Tracing Quotations
Paul Robeson? William Shakespeare? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: A prominent actor once discussed William Shakespeare’s tragic character Othello and said the following: There could be no greater character to play. This statement has been attributed to Paul Robeson. Would you please explore this topic. Quote Investigator: Paul Robeson played the character Othello in London in …
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Chuck Close? Stephen King? Philip Roth? Harvey Mackay? Mark Twain? Charles Schulz? Rosalyn Drexler? John Barkham? Nocona Burgess? Jill Elaine Hughes? Dear Quote Investigator: An artist must wait patiently for inspiration to occur according to a romanticized depiction of creativity. Yet, a successful professional artist offered the following contrary viewpoint: Inspiration is for amateurs. The …
Continue reading “Inspiration Is for Amateurs—The Rest of Us Just Show Up and Get To Work”
Lucy Maud Montgomery? Adelaide Anne Procter? Walt Whitman? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The popular Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery is best known for the children’s novel “Anne of Green Gables”. Apparently, she once made a powerful statement about transience, mortality, and memory: Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it. …
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Agatha Christie? Hercule Poirot? John Jortin? Maria Edgeworth? Richard Lovell? Letitia Elizabeth Landon? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Creativity and inventiveness are wonderful attributes, but an overly imaginative person is prone to self-deception. Here is a cogent adage: Imagination is a good servant, but a bad master. This saying as been attributed to the famous English …
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Dorothy Parker? John Keats? Richard L. Jenkins? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: A prominent witty woman once described three qualities she desired in a man. He must be handsome, ruthless, and stupid. This viewpoint has been ascribed to poet and critic Dorothy Parker. Would you please help me to find a citation? Quote Investigator: Dorothy Parker …
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Dorothy Parker? Franklin Pierce Adams? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The notable wit Dorothy Parker constructed several epitaphs. I am interested in the following: She is happy, for she knows That her dust is very pretty. This topic is confusing because I’ve also seen a different version of these lines: She is happy, for she …
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John Waters? Austin Kleon? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Building a library is an enjoyable lifelong pursuit. Intellectually engaged people are often bibliomaniacs. Yet, many acquired volumes are never read. This behavior has been condemned and praised in two radically different statements that differ by a single word: (1) Nothing is more impotent than an unread …
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Jim Morrison? Andrew Doe? John Tobler? Francis E. Walter? Philip F. Pocock? E. S. James? Frank Lisciandro? Apocryphal Dear Quote Investigator: The activities of rock-n-roll star Jim Morrison received extensive newspaper and television coverage in the 1960s. He was alternately praised and condemned in the mass media. Apparently, he once stated: Whoever controls the media, …
Continue reading “Whoever Controls the Media, Controls the Mind”
Charlie Chaplin? Nigel Bruce? Claire Bloom? Austin Kleon? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Before performing a new show or displaying a novel artwork it is natural to feel fear. Perhaps the audience will condemn you as an amateur. A famous comic actor crafted a brilliant remark about amateurism. It went something like this: Everyone is an …
Continue reading “That’s All Any of Us Are: Amateurs. We Don’t Live Long Enough To Be Anything Else”
Marshall McLuhan? Ashley Montagu? Edmund Carpenter? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Canadian communications theorist Marshall McLuhan contemplated the influences of different types of media on human thought and behavior. He said that television was a cool medium because it was high in participation, whereas radio was a hot medium with low participation. He formulated the adage: …