Oscar Wilde? Ada Leverson? Leslie Stokes? Violet Wyndham? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The alcoholic psychoactive drink absinthe was banned in the United States and many European countries in the previous century. But now it is legal again. Supposedly, the brilliant wit Oscar Wilde once discussed the phantasmagorical effects of the potion. His description began: …
Author Archives: quoteresearch
Quote Origin: Jump Off the Cliff and Build Your Wings on the Way Down
Ray Bradbury? Franco Mancassola? Kurt Vonnegut? Annie Dillard? Anonymous? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The influential publisher Tim O’Reilly recently tweeted a great quotation about entrepreneurship that was used in a commencement address given by DJ Patil, a Data Scientist at a venture capital company. Here is an excerpt from the speech given at the …
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Quote Origin: Stethoscope: That It Will Ever Come Into General Use Is Extremely Doubtful
John Forbes? René Laënnec? The Times of London? Anonymous? Apocryphal? Question for 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 …
Quote Origin: Hollywood: They’ll Pay You a Thousand Dollars for a Kiss, and Fifty Cents for Your Soul
Marilyn Monroe? Ben Hecht? Milton Greene? Apocryphal? Question for 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 …
Quote Origin: I’ve Never Been Hired by a Poor Person
Robert Orben? Milton Berle? Ronald Reagan? Phil Gramm? Michael Dolan? Roger Ross? Sean Hannity? Arnold Schwarzenegger? Question for 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 …
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Quote Origin: Whenever I Feel the Urge to Exercise I Lie Down Until It Goes Away
Jimmy Durante? Edna Mae Oliver? Robert M. Hutchins? Chauncey Depew? Mark Twain? Paul Terry? Robert Benchley? Max Beerbohm? J. P. McEvoy? Question for 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 …
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Quote Origin: Those Who Dance Are Considered Insane by Those Who Can’t Hear the Music
Friedrich Nietzsche? Megan Fox? Anne Louise Germaine de Staël? John Stewart? Norman Flint? Science Fiction fans? Angela Monet? Rumi? George Carlin? Anonymous? Question for 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. …
Quote Origin: I Can Think of No More Stirring Symbol of Man’s Humanity to Man than a Fire Engine
Kurt Vonnegut? Winston Niles Rumfoord? Apocryphal? Question for 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 …
Quote Origin: I Paint with My Prick
Pierre-Auguste Renoir? Jean Renoir? Ōe Kenzaburō? Jeanette Winterson? D. H. Lawrence? Bernard Malamud? Apocryphal? Question for 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 …
Quote Origin: Men Occasionally Stumble Over the Truth, But They Pick Themselves Up and Hurry Off
Winston Churchill? Simon Singh? Stanley Baldwin? The Reader’s Digest? Apocryphal? Question for 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: Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of …