Winston Churchill? Demetrius Caclamanos? John Rupert Colville? Queen Frederika of Greece? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A family of statements highlights the valor of military forces. Here are two examples: Henceforth we will not say that Greeks fight like heroes, but that heroes fight like Greeks Finns don’t fight like heroes; heroes fight like Finns …
Author Archives: quoteresearch
Damn Everything But the Circus! Damn Everything That Is Grim, Dull, Motionless, Unrisking, Inward Turning
E. E. Cummings? Corita Kent? Helen Kelley? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: To enjoy a full life one must be willing to embrace excitement, change, beauty, and risk. Metaphorically, one must enter the center ring of life’s circus and perform. The prominent U.S. poet E. E. Cummings (often styled e e cummings) has been credited with …
Always Do Sober What You Said You’d Do Drunk. That Will Teach You To Keep Your Mouth Shut
Ernest Hemingway? Charles Scribner IV? Malcolm Forbes? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The prominent U.S. writer Ernest Hemingway once described a strategy to reduce drunken boasting. The inebriated person should wait until soberness returns and then perform the foolish boastful actions. Thus, one will quickly learn to keep one’s mouth shut. Is this genuine advice from …
There Isn’t Anyone You Couldn’t Love Once You’ve Heard Their Story
Fred Rogers? Mister Rogers? Joanne Rogers? Mary Lou Kownacki? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: One empathetic thinker suggested that it was possible to love almost anyone once one heard their full story. This notion has been attributed to U.S. television host Fred Rogers who was best known by the appellation “Mister Rogers”, but I have been …
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There Are Old Traders and Bold Traders, But There Are No Old, Bold Traders
Bob Dinda? Tom Clapp? Jerry Heaster? W. Thomas Matthews? Ed Seykota? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Engaging in risky trades of financial instruments endangers one’s financial health. A Wall Street adage states: There are old traders and bold traders, but there are no old, bold traders. Would you please explore the provenance of this saying? Quote …
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There Are Old Pilots, and There Are Bold Pilots, But There Are No Old, Bold Pilots
Dorothy Verrill? Charles L. Wright? Harry D. Copland? Harry Copewell? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The adjective “bold” has positive connotations. Yet, some difficult and dangerous professions do not countenance the inherent riskiness of bold actions. Here is the template of a pertinent adage: There are old X, and there are bold X, but there are …
Quote Origin: The World Is in Greater Peril from Those Who Tolerate or Encourage Evil Than from Those Who Actually Commit It
Albert Einstein? Pablo Casals? Josep Maria Corredor? Paul S. Reichler? Robert I. Fitzhenry? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A family of sayings about the unwise toleration of evil has been attributed to the famous scientist Albert Einstein. Here are five examples: (1) The world is in greater peril from those who tolerate or encourage evil …
Love Is a Thing That Can Never Go Wrong; And I Am Marie of Romania
Dorothy Parker? Franklin Pierce Adams? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The famous wit Dorothy Parker once penned an entertaining poem which rhymed “Romania” and “extemporanea”. Would you please help me to find a citation for this poem? Quote Investigator: In 1926 Dorothy Parker published the poetry collection “Enough Rope”. The rhyme was contained in a four-line …
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Home Is the Nicest Word There Is
Laura Ingalls Wilder? Melissa Gilbert? Michael Landon? John Hawkins? William Putman? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: A comfortable and welcoming home is one of life’s greatest boons. The following remark resonates with people who have an enjoyable domestic life: Home is the nicest word there is. This statement is usually attributed to U.S. writer Laura Ingalls …
I Do Not Paint a Portrait To Look Like the Subject. Rather Does the Person Grow To Look Like His Portrait
Salvador Dali? Pablo Picasso? Gertrude Stein? Alice B. Toklas? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: A self-assured painter once suggested that one should never deliberately create a portrait to look precisely like its subject. Instead, the brilliance of the artwork would cause the subject to grow to look like the portrait over time. Would you please help …