W. C. Fields? Peter De Vries? Joe Sandwich? Morley Callaghan? Mary Steele? Ed McMahon? Chris Browne? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A paraprosdokian is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a statement is unexpected. This surprising element requires a comical reframing. For example, the following remark initially seems to be about …
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Quote Origin: Libraries Store the Energy That Fuels the Imagination. They Open Up Windows To the World
Sidney Sheldon? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A top-selling author once powerfully praised libraries with the following words: Libraries store the energy that fuels the imagination. They open up windows to the world and inspire us to explore and achieve, and contribute to improving our quality of life. Libraries change lives for the better. Apparently, …
Quote Origin: We Die Twice: First, When We Cease To Be; Second, When We Are Forgotten
Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius? Johann Wolfgang von Goethe? Ernest Hemingway? Banksy? Laurie Anderson? Amelia B. Edwards? James Grant? Sylvester Stallone? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A family of expressions describes two stages of mortality. One stage corresponds to traditional biological death. The other stage corresponds to cultural disappearance which occurs when a figure is forgotten …
Quote Origin: One Dies Twice. To Cease To Love Is an Unbearable Death. To Cease To Live Is Nothing
Voltaire? Henry Wadsworth Longfellow? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The philosopher and historian Voltaire (penname of François-Marie Arouet) wrote about metaphorically dying twice. One dies when one can no longer form a bond of love. One dies again when the physical body expires. I do not know the precise phrases Voltaire used to express this …
Quote Origin: It Is Unbelievable How Much You Don’t Know About the Game You’ve Been Playing All Your Life
Mickey Mantle? Anthony J. Connor? David Plaut? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A prominent athlete believed that even top professionals should practice and continue to improve their capabilities. This attitude was expressed as follows: It is unbelievable how much you don’t know about the game you’ve been playing all your life. U.S. Major League Baseball …
Quote Origin: Humility Is a Strange Thing. The Moment You Think You’ve Got It, You’ve Lost It
Edward Hulse? Leewin B. Williams? Viola Brothers Shore? Arthur Godfrey? Walter Winchell? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The feeling of humility is paradoxical. The instant you become self-aware and proud of your humility, it disappears. This thought has been stated as follows: Humility is a strange thing. The moment you think you’ve got it, you’ve …
Review Origin: “I Am a Camera” “No Leica”
Walter Kerr? Jean Kerr? Caroline A. Lejeune? Dorothy Parker? Walter Winchell? Goodman Ace? Clare Boothe Luce? Alexander Woollcott? Kenneth Tynan? Question for Quote Investigator: A famous one-line theater review employed a horrible pun. Many people have been credited with this pun, but I have never seen any solid evidence. The target of the review was …
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Adage Origin: Assumption Is the Mother of All Foul-Ups
Glenn Curtiss? Angelo Donghia? Stephen Robbins? Eugene Lewis Fordsworthe? Caroline Leaf Carol? Bill Gatter? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Relying on false assumptions leads to serious blunders. Here are two versions of a pertinent adage: (1) Assumption is the mother of all mistakes.(2) Assumption is the mother of all screw-ups. This saying has been attributed …
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Quote Origin: The World Is a Book, and Those Who Do Not Travel Read Only One Page
St. Augustine of Hippo? Louis-Charles Fougeret de Monbron? Lord Byron? St. Austin? Stendhal? Richard Lassels? Question for Quote Investigator: The following popular saying about travel praises the knowledge gained from visiting multiple locations: The world is a book, and those who don’t travel read only one page. This statement is usually attributed to St. Augustine …
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Quote Origin: Travel Is Fatal To Prejudice, Bigotry and Narrow-Mindedness
Mark Twain? John W. Casto? Maturin M. Ballou? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Mark Twain traveled widely, and he wrote about his experiences in the books “The Innocents Abroad” and “Following the Equator”. Twain believed that travel broadened the mind and reduced prejudices. Would you please help me to find a quotation in which he …
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