Tracing Quotations
P.T. Barnum? Hungry Joe Lewis? Artemus Ward? Mike McDonald? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A famous saying about gullibility is usually attributed to the well-known showman P. T. Barnum. Here are two versions: There’s a sucker born every minute. There’s a fool born every minute. Whether Barnum actually used either of these expressions is …
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Alfred Lord Tennyson? Claudia Adrienne Grandi? Claudia Ghandi? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The website of a major international news organization has an article titled “Tennyson: 10 Essential Quotes” with the following item listed third: If I had a flower for every time I thought of you… I could walk through my garden forever. Strangely, …
Frank A. Patterson Jr.? Maya Angelou? Carl W. Buehner? Carl W. Buechner? Carol Buchner? Don Aslett? Jerry Johnston? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The most valuable advice that I have ever heard for speakers and teachers is the following: They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel. …
Russell B. Long? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: It’s tax time again in the U.S., and I recently heard a humorous rhyming verse on this topic: Don’t tax you. Don’t tax me. Tax the guy behind the tree. Do you know who originally said this? Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest close match for this …
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Jack L. Warner? Bill Davidson? Samuel Goldwyn? Louis B. Mayer? Harry Cohn? Apocryphal? Insult: Schmuck? Schlep? Schnook? Question for Quote Investigator: The attitude of Hollywood producers toward writers has been epitomized by the following callous remark: A writer is a schmuck with an Underwood. The Underwood Typewriter Company manufactured the best writing implements when the …
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Raymond Chandler? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The novelist Raymond Chandler was famous for his literary crime fiction. He once discussed the techniques he employed to craft his hardboiled fiction and supposedly offered advice similar to the following: If your plot is flagging, have a man come in with a gun. When stumped, have a …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: When in Doubt Have a Man Come Through a Door with a Gun in His Hand”
Albert Einstein? Armand Hammer? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A hospital in Rhode Island has a display in the main lobby listing the names of generous donors. The following quotation attributed to Albert Einstein is also printed on the display: It is the responsibility of every human being to aspire to do something worthwhile, to …
Abraham Lincoln? W. H. Alexander? Wood Cutter? Lumberjack? Woodsman? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Rigorous preparation is the key to success for many endeavors. There is a popular saying attributed to Abraham Lincoln about planning and executing tasks. Here are three versions: If I had four hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend …
John Pierpont Morgan? Theodore Roosevelt? Mrs. Walter B. Helm? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: There is a wonderful quotation about the true motivations that guide the actions of people. I have seen a few different versions: A person usually has two reasons for doing something: a good reason and the real reason. A man always …
F. Scott Fitzgerald? Sheilah Graham? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Recently, on the blog of a teacher I saw a quotation about the humanities that was attributed to one of the best American writers of the previous century. It began: That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are …