Tracing Quotations
George Bernard Shaw? Winston Churchill? Groucho Marx? Max Aitken? Mark Twain? W. C. Fields? Bertrand Russell? Question for Quote Investigator: There is a famous story about sex and money that I have heard in myriad variations. A man asks a woman if she would be willing to sleep with him if he pays her an …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Now We’re Just Haggling Over the Price”
Walter Winchell? Michael Todd? Rose Bigman? Helene Hanff? Richard Rodgers? Question for Quote Investigator: The most famous review in Broadway history is also the most controversial, and I hope you can help solve the following mystery. In 1943 a hardworking theater group in New Haven, Connecticut was trying to prepare a major musical so that …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: No Legs, No Jokes, No Chance!”
Samuel Goldwyn? Michael Curtiz? Sheilah Graham? Jones? Scones? Louis Cukela? Fictional? Question for Quote Investigator: There is an unintentionally hilarious remark credited to the movie mogul Samuel Goldwyn. He sent an assistant on an important errand and was angry when the task was badly botched. In exasperation Goldwyn created this classic rebuke: The next time …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: The Next Time I Send a Damn Fool for Something, I Go Myself”
Rabindranath Tagore? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: My daughter remembers a poem, or part of a poem, and she asked me about it. I don’t recognize it and have not been able to find it. Perhaps you can work your magic. April writes hieroglyphs in the sand Wipes them away and forgets Reply from Quote …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: April, Like a Child, Writes Hieroglyphs on Dust with Flowers”
Albert Einstein? Shah of Persia? National Telegraphic Union? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: According to legend, Albert Einstein was once asked to explain radio communication, and he supposedly gave the following answer: You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: The Telegraph is Like a Very, Very Long Cat (or Dog)”
Thomas Edison? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Ebooks have surged in popularity since Amazon introduced the Kindle and Apple released the iPad. Some futurists believe that paper books will be phased out and replaced by electronic books. But I came across a fascinating false prediction made by the most important innovator of the previous century: …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Books Will Soon Be Obsolete in the Schools”
Humphrey Bogart? George Bernard Shaw? W. Somerset Maugham? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Before Humphrey Bogart played iconic tough and sophisticated characters he appeared in drawing room comedies on Broadway. Supposedly in his first scene as a young actor he came striding onto the stage swinging a racquet and saying: Tennis anyone? Later this line …
Banksy? Andy Warhol? John Leland? Graham Greenleaf? John Hilvert? Neal Gabler? Question for Quote Investigator: The rise of the hacktivist group “Anonymous” reminded me of an artwork I saw by the graffiti provocateur Banksy. He (or she, or they) created a pink television set with a screen that displayed this message: In the future everyone …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: In the Future Everyone Will Be Anonymous for Fifteen Minutes”
William Gibson? Anonymous? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: I work at Google, and a colleague of mine who leads our Search Education efforts pointed out your site as a great resource for people learning to search smarter. I love the site! There is a quotation credited to the influential and award-winning science fiction author William …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: The Future Has Arrived — It’s Just Not Evenly Distributed Yet”
Noël Coward? Winston Churchill? W. Somerset Maugham? Joe Drum? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: After major news events people often start exchanging jokes related to the subject matter. The recent tragic cruise ship accident has caused two versions of a comical anecdote to enter circulation. The punch line has been attributed to the statesman Winston …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: None of This Nonsense about Women and Children First”