Tracing Quotations
Victor Hugo? Oscar Wilde? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: There is a popular humorous anecdote about an exchange of letters between Victor Hugo and his publisher shortly after the publication of “Les Misérables”. Each message consisted of only a single character. Are you familiar with this story? Recently, I heard a version of the tale …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Briefest Correspondence: Question Mark? Exclamation Mark!”
Karl Menninger? Brenda Ueland? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The following statement about the enormous importance of listening attentively during conversations instead of simply talking is attributed to the psychiatrist Karl Menninger and the writer Brenda Ueland. When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand. Ideas actually begin to grow …
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Speaker: William Allen Butler? Henry Clapp? John Bright? Junius Henri Browne? Howard Crosby? Henry Armitt Brown? Benjamin Disraeli? William Cowper? Topic: Horace Greeley? Benjamin Disraeli? George Law? David Davies? Question for Quote Investigator: Whenever I hear the claim that an individual who has excelled in life is a self-made man or a self-made woman I …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: “He Is a Self-Made Man.” “Yes, And He Worships His Creator.””
Mark Twain? Robert J. Burdette? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: During this graduation season many who are finishing school are scrambling to try and find a job. The following acerbic words are usually attributed to Mark Twain: Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living; the world owes you nothing, it was …
Jean Piaget? Eleanor Duckworth? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The following popular quotation appears on a large number of websites in the educational domain. The statement is attributed to the famous developmental psychologist Jean Piaget: The principal goal of education in the schools should be creating men and women who are capable of doing new …
Diana Vreeland? Fran Lebowitz? Erin McKean? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The following cogent statement about self-ownership, integrity, and image has been shared on social media networks: You Don’t Have to Be Pretty. You don’t owe prettiness to anyone. I have seen an extended version of the remark attributed to the fashion columnist and editor …
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Albert Einstein? C. E. M. Joad? Nolan Bushnell? Coco Chanel? Conan O’Brien? Franklin P. Jones? Charles Moore? Bruce Sterling? Joe Sedelmaier? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: I have a difficult challenge for you. Here are three versions of a popular maxim: 1) The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources. 2) Creativity …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: The Secret to Creativity Is Knowing How to Hide Your Sources”
Charles Bukowski? Kinky Friedman? Van Dyke Parks? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The following grimly comical paean to romanticized self-destruction is often attributed to the poet, novelist, and imbiber Charles Bukowski: Find what you love and let it kill you. I have been unable to locate a poem or story written by Bukowski containing this …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Find What You Love, and Let It Kill You”
Confucius? Nelson Mandela? Vince Lombardi? Oliver Goldsmith? Ralph Waldo Emerson? Christian Nestell Bovee? Question for Quote Investigator: The following adage about motivation and perseverance has been attributed to an oddly eclectic group: Chinese philosopher Confucius, football coach Vince Lombardi, activist politician Nelson Mandela, Irish author Oliver Goldsmith, and transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson. Here are four …
Orson Welles? Henry Jaglom? Mildred Pitts Walter? Dom Hofmann? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The brilliant movie director Orson Welles has been credited with a fascinating statement about the construction of artworks in the presence of constraints. When a performer or creator faces a limit such as a tight budget for a production then creative …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: The Enemy of Art Is the Absence of Limitations”