Mark Twain? Merle Johnson? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Mark Twain has received credit for the following slyly comical remark justifying thievery: It is better to take what does not belong to you than to let it lie around neglected. I have not found this statement in any of the stories or essays authored by Twain. …
Author Archives: quoteresearch
Quote Origin: If You Walk Far Enough You’ll Meet Yourself
Terry Pratchett? Marion Woodman? Joseph Campbell? David Mitchell? Vina Howland? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: There is a family of sayings with a surrealistic twist. Here are three instances: (1) If you walk far enough you’ll meet yourself. (2) Walk far enough and you will meet yourself, coming the other way. (3) If you travel …
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Dialogue Origin: “Are You With the Show?” “Well, Let’s Just Say I’m Not Against It”
George S. Kaufman? Dick Cavett? Howard Dietz? Leonard Lyons? Howard Teichmann? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A prominent theater producer was unhappy with the tryout performance of a show that he was funding. A stagehand did not recognize the producer which led to the following dialog: “Are you with the show?” “No, I’m against it!” …
Quote Origin: What Sort of Philosophers Are We Who Know Absolutely Nothing of the Origin and Destiny of Cats?
Henry David Thoreau? Grace Goodman Mauran? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The essayist and transcendentalist philosopher Henry David Thoreau found cats intriguing. He was disappointed that humanity knew “absolutely nothing of the origin and destiny of cats.” Would you please help me to find a citation for this remark about cats? Reply from Quote Investigator: …
Quote Origin: A Novel Can Be Cleaned Up. Life Is One Big Messy Rough Draft
Harlan Coben? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A best-selling author once stated something like the following: The world of fiction is superior to the real world because a writer is capable of altering and improving a fictional realm, but the real world is always a big messy rough draft. Would you please help me to …
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Quote Origin: Seek Happiness in Tranquility and Avoid Ambition
Mary Shelley? Victor Frankenstein? Scott Galloway? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: English author Mary Shelley penned the famous science fiction novel “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus”. The overweening ambition of the main character, scientist Victor Frankenstein, caused him to create a monster. He learned bitterly that his passion for success and fame was destructive. Apparently, …
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Quote Origin: All of Us Are Creatures of a Day; the Rememberer and the Remembered Alike
Marcus Aurelius? Irvin D. Yalom? George Long? John Jackson? Martin Hammond? Ivar Lissner? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The book “Creatures of a Day: And Other Tales of Psychotherapy” by U.S. psychiatrist Irvin D. Yalom begins with the following passage attributed to Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius in “The Meditations”: All of us …
Quote Origin: A Sense of Humor Is Just Common Sense Dancing
William James? Clive James? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A thoughtful person constructed the following vivid metaphor: A sense of humor is just common sense dancing. The U.S. philosopher William James and the Australian critic Clive James have both received credit for this statement. I am uncertain of these ascriptions because I have not seen …
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Quote Origin: I Think Everybody Should Get Rich and Famous So They Can See That That’s Not the Answer
Jim Carrey? Jay Stone? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A famous movie star once said that everyone should experience becoming rich and famous because it would be clear that wealth and fame are not the answer to life’s conundrums. Would you please explore this topic? Reply from Quote Investigator: In December 2005 Canadian actor and …
Quote Origin: To Understand a Person You Have To Know What Was Happening in the World When That Person Was Twenty
Napoleon Bonaparte? G. M. Young? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The years of early adulthood are crucial to the formation of an entire outlook toward life. You have to know what was happening in the world when a person was twenty to understand that person. This notion has been ascribed to the French military leader …