John le Carré? Michael Dean? Austin Kleon? James Scott Bell? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A popular story requires tension, danger, and conflict. A top-selling author once summarized this viewpoint with an entertaining statement about animals: “The cat sat on the mat” is not a story. “The cat sat on the dog’s mat” is a …
Author Archives: quoteresearch
Quote Origin: Hell Begins On the Day When God Grants Us a Clear Vision of All That We Might Have Achieved
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe? Gian Carlo Menotti? John Greenleaf Whittier? Adelaide Anne Procter? Norman Cousins? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Looking back on one’s life sometimes produces a surge of regret for lost opportunities. Here are two versions of a statement expressing this feeling: (1) Hell begins the day God grants you the vision to …
Quote Origin: Activism – It Pays the Rent on Being Alive and Being Here On the Planet
Alice Walker? Claudia Dreifus? Michael Franti? Alex Walker? Peter Noonan? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A prominent social activist was asked to explain the rationale underlying her sustained efforts. Here are two versions of the response: (1) Activism is my rent for living on this planet.(2) My activism pays the rent on being here on …
Quote Origin: They Said It Couldn’t Be Done, But the Fool Didn’t Know It, So the Fool Went Ahead and Did It
Albert Einstein? Mary O’Hara? Raymond S. Tompkins? B. P. Fullerton? E. V. Allen? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Persistent incorrect beliefs can be a major barrier to discovery and invention. A humorous adage reflects this viewpoint. Here are two versions: (1) Everyone knew it was impossible, until a fool who didn’t know came along and …
Quote Origin: Three Stages of Discovery: First, They Deny It Is True; Second, They Deny It Is Important; Third, They Deny It Is New
Alexander von Humboldt? Voltaire? Samuel Eliot Morison? Timothy Ferris? Bill Bryson? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Time is required for a society to fully comprehend and accept a major discovery. Resistance to a breakthrough occurs in a series of phases. Here are two versions of a cogent saying: Three degrees of doubt: First, deny the …
Quote Origin: Your Room Is Not Your Prison. You Are
Sylvia Plath? Karen V. Kukil? Ronald Hayman? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A prominent literary figure who was experiencing bouts of intense anxiety wrote about feelings of restriction. Here are two versions: (1) Your room is not your prison. You are.(2) It isn’t your room that’s a prison, it’s yourself. This notion has been attributed …
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Quote Origin: When Colombus Promised a New Hemisphere, All Said That It Could Not Exist. When He Found It, All Said It Had Been Known Long Before
Voltaire? Abraham Hayward? Alexander von Humboldt? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The resistance to new ideas is tenacious. Yet, there is a breathtaking reversal in attitude once a new idea is established. The philosopher Voltaire has received credit for presenting the following example regarding Christopher Columbus. When the explorer proposed an expedition to reach a new …
Quote Origin: The Person Who Never Quotes Will Never Be Quoted
Charles Haddon Spurgeon? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Employing quotations enlivens your writings and speeches. The best quotations are forceful, witty, eloquent, authoritative, and persuasive. Here are three versions of a pertinent statement: (1) You will never be quoted if you never quote.(2) He who never quotes will never be quoted.(3) He who never quotes, …
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Quip Origin: Only On Days Ending With the Letter “Y”
Norman Jacobshagen? Joe Murphy? Robert Orben? Alfred Sheinwold? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A popular family of quips is based on the curious uniformity in the spelling of the days of the week. Here are two examples: (1) Don’t play bridge on any day ending in a “y”(2) Play golf just on those days ending …
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Quote Origin: I Am a Fugitive From a Daisy Chain Gang
Dorothy Parker? Tiffany Thayer? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The popular 1932 movie “I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang” was about an innocent man who was sent to prison and escaped from a chain gang. A humorist wrote a scathing review of an erotic book which suggested that the shoddy novel should have …
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