Tracing Quotations
John Forbes? René Laënnec? The Times of London? Anonymous? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Sometimes the value and importance of an invention is misunderstood. Consider the following quotation about a newly introduced medical device in the 1800s: That it will ever come into general use, notwithstanding its value, is extremely doubtful; because its beneficial application requires …
Continue reading “Stethoscope: That It Will Ever Come Into General Use Is Extremely Doubtful”
Marilyn Monroe? Ben Hecht? Milton Greene? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The legendary screen star Marilyn Monroe was ambivalent about her fame. She supposedly said the following: Hollywood is a place where they’ll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul. Is this an accurate quotation? Do you know where …
Robert Orben? Milton Berle? Ronald Reagan? Phil Gramm? Michael Dolan? Roger Ross? Sean Hannity? Arnold Schwarzenegger? Quote Investigator: Years ago I heard a quotation that was credited to Ronald Reagan about the creation of jobs. I do not remember the precise wording, but here are two versions that express the gist of the quote: No …
Jimmy Durante? Edna Mae Oliver? Robert M. Hutchins? Chauncey Depew? Mark Twain? Paul Terry? Robert Benchley? Max Beerbohm? J. P. McEvoy? Dear Quote Investigator: The funniest quotation about exercise is usually credited to Mark Twain: Whenever I get the urge to exercise, I lie down until the feeling passes away. But this statement is also …
Continue reading “Whenever I Feel the Urge to Exercise I Lie Down Until It Goes Away”
Friedrich Nietzsche? Megan Fox? Anne Louise Germaine de Staël? John Stewart? Norman Flint? Science Fiction fans? Angela Monet? Rumi? George Carlin? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The following statement is credited to the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche: And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music. Yet, …
Continue reading “Those Who Dance Are Considered Insane by Those Who Can’t Hear the Music”
Kurt Vonnegut? Winston Niles Rumfoord? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: A good friend of mine is a volunteer firefighter, and he asked me about a quote credited to Kurt Vonnegut: I can think of no more stirring symbol of man’s humanity to man than a fire engine This statement can be found on many websites and …
Pierre-Auguste Renoir? Jean Renoir? Ōe Kenzaburō? Jeanette Winterson? D. H. Lawrence? Bernard Malamud? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The master painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir is my favorite Impressionist artist. For many years he has been credited with the following outrageous facetious quotation: I paint with my prick. Recently, I was surprised to discover that the Oxford Dictionary …
Winston Churchill? Simon Singh? Stanley Baldwin? The Reader’s Digest? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Simon Singh is a fine author who writes knowledgeably about mathematical and scientific topics. His book “Big Bang: The Origin of the Universe” credited the following words to the statesman Winston Churchill [WCSS]: Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of …
Drake? Schlitz Beer? Fritz Lang? Honoré de Balzac? Joe E. Lewis? Frank Sinatra? Fyodor Dostoevsky? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: In 2011 a song called “The Motto” by Drake was released, and it contained this expression: You only live once. The acronym YOLO was popularized by this song, I think. But I have heard the catch …
Toby Keith? Charles Jewett? W. Adam? Seneca the Younger? Waylon Jennings? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: A song by the country music superstar Toby Keith includes the following words in the chorus: Ain’t no right way, To do the wrong thing, The song is on the album “White Trash With Money” which was released in 2006. …
Continue reading “There Is No Right Way to Do the Wrong Thing”