Winston Churchill? Copywriter for Budweiser Beer? George F. Tilton? Sam Rayburn? Joe Paterno? John Wooden? Mike Ditka? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Here are two versions of stirring words that are often attributed to the well-known statesman Winston Churchill: Success is never final and failure never fatal. It’s courage that counts. Success is not final; …
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A Man Is a Fool If He Drinks Before He Reaches Fifty, and a Fool If He Doesn’t Drink Afterward
Frank Lloyd Wright? William Faulkner? The Elder Gross? Charles Seiberling? Charles Douville Coburn? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The celebrated and innovative architect Frank Lloyd Wright is credited with the following remark about alcohol consumption: A man is a fool if he drinks before he reaches the age of 50, and a fool if he doesn’t …
Amateurs Practice Until They Get It Right; Professionals Practice Until They Can’t Get It Wrong
George W. Loomis? Percy C. Buck? Harold Craxton? Julie Andrews? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The creator of the following insightful saying was listed as unknown: Don’t practice until you get it right. Practice until you can’t get it wrong. While searching for background information I came across this interesting variation: Amateurs practice till they get …
If the Bee Disappeared Off the Face of the Earth, Man Would Only Have Four Years Left To Live
Albert Einstein? Charles Darwin? Maurice Maeterlinck? E. O. Wilson? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: A dramatic quotation about the dangers of environmental upheaval is attributed to the brilliant physicist Albert Einstein. Here are two versions: If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No …
Every Time I Smell It, I Shall Be Reminded of You
Oscar Wilde? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: I saw an article on the web about brilliant repartee that listed the “Top 10 Best Comebacks”. One of the response lines was from the famous wit Oscar Wilde who addressed an audience from the stage after the performance of a play he had written. The acclamation for his …
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Continuous Effort — Not Strength or Intelligence — Is the Key to Unlocking and Using Our Potential
Winston Churchill? Liane Cordes? Liane Cardes? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: On two popular websites with large collections of quotations I found an appealing statement ascribed to the famous statesman Winston Churchill: Continuous effort — not strength or intelligence — is the key to unlocking our potential. No citations were provided, and I have been unable …
Is That a Gun in Your Pocket, or Are You Just Glad to See Me?
Mae West? Aristophanes? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Screenwriter and sex symbol Mae West is usually credited with the following ribald line: Is that a pistol in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me? But I have seen many variations of this comical remark: Is that your pipe in your pocket or are …
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Academic Politics Are So Vicious Because the Stakes Are So Small
Henry Kissinger? Wallace Sayre? Charles Frankel? Samuel Johnson? Jesse Unruh? Courtney Brown? Laurence J. Peter? Dear Quote Investigator: The following saying is often attributed to the prominent U.S. foreign policy figure and Nobel laureate Henry Kissinger: Academic politics are so vicious precisely because the stakes are so small. But I have also seen it attributed …
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A Short Story Must Have a Single Mood and Every Sentence Must Build Towards It
Edgar Allan Poe? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: On a popular website I saw an intriguing list of “Indispensable Writing Tips from Famous Authors”. The following words were attributed to Edgar Allan Poe, the master of mystery and the macabre: A short story must have a single mood and every sentence must build towards it. I …
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Deathbed Remark: This Is No Time To Be Making New Enemies
Voltaire? Niccolò Machiavelli? Wilson Mizner? Dying Irishman? Canny Scot? Aging Rock Star? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: While reading speeches given by Nobel Prize recipients I came across an entertaining anecdote about Voltaire from the eminent economist Robert E. Lucas:[ref] 1995 December 10, Speech at Banquet for the Nobel Prize Award by Robert E. Lucas, Jr., …
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