Arnold Palmer? John Sutton? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The following statement about overcoming obstacles is attributed to the famous golfer Arnold Palmer: The most rewarding things you do in life are often the ones that look like they cannot be done. I am graduating soon and would like to use this as my yearbook …
Author Archives: quoteresearch
Quote Origin: Chance, Coincidence, Miracles, Pseudonyms, and God
Albert Einstein? Théophile Gautier? Alexis de Valon? Samuel Taylor Coleridge? Helena Blavatsky? Dr. Paul F.? Heidi Quade? Bonnie Farmer? Charlotte C. Taylor? Doris Lessing? Nicolas Chamfort? Horace Walpole? Question for Quote Investigator: The following statement is attributed to the brilliant physicist Albert Einstein: Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous. I have been unable to …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Chance, Coincidence, Miracles, Pseudonyms, and God”
Dialogue Origin: “She Is Always Kind to Her Inferiors” “But Where Does She Find Them?”
Dorothy Parker? Mark Twain? Samuel Johnson? Sidney Skolsky? Margaret Case Harriman? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The scintillating wit Dorothy Parker once listened to an enumeration of the many positive attributes of a person she disliked. Below is the final statement of praise together with Parker’s acerbic response: “She is always kind to her inferiors.” …
Quote Origin: Chance Is the Nickname of Providence
Nicolas Chamfort? Horace Walpole? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The relationships between chance, luck, fate, and providence are often disputed. One viewpoint holds that no event occurs at random; instead, there is an underlying purpose or design though it may be hidden or opaque. Here is an adage encapsulating that thought: Chance is the nickname …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Chance Is the Nickname of Providence”
Quote Origin: I Think that I Shall Never See a Billboard Lovely as a Tree
Joyce Kilmer? Ogden Nash? Confucious? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: April is National Poetry Month in the U. S., and Arbor Day also occurs in this month. A famous poem by Joyce Kilmer begins with the following couplet: I think that I shall never see A poem lovely as a tree. A comical riff on …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: I Think that I Shall Never See a Billboard Lovely as a Tree”
Quote Origin: Definition of Freedom: It’s Being Easy in Your Harness
Robert Frost? James B. Simpson? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: An enigmatic metaphorical statement about freedom has been attributed to the famous American poet Robert Frost: You have freedom when you’re easy in your harness. Are these really the words of Frost? What was the context? Would you please examine this topic? Reply from Quote …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Definition of Freedom: It’s Being Easy in Your Harness”
Quote Origin: Sports Do Not Build Character; They Reveal It
John Wooden? Heywood Hale Broun? James Michener? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Participation in sports is enjoyable and salubrious for a great many people. One often hears that sports can also build character, but a shrewd remark spins this traditional assertion: Sports don’t build character; they reveal it. These words have been attributed to renowned …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Sports Do Not Build Character; They Reveal It”
Quote Origin: To Repeat What Others Have Said, Requires Education; To Challenge It, Requires Brains
Mary Pettibone Poole? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Students must be able to memorize some factual material, but an important emphasis in learning should be placed on the development of critical and analytical thinking. The following statement is astute: To repeat what others have said, requires education; to challenge it, requires brains. Would you please …
Quote Origin: When Two Men in Business Always Agree, One of Them Is Unnecessary
William Wrigley Jr.? Ezra Pound? Henry Ford? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Constructive debate about future plans is essential in a responsive and vibrant company. Here are three versions of a popular business adage: When two men in a business always agree, one of them is unnecessary. When two men in business always agree, one …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: When Two Men in Business Always Agree, One of Them Is Unnecessary”
Quote Origin: Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication
Leonardo da Vinci? Clare Boothe Luce? Leonard Thiessen? Elizabeth Hillyer? William Gaddis? Eleanor All? Apple Computer Company? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The following aphorism has often been attributed to the brilliant Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci: Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Strangely, I have been unable to find any solid source for this ascription. …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication”