Tracing Quotations
Baron Rothschild? Anselm Rothschild? Nathan Mayer Rothschild? Lionel de Rothschild? Bernard Baruch? John D. Rockefeller? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Societal chaos and violence is frightening to investors. Uncertainty depresses the prices of securities. Yet, a popular adage highlights the presence of opportunity: Buy when blood is running in the streets. This guideline makes sense …
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Thomas Otway? Thomas Brand? George Colman? Theodore Hook? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: When the answer to a question is obviously affirmative the respondent can employ a rhetorical phrase from a family that includes these three examples: Is water wet?Is the Pope a Catholic?Can a duck swim? Apparently, these types of catchphrases have been circulating …
Wesly Brogdon? Dea Reed? Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? Bobby Foster? Dean Martin? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: When the answer to a question is obviously affirmative the respondent can employ a rhetorical phrase from a family that includes these three examples: Is water wet?Can birds fly?Is the Pope a Catholic? When the answer is obviously negative the …
Continue reading “Catchphrase Origin: Does a Chicken Have Lips?”
John Maclean? James Hudson? James Riley? H. L. Mencken? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Warring countries enlist workers to fight battles. Pacifists have adopted the following slogan. Here are three versions: (1) A bayonet is a weapon with a working man at either end.(2) A bayonet is a weapon with a worker at each end.(3) …
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Carol Burnett? Charles Constantine Pise? Jim Furlong? Jim Obert? Art Lewis? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: When the answer to a question is obviously affirmative the respondent can employ the following rhetorical phrase: Is the Pope Catholic?Is the Pope a Catholic? This reply suggests that the original question was ridiculous, but the insult is leavened …
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George Bernard Shaw? G. K. Chesterton? Alfred Hitchcock? Lord Northcliffe? Alfred Harmsworth? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A slim person and a portly person engaged in the following sharp exchange: “You look as if there were famine in the land.”“You look as if you were the cause of it.” The participants in this anecdote and …
Terry Pratchett? Ashleigh Brilliant? Cora Harvey Armstrong? Dan Sullivan? Hal Roach? Barbara Johnson? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: An individual who feels young at heart sometimes looks in the mirror and is surprised to find an old person staring back. The years pass surprisingly rapidly. Here is a germane saying: Inside every older person there’s …
Mohandas Gandhi? Jonathan Safran Foer? B. N. Misra? T. S. A. Chettiar? Hakim Sanai? Yoruba Proverb? Navajo Proverb? Oromo Proverb? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Some people deliberately refuse to acknowledge unwelcome facts or events. They may pretend to misunderstand information, or they may simply ignore it. Here is a pertinent figurative expression: You can’t …
Continue reading “Proverb Origin: You Cannot Awaken Someone Who Is Pretending To Sleep”
Phyllis Diller? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Physical and mental challenges accumulate as one grows older. Yet, opportunities for growth and achievement are undiminished. A comedian delivered the following pertinent joke: Question: “Who would want to be 90?”Answer: “Anyone who is 89.” Would you please find out who created this joke? Reply from Quote Investigator: …
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Harvey O’Higgins? Brice Durbin? Richard L. Evans? Pat Benton? Samuel Johnson? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The “freedom of speech” doctrine has always been controversial. People who voice unpopular or offensive opinions sometimes face dire repercussions such as severed friendships, lost jobs, public shaming, imprisonment, and even execution. The following statement presents an implicit rationale …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Freedom of Speech Does Not Mean Freedom from Consequences”