Sir Walter Raleigh? Walter Alexander Raleigh? Dale Carnegie? Andrew McAleer? Question for Quote Investigator: Creating an artwork or writing a book requires audacity. The existing trove of high-quality art and literature is humbling in its size and magnificence. The newcomer must wonder whether it is possible to equal or surpass previous achievements. Here are two …
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Quote Origin: Every Now and Then a Man’s Mind Is Stretched by a New Idea or Sensation, and Never Shrinks Back To Its Former Dimensions
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.? Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.? Albert Einstein? Ralph Waldo Emerson? Question for Quote Investigator: Encountering a novel idea or sensation causes changes that permanently alter one’s intellect. This notion can be expressed as follows: A mind that is stretched by a new idea or experience can never shrink back to its old …
Quote Origin: “How do you go about having good ideas?” “You have a lot of ideas and throw away the bad ones”
Linus Pauling? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: An innovative scientist was once asked about how it was possible to generate worthwhile ideas. He replied approximately as follows: You have a lot of ideas and throw away the bad ones. This remark has been ascribed to Linus Pauling who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in …
Quote Origin: Being Irish, He Had an Abiding Sense of Tragedy Which Sustained Him Through Temporary Periods of Joy
William Butler Yeats? John Millington Synge? Oliver Stone? George Bernard Shaw? Mary Higgins Clark? Martha Manning? Paul Greenberg? James Finn Garner? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The painful history of the island of Ireland has produced numerous inhabitants with a melancholy disposition. This notion is reflected in the following humorously inverted saying: Being Irish, …
Quote Origin: Every Minute You Are Angry, You Lose Sixty Seconds of Happiness
Ralph Waldo Emerson? Mary Pickford? Irving Hoffman? Office Cat? Junius? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A constant stream of social media and news updates is available to each of us. It is easy to seek out material which induces anger, yet the value of continuously inflicting aggravation and anguish upon oneself is unclear. Here are …
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Quote Origin: Be Careful About Reading Medical Books. You May Die of a Misprint
Mark Twain? Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.? Markus Herz? Ernst Freiherr von Feuchtersleben? Walter C. Alvarez? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: All kinds of medical advice is available on the internet. However, the quality is variable, and some of the recommendations are deleterious. A pertinent quip has been circulating for decades. Here are two versions: (1) …
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Quote Origin: Normality is a Well-Paved Street; It Is Good for Walking, But No Flowers Will Grow There
Vincent van Gogh? Sarah Harding? Anonymous? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Conforming to social norms is much easier than following a divergent, colorful, and eccentric pathway through life. This notion has been expressed as follows: Normality is a paved road; it’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it. The famous Dutch painter Vincent …
Quote Origin: From Beasts We Scorn as Soulless, In Forest, Field and Den
M. Frida Hartley? William Ralph Inge? Jan Bryant Bartell? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A verse condemning cruelty toward animals begins with the following two lines: From beasts we scorn as soulless, In forest, field and den This verse has been attributed to British social activist M. Frida Hartley and influential Anglican priest William Inge. …
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Quote Origin: The Creative Adult Is a Child Who Has Survived
Ursula K. Le Guin? Robin W. Winks? Julian F. Fleron? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Critics of childrearing practices complain that the imagination and creativity of children is carelessly discouraged. This notion has been encapsulated with the following adage: The creative adult is a child who has survived. The prominent science fiction and fantasy writer …
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Quote Origin: A House Without Books Is Like a Body Without a Soul
Marcus Tullius Cicero? G. K. Chesterton? Henry Ward Beecher? Mrs. Ashton Yates? John Lubbock? William Forsyth? William Lucas Collins? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The most attractive room in a large house is the library. Here are three versions of a germane adage: (1) A house without books is like a body without a soul. …
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