Tracing Quotations
Dorothy Parker? George Jean Nathan? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The trenchant prose of Dorothy Parker has always impressed me. Reportedly she once lacerated a writer who was receiving a superfluity of undeserved accolades with the following: He is a writer for the ages — the ages of four to eight. Is this Parker’s joke? …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: He’s a Writer for the Ages—For the Ages of Four to Eight”
Florynce Kennedy? Gloria Steinem? Elderly Irish Taxicab Driver? Germaine Greer? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: An incendiary quotation on the topic of abortion has an uncertain authorship. The following words have been attributed to both Florynce Kennedy and Gloria Steinem: If men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament. Could you determine who said …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: If Men Could Get Pregnant, Abortion Would Be a Sacrament”
Honoré de Balzac? Mario Puzo? Pierre Mille? Frank P. Walsh? Samuel Merwin? James Henry Yoxall? C. Wright Mills? Jane Bryant Quinn? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The popular 1969 novel “The Godfather” by Mario Puzo recounted the violent tale of a Mafia family, and the epigraph selected by the author was fascinating: Behind every great …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Behind Every Great Fortune There Is a Crime”
Winston Churchill? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Winston Churchill played golf for a period of time, but he switched his avocation to painting. The following description of golf is sometimes attributed to him: Like chasing a quinine pill around a cow pasture. Did Churchill use this expression and did he coin it? Reply from …
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Oscar Wilde? James McNeill Whistler? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: I would like to learn more about a famous anecdote involving James McNeill Whistler, the painter who is known for his iconic portrait of his mother. Apparently, Whistler was able to trump Oscar Wilde, one of the greatest wits of the nineteenth century who was …
Continue reading “Dialogue Origin: “I Wish I Had Said That” “You Will, Oscar, You Will””
Winston Churchill? Copywriter for Budweiser Beer? George F. Tilton? Sam Rayburn? Joe Paterno? John Wooden? Mike Ditka? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Here are two versions of stirring words that are often attributed to the well-known statesman Winston Churchill: Success is never final and failure never fatal. It’s courage that counts. Success is not final; …
Frank Lloyd Wright? William Faulkner? The Elder Gross? Charles Seiberling? Charles Douville Coburn? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The celebrated and innovative architect Frank Lloyd Wright is credited with the following remark about alcohol consumption: A man is a fool if he drinks before he reaches the age of 50, and a fool if he …
George W. Loomis? Percy C. Buck? Harold Craxton? Julie Andrews? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The creator of the following insightful saying was listed as unknown: Don’t practice until you get it right. Practice until you can’t get it wrong. While searching for background information I came across this interesting variation: Amateurs practice till they …
Albert Einstein? Charles Darwin? Maurice Maeterlinck? E. O. Wilson? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A dramatic quotation about the dangers of environmental upheaval is attributed to the brilliant physicist Albert Einstein. Here are two versions: If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. …
Oscar Wilde? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: I saw an article on the web about brilliant repartee that listed the “Top 10 Best Comebacks”. One of the response lines was from the famous wit Oscar Wilde who addressed an audience from the stage after the performance of a play he had written. The acclamation for …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Every Time I Smell It, I Shall Be Reminded of You”