Quote Origin: Spaceship Earth: No Instruction Book Came With It

Buckminster Fuller? Richard Dreyfuss? C. S. Lewis? William Nicholson? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A prominent futurist once said that our planet did not come with an instruction book. Therefore, we should act carefully while creating our own instruction book for living and flourishing. I think the author of this notion was Buckminster Fuller. Would …

Quote Origin: All You Need To Make a Movie Is a Girl and a Gun

Jean-Luc Godard? D. W. Griffith? Evelyn D. Miller? Frederick James Smith? George W. Sears? John Philip Sousa? Abel Gance? Fredric Wertham? Charlie Chaplin? John Boorman? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A powerful and jaded film director once listed the two crucial ingredients to achieve success: All you need for a movie is a girl and …

Quote Origin: Instead of Writing Criticism, I Make a Film

Jean-Luc Godard? Roger Ebert? Gene Siskel? Nancy O’Higgins? Apocryphal Question for Quote Investigator: An influential film critic decided to become a filmmaker. Here are four versions of the explanation provided by the critic for this notable transformation: 1. Instead of writing criticism, I make a film.2. The only way to criticize a movie is to …

Quote Origin: No Matter What Situation You’re In, Find Something Good About It

Wilma Mankiller? Cherokee Precept? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Everyone faces major setbacks in life. Maintaining a constructive outlook is essential to being resilient and moving forward. The following guidance can be difficult to follow, but it is enormously helpful: No matter what situation you’re in, find something good about it. This advice has been …

Quote Origin: A Person With One Watch Knows What Time It Is. A Person With Two Watches Is Never Sure

Mark Twain? Albert Einstein? Lee Segall? Lee Segal? J. Millar Watt? John Peer? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: According to a clever quip it is better to have one watch instead of two. The quip has been attributed to humorist Mark Twain, physicist Albert Einstein, broadcaster Lee Segall, and others. Would you please explore this …

Quote Origin: Marriage: One Partner Can’t Sleep With the Window Shut and the Other Partner Can’t Sleep With the Window Open

George Bernard Shaw? Ogden Nash? Viva Begbie? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: I once heard the following humorous definition: Marriage — An alliance between two people: One can’t sleep with the window shut; the other can’t sleep with the window open. This definition has been attributed to the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw and the …

Quote Origin: I Always Prefer To Believe the Best of Everybody. It Saves So Much Trouble

Rudyard Kipling? Mrs. Mallowe? Mrs. Hauksbee? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The following quotation embodies an irrepressible optimism: I always prefer to believe the best of everybody. It saves so much trouble. The famous author Rudyard Kipling has received credit for this remark, but I haven’t been able to find a citation. Are these really …

Quote Origin: God’s Way of Pointing You in a New Direction

Oprah Winfrey? Mike Patrick? Peter A. LaPorta? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Failure is painful, but it also provides an opportunity to learn. An apparent defeat may be transformed into a victory by using hard-won knowledge to discover a different pathway to success. The prominent television producer, entrepreneur, and actress Oprah Winfrey concisely communicated this …

Quote Origin: I Washed It Down With Some Snakebite Remedy Which I Always Keep Handy. Only, However, After First Being Bitten By a Snake Which I Also Keep Handy

W. C. Fields? Clifford Terry? Corey Ford? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The famous comedian W. C. Fields apparently told a hilarious joke about whiskey. Here are three versions: (1) I always carry a flask of whisky in case of snake bite. I also carry a small snake. (2) I like to keep a bottle …

Quote Origin: The Only Way of Discovering the Limits of the Possible Is To Venture a Little Way Past Them Into the Impossible

Arthur C. Clarke? Tobias Dantzig? Robert Heinlein? Jerome Agel? Harold Faber? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The science fiction luminary Arthur C. Clarke once said something like: the best way to find the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible. I have seen several different versions of this remark. Would …