Tracing Quotations
Oscar Wilde? Ann Landers? Gershon Legman? Anonymous? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: In 1882 the coruscating wit Oscar Wilde came to the United States to see the country and to conduct a series of lectures. When he visited the Niagara Falls, a classic honeymoon destination, he was unimpressed. Here are two variants of a saying …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Niagara Falls: The First Great Disappointment in Married Life”
Dorothy Parker? Life Magazine? Maxson Foxhall Judell? Edwin G. Nourse? Tom Lehrer? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The following adage about age and recalcitrance is familiar to many: You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. I am trying to trace a comical wordplay variant: You cannot teach an old dogma new tricks. This statement …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: You Can’t Teach an Old Dogma New Tricks”
A. A. Milne? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: “Penny Dreadful” was the name given to a class of literature which emerged in the nineteenth century and was designed to appeal to young men and boys. I am trying to trace a comical saying about the eclipse of these serials. A publisher created a new lower-priced …
Babe Ruth? Tom Meany? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A humorous story is told about the renowned baseball slugger Babe Ruth. He was negotiating his salary during the depths of the economic depression and was told that the amount he had requested was outlandish because it exceeded the remuneration given to Herbert Hoover who was …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Anyway, I Had a Better Year Than He Did”
Wolcott Gibbs? George Bernard Shaw? Margaret Case Harriman? Alexander Woollcott? Ivor Brown? Frank Case? Peter Fleming? Brooks Atkinson? George S. Kaufman? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A wit once travelled to the opulent country estate of a friend and was shown the surrounding grounds which were well-manicured and extensively landscaped. Several large trees had been …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: This Just Shows What God Could Do If He Had Money”
Gautama Buddha? Walter Scott? Lloyd Shearer? George Washington Carver? Dale Turner? Ann Landers? Bob Goddard? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The end of the year is fast approaching and some of your readers may be thinking about formulating New Year’s resolutions. I have heard a heartfelt resolution that encouraged one to be “compassionate with the …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Resolve To Be Tender with the Young and Compassionate with the Aged”
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 …
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 …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: A Rainy Day, Lost Luggage, and Tangled Christmas Tree Lights”
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 …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: The Person Who Never Makes a Mistake Will Never Make Anything”
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 …