Kansas Cooperative Council? Lance Burr? Betty Hutton? Jim Briggs? John Rankin? Boris Yavitz? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: One encounters numerous obstacles when working toward the completion of an ambitious goal. It is necessary to keep the final objective in mind to make progress. A humorous statement highlights the troubles one must circumvent: When you …
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Quote Origin: I Don’t Think I’ve Really Seen an Anti-War Film. Every Film About War Ends Up Being Pro-War
François Truffaut? Sam Mendes? Steven Spielberg? Gene Siskel? Roger Ebert? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The excitement, violence, and brutality of films about war often causes confusion in the minds of movie goers. Even when a director’s avowed stance is anti-war the visceral reaction of viewers might be very different. A prominent director once said something …
Quote Origin: The Genius, Wit, and Spirit of a Nation Are Discovered in Its Proverbs
Francis Bacon? Samuel Palmer? James Kelly? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Valuable insights into cultures may be obtained by studying popular proverbs. The English philosopher and statesman Francis Bacon has been credited with the following statement: The genius, wit, and spirit of a nation are discovered in its proverbs. I am skeptical of this attribution …
Adage Origin: Men Fear Women Will Laugh at Them; Women Fear Men Will Kill Them
Margaret Atwood? Ingrid Koenig? Naomi Wolf? Gavin de Becker? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Each of us experiences different fears. A popular feminist saying presents divergent dreads: Men are afraid women will laugh at them. Women are afraid men will kill them. This saying has been attributed to prominent Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood, U.S. feminist …
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Pun Origin: A Piece of Cod Which Passeth All Understanding
Edwin Lutyens? Arthur Wimperis? Geoffrey Willans? John Poole? Malcolm Sterling Mackinlay? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A wit at a restaurant was served a plate of cod which looked unappetizing. The rejected fish inspired this memorably hilarious pun: A piece of cod which passeth all understanding. The wordplay was based on a biblical verse: The …
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Dialogue Origin: “What Has Been the Impact of the French Revolution?” “It’s Too Early To Tell”
Mao Zedong? Zhou Enlai? Eduard Shevardnadze? Andre Malraux? Anonymous Official? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A popular anecdote claims that a high-level U.S. politician once met with a Chinese official during the 1970s, and they began to talk about the French Revolution. When the Chinese official was asked about the impact of this momentous historical …
Quip Origin: It’s Not the Fall That Hurts You; It’s the Sudden Stop at the End
Douglas Adams? Spike Milligan? Terry Pratchett? Charlie Bates? Harry Harrison? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Prominent humorists have been credited with statements from the following family of jokes about collisions. Here are three examples: (1) Falling doesn’t hurt you; it’s the sudden stop at the end.(2) It isn’t the speed that kills people; it’s the …
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Quip Origin: “What Is the Difference Between a Taxidermist and a Tax Collector?” “The Taxidermist Takes Only Your Skin”
Mark Twain? Merle Johnson? Albert Bigelow Paine? Question for Quote Investigator: A famous humorist apparently said something like the following about taxation. Here are two versions: (1) “What is the difference between a taxidermist and a tax collector?” “The taxidermist takes only your skin.” (2) The difference between a tax collector and a taxidermist is …
Quote Origin: The Avoidance of Taxes Is the Only Intellectual Pursuit That Still Carries Any Reward
John Maynard Keynes? Dennis Gabor? Alan L. Mackay? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A cynical taxpayer crafted the following remark: The avoidance of taxes is the only intellectual pursuit that still carries any reward. This statement has been credited to the famous economist John Maynard Keynes, but I am skeptical because I have never …
Quote Origin: The One Thing That Hurts More Than Having To Pay Income Tax Is Not Having To Pay Income Tax
Thomas Robert Dewar? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A wit once said that he disliked paying income taxes, but the alternative of not paying income taxes was even worse. No payment implied no income, and that would be a terrible situation. This quip has been attributed to Scottish whisky distiller Thomas Robert Dewar. Would you …