Don’t tax me. Tax the guy behind the tree. Do you know who originally said this? Quote Investigator: The earliest close match for this verse located by …
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Jack L. Warner? Bill Davidson? Samuel Goldwyn? Louis B. Mayer? Harry Cohn? Apocryphal? Insult: Schmuck? Schlep? Schnook? Dear Quote Investigator: The attitude of Hollywood producers toward writers has been epitomized by the following callous remark: A writer is a schmuck with an Underwood. The Underwood Typewriter Company manufactured the best writing implements when the statement …
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Raymond Chandler? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The novelist Raymond Chandler was famous for his literary crime fiction. He once discussed the techniques he employed to craft his hardboiled fiction and supposedly offered advice similar to the following: If your plot is flagging, have a man come in with a gun. When stumped, have a man …
Continue reading “When in Doubt Have a Man Come Through a Door with a Gun in His Hand”
Albert Einstein? Armand Hammer? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: A hospital in Rhode Island has a display in the main lobby listing the names of generous donors. The following quotation attributed to Albert Einstein is also printed on the display: It is the responsibility of every human being to aspire to do something worthwhile, to make …
Abraham Lincoln? W. H. Alexander? Wood Cutter? Lumberjack? Woodsman? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Rigorous preparation is the key to success for many endeavors. There is a popular saying attributed to Abraham Lincoln about planning and executing tasks. Here are three versions: If I had four hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend the …
John Pierpont Morgan? Theodore Roosevelt? Mrs. Walter B. Helm? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: There is a wonderful quotation about the true motivations that guide the actions of people. I have seen a few different versions: A person usually has two reasons for doing something: a good reason and the real reason. A man always has …
Continue reading “A Person Has Two Reasons for Doing Anything: A Good Reason and the Real Reason”