Tracing Quotations
Groucho Marx? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Groucho Marx became famous on Broadway before moving on to starring roles in Hollywood. His comical skills and adaptability also allowed him to master radio and television. Yet, reportedly one of his sharpest remarks playfully disparaged TV: I find television very educational. Every time someone switches it on, …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: What Did Groucho Marx Do When Someone Switched On a Television?”
Andrew Lang? A. E. Housman? David Ogilvy? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Too many people use statistics selectively to provide evidence for only one side of a multi-sided contentious topic. The following saying humorously illustrates this propensity: Some individuals use statistics as a drunk man uses lamp-posts — for support rather than for illumination. …
Mark Twain? Theodor Reik? John Robert Colombo? James Eayrs? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: There is a popular humorous maxim about history that is usually attributed to Mark Twain. But there is so much uncertainty about this ascription that a top business columnist for the “New York Times” wrote the following: “History doesn’t repeat itself …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: History Does Not Repeat Itself, But It Rhymes”
Harlan Ellison? Frank Zappa? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: There is a popular quotation that expresses the following idea: Hydrogen and stupidity are the two most abundant materials in the universe This notion can be expressed in many different ways. One version has been credited to the SF writer Harlan Ellison, and another version has …
Samuel Goldwyn? Bryan O’Loghlen? Boyle Roche? Ed Wynn? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A contract that is written and signed is easier to comprehend and enforce. But many people rely on unwritten promises. The following cautionary humorous remark is attributed to the famous movie producer Samuel Goldwyn: A verbal contract isn’t worth the paper it’s …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: A Verbal Contract Isn’t Worth the Paper It’s Written On”
Stephen Hawking? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: There is an argument against the existence of time travel that can be stated as follows: If time travel were possible, we would have been overrun by tourists from the future by now. Did the famous physicist Stephen Hawking say something like this? Alternatively, was it said by …
Bill Vaughan? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: I once read a humorous comment about New Year’s Eve that contrasted the experiences of the young and the middle aged. The young were joyful because they were “allowed to stay up late” while the older people held a different opinion. Are you familiar with this joke and …
William Lyon Phelps? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: I noticed that you have quotations from J. K. Rowling, Malcolm Forbes, and Paul Eldridge about how to evaluate the character of an individual. Here is another saying of this type that is credited to a charismatic Yale professor named William Lyon Phelps: It is the …
Ulysses S. Grant? Abraham Lincoln? W. S. Gilbert? William Tecumseh Sherman? Victor Borge? Richie Havens? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The holiday season is filled with singing, but my talent in this domain can be accurately summarized with the following quotation: I know only two tunes: one of them is “Yankee Doodle,” and the other …
Marshall McLuhan? Albert Einstein? Clyde Kluckhohn? Pierce Butler? James C. Coleman? John H. Fisher? John Culkin? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Sometimes an individual embedded in a particular culture or environment can become blind to the prevailing norms within his or her domain. I have heard a figurative expression that illustrates this predicament. Here are …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: We Don’t Know Who Discovered Water, But We Know It Wasn’t a Fish”