Charles Darwin? History Textbook? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: While reading a newspaper article I saw the following statement attributed to the famous scientist Charles Darwin: In the struggle for survival, the fittest win out at the expense of their rivals because they succeed in adapting themselves best to their environment. The article cited “On …
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Quote Origin: A Rainy Day, Lost Luggage, and Tangled Christmas Tree Lights
Maya Angelou? H. Jackson Brown Jr.? A 52-Year-Old Person? Question for Quote Investigator: Each of us must occasionally experience irritating situations. Maturity and self-control help to keep a person steady. A quotation touching on this theme has been attributed to the prominent poet and memoirist Maya Angelou. Here are two versions: I’ve learned that you …
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Quote Origin: The Person Who Never Makes a Mistake Will Never Make Anything
Theodore Roosevelt? Albert Einstein? Benjamin Franklin? Samuel Smiles? Josh Billings? Mr. Phelps? G. K. Chesterton? Robert Smith Surtees? Joseph Conrad? Will Rogers? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Mistakes are unavoidable in the life of an active and vital person. Several adages highlight this important theme: 1) A man who never makes a mistake will never …
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Quote Origin: They Riot in the Streets Inflamed with Wild Notions; Their Morals Are Decaying
Plato? Theodore Hesburgh? Creed C. Black? William J. Brennan Jr.? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The following questioning and unhappy words have been attributed to the ancient Greek sage Plato: What is happening to our young people? They disrespect their elders, they disobey their parents. They ignore the law. They riot in the streets inflamed …
Quote Origin: Nothing is More Unfair than to Judge the Men of the Past by the Ideas of the Present
Barbara W. Tuchman? Denys Arthur Winstanley? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The popular historian Barbara W. Tuchman suggested that it was unfair to “judge men of the past by the ideas of the present”. She credited this interesting stance to an unnamed English historian. Yet, I have been unable to determine the identity of this …
Quote Origin: A Shortage of Sand in the Sahara
Milton Friedman? William F. Buckley Jr.? French Sage? Alfred E. Kahn? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The well-known economist Milton Friedman was often critical of governmental power. The following saying has been attributed to him: If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in five years there’d be a shortage of …
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Quote Origin: It Is the Artists of This World, the Feelers and Thinkers, Who Will Ultimately Save Us
Leonard Bernstein? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The late 1960s and early 1970s were a time of societal upheaval and uncertainty in the United States. The prominent conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein who was well-known for crafting the music of “West Side Story” delivered a speech during which he asserted that only the artists of …
Quote Origin: Give the People What They Want and They’ll Come
Humorist: Red Skelton? George Jessel? Goodman Ace? Groucho Marx? Bert Lahr? James Bacon? Funeral: Harry Cohn? Louis B. Mayer? Question for Quote Investigator: A show business platitude states that success at the box office is achievable by simply giving the people what they want. A harsh comical anecdote about a funeral reinterpreted this saying. The …
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Quote Origin: Duty Comes Before Pleasure, But Only in the Dictionary
Harold L. Spence? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: You examined an adage about success and work that cleverly referred to their alphabetical order. I’ve seen a different joke about duty and pleasure: Duty comes before pleasure, but only in the dictionary. Would you please explore this saying? Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest instance of …
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Quote Origin: Animal Rights and Beings from Another Planet
George Bernard Shaw? John Harris? Brigid Brophy? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: George Bernard Shaw was a strong advocate of vegetarianism who was greatly concerned with animal welfare. The following statement attributed to Shaw encouraged the reader to embrace an abstract extraplanetary perspective and asked the reader to condemn the instrumental use of animals for …
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