Omar Bradley? Albert Einstein? Young Army Lieutenant? Walter Winchell? Joe Laitin? James W. Fulbright? Question for Quote Investigator: There is a great quotation about the type of weapons that will be used in World War IV. The words are both funny and chilling, and every time I have seen the saying it has been attributed …
Author Archives: quoteresearch
Quote Origin: Time You Enjoy Wasting Is Not Wasted Time
John Lennon? Bertrand Russell? Laurence J. Peter? Marthe Troly-Curtin? Question for Quote Investigator: I like to enjoy life and sometimes I am criticized for spending too much time on amusements and diversions. My favorite response is attributed to the legendary free-spirit John Lennon: Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. An acquaintance told me …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Time You Enjoy Wasting Is Not Wasted Time”
Quote Origin: Three Weeks to Prepare a Good Impromptu Speech
Mark Twain? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: I have to present a speech soon, and I would like to use a quotation attributed to Mark Twain: It usually takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech. The intended audience has the background to know that impromptu means without planning or preparation, and …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Three Weeks to Prepare a Good Impromptu Speech”
Quote Origin: Defeat from the Jaws of Victory
Abraham Lincoln? Ambrose Burnside? Charles Fair? Question for Quote Investigator: One of the worst military strategists in history was a Civil War general named Ambrose Burnside (sideburns are named after his whiskers). After a military fiasco called the Battle of the Crater, Abraham Lincoln relieved him of command and supposedly said: Only Burnside could have …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Defeat from the Jaws of Victory”
Quote Origin: All Creative-Writing Programs Ought to be Abolished by Law
Kay Boyle? John Barth? Cormac McCarthy? Louis Menand? Question for Quote Investigator: I have been reading about creative writing programs because I am seriously considering attending one. Recently, I encountered a quotation from the writer and educator Kay Boyle which stunned me. Her comment appeared in an article in The New Yorker magazine titled “Show …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: All Creative-Writing Programs Ought to be Abolished by Law”
Quote Origin: The Politics of Personal Destruction
Bill Clinton? John Quincy Adams? Question for Quote Investigator: Reading the news and blogs of today emphasizes the fact that political discourse can be extremely brutal. I was reminded of Bill Clinton’s lament when he discussed his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky and said there was a harsh new form of politics based …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: The Politics of Personal Destruction”
Quote Origin: Go for a Business that Any Idiot Can Run
Warren Buffett? Peter Lynch? Question for Quote Investigator: In 2008 I read an interview with the super-investor Warren Buffett in which he said you should put your money into a company that can be run by an idiot because eventually it will be run by an idiot. But that advice sounded familiar to me. Did …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Go for a Business that Any Idiot Can Run”
Quote Origin: Golf is a Good Walk Spoiled
Mark Twain? William Gladstone? A Northern Gael? F. W. Payn? Sam Loates? The Allens? Harry Leon Wilson? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: I love to play golf, but sometimes when I am playing poorly I am tempted to simply walk the course and get some exercise. When I mentioned this to a friend he told …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Golf is a Good Walk Spoiled”
Quote Origin: Not Everything That Can Be Counted Counts, and Not Everything That Counts Can Be Counted
Albert Einstein? William Bruce Cameron? Hilliard Jason? Stephen Ross? Lord Platt? George Pickering? Question for Quote Investigator: Recently I saw a comic strip titled “Baby Einstein” that contained a few quotations that are often attributed to Albert Einstein. I think the following saying is very insightful: Not everything that counts can be counted, and not …
Quote Origin: If You Want a Friend in Washington, Get a Dog
Harry Truman? Samuel Gallu? Gordon Gekko? Question for Quote Investigator: I love dogs and live near Washington D.C. One of my favorite quotes is attributed to former President Harry Truman who experienced some bruising political battles and said, “If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.” Could you please investigate this quote? Reply …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: If You Want a Friend in Washington, Get a Dog”