John Lennon? Pablo Picasso? Carleton Noyes? Percy Mackaye? Dudley Crafts Watson? Agnes Snyder? Ricky Gervais? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: When a child is supplied with paint, clay, paper, and scissors he or she will experiment and construct images and figures. The artistic impulse is strong in the early years of life, but sadly it …
Author Archives: quoteresearch
Quote Origin: The Best Lack All Conviction While the Worst Are Full of Passionate Intensity
William Butler Yeats? Bertrand Russell? Charles Bukowski? Question for Quote Investigator: Have you ever been absolutely certain about a fact and later determined that you were completely wrong? If you learn from that experience you become less arrogant and more empathetic. I wish more people would achieve this form of personal growth. Here are three …
Quote Origin: The Most Exciting Phrase in Science Is Not ‘Eureka!’ But ‘That’s Funny’
Isaac Asimov? Gordon Rattray Taylor? Alexander Fleming? Archimedes? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The famous phrase uttered by an inventor or scientist when making a major discovery is “Eureka!” That was the cry of the ancient Greek sage Archimedes. Yet, a clever contrarian has asserted that the remark preceding a breakthrough reflects surprise and uncertainty …
Quote Origin: Shoot Them Now, While They’re Happy
Dorothy Parker? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The brilliant wit Dorothy Parker’s career was based on writing. She composed screenplays in Hollywood, and she authored columns for the magazines “Esquire” and “The New Yorker”. Yet, she was not always happy with her literary livelihood. Recently on Pinterest I saw a piece of comically lethal acerbic …
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Quote Origin: Firearms Stand Next in Importance to the Constitution Itself. They Are the American People’s Liberty Teeth and Keystone Under Independence
George Washington? C. S. Wheatley? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Are you familiar with the “liberty teeth” speech attributed to George Washington? Researchers have been unable to find evidence that Washington delivered this address, and some phrases are apparently anachronistic. Would you please explore its provenance? Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest evidence located by …
Quote Origin: Unless You Try To Do Something Beyond What You Have Already Mastered, You Will Never Grow
Ralph Waldo Emerson? Ronald E. Osborn? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The following adage about personal growth has appeared in many self-help and motivational texts: Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow. Often the words are attributed to the well-known transcendental philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson, but …
Quote Origin: Only One Who Attempts the Absurd Is Capable of Achieving the Impossible
Albert Einstein? M. C. Escher? Robin Morgan? Miguel de Unamuno? Miguel de Cervantes? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: To fully succeed in life one must ultimately follow an audacious path that may seem nonsensical or reckless to ones colleagues. My favorite saying supports this idea. Here are three versions: 1) Only those who attempt the …
Quote Origin: The Philosopher, the Theologian, and the Elusive Black Cat
Julian Huxley? H. L. Mencken? Lewis Browne? Eric Temple Bell? William James? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The QI website has an article tracing a quip about a problematic absurdist quest: A metaphysician is a man who goes into a dark cellar at midnight without a light looking for a black cat that is not …
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Quote Origin: She Is Too Fond of Books, and It Has Turned Her Brain
Louisa May Alcott? Liz Smith? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The following quotation is popular with book lovers, and it has appeared on posters, mugs, tote bags, plaques, bookmarks, and jewelry: She is too fond of books, and it has addled her brain. The statement is attributed to the famous novelist Louisa May Alcott who …
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Quote Origin: A Blind Man in a Dark Room Looking for a Black Cat That Is Not There
Charles Darwin? Lord Bowen? Confucius? E. R. Pearce? William James? Ralph Waldo Emerson? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A vivid and comical metaphor has been applied to professions that require abstract and recondite reasoning abilities: A mathematician is a blind man in a dark room looking for a black hat which isn’t there. A metaphysician …