Oscar Wilde? Arthur Pendenys? Arthur James Balfour? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: An ill-intentioned biography is indistinguishable from a character assassination. The famous wit Oscar Wilde crafted a pertinent line on this topic. Here are three versions: Every great man nowadays has his disciples, and …it is usually Judas who writes the biography. …it is invariably …
Author Archives: quoteresearch
You Never Fail Until You Stop Trying
Albert Einstein? Florence Griffith Joyner? Thomas Edison? Louise Chandler Moulton? Mike Ditka? Elmer Burritt Bryan? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The following motivational remark has been attributed to the famous scientist Albert Einstein: You never fail until you stop trying. This saying has also been credited to the Olympic-medal-winning athlete Florence Griffith Joyner and the well-known …
What the Brain Does By Itself Is Infinitely More Fascinating and Complex Than Any Response It Can Make To Chemical Stimulation
Ursula K. Le Guin? Elaine Partnow? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: People have employed psychoactive substances for centuries to pursue alertness, pleasure, insights, thrills, and sundry goals. Yet, a famous speculative fiction author asserted that the brain by itself could achieve infinitely fascinating responses without chemical intervention. Would you please help me to find a citation? …
You May Not Be Interested in War, But War Is Interested in You
Leon Trotsky? Fannie Hurst? James Burnham? O. H. Steiner? Marshall Berman? Michael Walzer? Donald Barthelme? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Several sayings have employed the following templates: (1) You may not be interested in X, but X is interested in you. (2) We may not be interested in X, but X is interested in us. (3) …
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While We Read a Novel, We Are Insane—Bonkers
Ursula K. Le Guin? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Apparently the acclaimed science fiction author Ursula K. Le Guin stated that the people who read her books were insane or bonkers. This is an odd thing to say. Did Le Guin really say this? Quote Investigator: In 1969 Ursula K. Le Guin published the popular prize-winning …
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My Life Is My Message
Mohandas Gandhi? Charles E. Garst? Laura DeLany Garst? Jerome D. Davis? Karl Quimby? Deton J. Brooks? Harold Ehrensperger? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: A visitor once met with a revered leader and asked for guidance: “Do you have a message for the people?” “My life is my message.” This reply has been attributed to Mahatma Gandhi, …
It Is Good To Have an End To Journey Towards; But It Is the Journey That Matters, in the End
Ernest Hemingway? Ursula K. Le Guin? Lynn H. Hough? Dear Quote Investigator: It is natural to assign meaning or purpose to the terminus of a long journey, but the value truly lies within the journey itself. This notion has been expressed as follows: It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it …
You May Not Be Interested in Absurdity, But Absurdity Is Interested in You
Donald Barthelme? Fannie Hurst? Gore Vidal? Dear Quote Investigator: A wide variety of sayings have employed the following template: You may not be interested in X, but X is interested in you. Different terms have been substituted for X including: war, politics, dialectic, and strategy. In addition, variant templates have occurred: We may not be …
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The Center Will Not Hold If It Has Been Spot-Welded by an Operator Whose Deepest Concern Is His Lottery Ticket
Donald Barthelme? William Butler Yeats? Dear Quote Investigator: A poet once proclaimed with despair that the center cannot hold. The postmodern storyteller Donald Barthelme quipped that the center would not hold if it was welded together by a distracted worker. Would you please help me to find a citation. Also, I cannot recall the name …
The Thing About Books Is, There Are Quite a Number You Don’t Have To Read
Donald Barthelme? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: When I was a young child I found the number of books in my local library overwhelming. I wondered how one could find the time to read so many books? When I was a slightly older child, I concluded that there were a enormous number that you don’t have …
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