H. G. Wells? Diane Ackerman? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: When the famous science fiction author and social critic H. G. Wells envisioned utopia he wished to see ubiquitous bicycle paths winding through forests and gardens. Would you please help me to find a citation? Quote Investigator: H. G. Wells serialized his alternate history novel titled …
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It Is the Soul’s Duty To Be Loyal To Its Own Desires
Rebecca West? George Bernard Shaw? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The prominent British author and literary critic Rebecca West once wrote about the necessity to be loyal to one’s own desires. Would you please help me to find a citation? Quote Investigator: In 1913 Rebecca West published in the journal “The New Freewoman” a review of …
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A Happy Family Is But an Earlier Heaven
George Bernard Shaw? John Bowring? John Browning? John Bouring? Dear Quote Investigator: Some envision heaven filled with a joyous, loving, and interconnected group of people united on a higher spiritual plane. If one is a member of a happy family here on Earth then it is possible to obtain a glimpse of this future possibility. …
The One-Eyed Mollusc On the Sea-Bottom Is My Equal in What He and I Know of Star Clusters Not Yet Found
Carl Sandburg? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Humanity takes arrogant pride in the knowledge it has accumulated over the centuries. Yet, it is a paltry amount when compared to the vast treasure troves that remain undiscovered in the uncharted regions of space and time. I roughly recall a saying on this theme that emphasized humility: The …
Science and Everyday Life Cannot and Should Not Be Separated
Rosalind Franklin? Brenda Maddox? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: In the 21st century the insights gained via science have re-emerged as centrally important to the flourishing of our planet and humanity. Apparently, a researcher enthralled by work was told that she was placing too much emphasis on science. She replied: Science and everyday life cannot and …
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If There Is Magic On This Planet, It Is Contained In Water
Loren Eiseley? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The motions of water are often mesmerizing, e.g., the rhythmic crashing of waves on a beach, the misty turbulence of a plunging waterfall, and the sparkling jet of a fountain. A science popularizer apparently once said: If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water. Would …
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I Wasn’t a Sex Symbol; I Was a Sex Zombie
Veronica Lake? Judy Klemesrud? Walter Clemons? Anonymous? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: A pulchritudinous movie star of the golden age of Hollywood supposedly said: I wasn’t a sex symbol; I was a sex zombie. Is this an authentic quotation? If someone did deliver this line would you please tell me who it was? Quote Investigator: The …
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Humanity Invented the Atom Bomb. No Mouse in the World Would Think of Building a Mousetrap
Albert Einstein? Werner Mitsch? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: It is difficult to conceive of an ordinary creature foolish enough to design and build a device that would dramatically increase the probability of its self-annihilation. The great scientist Albert Einstein supposedly made the following remark: Mankind invented the atomic bomb, yet a mouse would never invent …
All You Need In This Life Is Ignorance and Confidence; Then Success Is Sure
Mark Twain? Benjamin De Casseres? Richard Grant White? Mary Hallock Foote? Cordelia Foote? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Mark Twain once joked that the key to success was a combination of ignorance and confidence. I do not know the precise phrasing. Would you please help me to find the exact quotation and a citation? Quote Investigator: …
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No Man Will Make a Great Business Who Wants To Do It All Himself, Or To Get All the Credit of Doing It
Andrew Carnegie? Barnard Alderson? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Business titan and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie stated that one person cannot build a great enterprise alone. Also, one person should never demand all the credit. Would you please help me to find the precise quotation and a citation? Quote Investigator: In 1899 the “St. Louis Globe-Democrat” of …