Yogi Berra? Paul Valéry? Laura Riding? Robert Graves? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: I am interested in a saying that is both humorous and shrewd: The future is not what it used to be. I have seen several other versions of the saying. The phrasing that uses the word “ain’t” is often credited to Yogi Berra: …
Author Archives: quoteresearch
Those Who Mind Don’t Matter, and Those Who Matter Don’t Mind
Theodor Seuss Geisel? Mark Young? Bernard Baruch? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: I am trying to validate a quotation that is credited to Theodor Geisel who is better known as Dr. Seuss, the popular author of children’s books. I have been unable to determine where the quote appeared. The task is complicated because there are so …
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I Have the Simplest Tastes; I Am Always Satisfied with the Best
Oscar Wilde? Edgar Saltus? Winston Churchill? Randolph Churchill? Lord Birkenhead? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: I have discovered two very similar quotations that are credited to two very different people. The first is ascribed to the legendary wit Oscar Wilde: I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best. The second saying is …
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Aeroplanes and Tanks Are Only Accessories to the Man and the Horse
Field Marshal Douglas Haig? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Horses were used effectively in warfare for thousands of years. On many occasions horse-mounted cavalry units were decisive on the battlefield. But the development of machine guns, barbed wire, and armored tanks dramatically changed military tactics. The quotation I am interested in has been ascribed to Sir …
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The Great Use of a Life Is to Spend It for Something That Outlasts It
William James? Ralph Barton Perry? Henry James? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: I have been working to confirm the source and accuracy of a quotation that is attributed to the famous philosopher and educator William James. Here are three versions: The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it. The …
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It Takes Courage for a Person to Listen to His Own Goodness and Act On It
Pablo Casals? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: I am hoping you will be interested in researching the following quote: Each person has inside a basic decency and goodness. If he listens to it and acts on it, he is giving a great deal of what the world needs most. It is not complicated but takes courage. …
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Shake Was a Dramatist of Note; He Lived by Writing Things to Quote
Shake? William Shakespeare? Mulleary? Goethe? Henry Cuyler Bunner? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: While studying English in school I heard the following humorous rhyme about The Bard of Avon: Shakespeare was a dramatist of note who lived by writing things to quote. These words are from a longer poem, but I have not been able to …
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“You Look Nice and Cool.” “Thanks! You Don’t Look So Hot Yourself.”
Yogi Berra? Babe Herman? Department Store Sales Woman? Young Student? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: My favorite quotation from Yogi Berra was said when he was introduced to a beautiful model after a baseball game. She complimented him, and his fumbling reply was unintentionally funny: She said, “You look so nice and cool in that white …
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So I’m Ugly. So What? I Never Saw Anyone Hit with His Face
Yogi Berra? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: While looking through a book of baseball’s greatest quotations I came across this hilarious reply from Yogi Berra to someone who criticized his appearance: So I’m ugly. So what? I never saw anyone hit with his face. Some of the sayings credited to Yogi are bogus, but I hope …
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If I Shoot at the Sun, I May Hit a Star
P. T. Barnum? Britney Spears? George Herbert? Jane Russell? W. Clement Stone? Ralph Waldo Emerson? Norman Vincent Peale? Les Brown? John McEnroe? Dear Quote Investigator: There exists a collection of sayings that uses celestial bodies to illustrate advice about setting goals. Here are three examples: If I shoot at the sun, I may hit a …