Tracing Quotations
Oscar Wilde? Stuart Mason? Christopher Sclater Millard? Robert Ross? Elizabeth P. O’Connor? Arthur Ransome? Frank Harris? Sylvestre Dorian? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: According to legend, the famous wit Oscar Wilde delivered a comically audacious line when he first entered the United States during his lecture tour. A customs official in New York asked him …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: I Have Nothing To Declare Except My Genius”
George Gershwin? Bennett Cerf? Edward Jablonski? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: U.S. pianist and composer George Gershwin is known for works such as “Rhapsody in Blue” and “I Got Rhythm”. He believed that music should embody the thoughts and aspirations of a people and a time. He said his people were Americans and his time …
Pedro Calderón de la Barca? Craufurd Tait Ramage? Denis Florence MacCarthy? Stephanie Tourles? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Metaphorically, the deity has flung a bucket of green at our world which has brought forth its loveliness. The primary color of Earth is green because of its beautiful foliage. The Spanish dramatist and poet Pedro Calderón …
Sydney J. Harris? Beulah Schacht? Sol Margoles? Evan Esar? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A nearly paradoxical piece of advice states that the best time to relax is when you feel unable to relax because of time pressures. Would you please explore this adage. Reply from Quote Investigator: Here is a family of closely related …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: The Time To Relax Is When You Don’t Have Time For It”
John Buchan? Elizabeth Murray? Graham Greene? Dorothy Parker? Thomas Carter? H. L. Mencken? Sime Silverman? Karl Braun? Gene Byrnes? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: When you face a series of obstacles and successfully persevere you might employ the following saying. Here are three versions: It’s a great life if you don’t weaken.It’s a grand life …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: It’s a Great Life If You Don’t Weaken”
Lawrence Welk? Max Lucado? G. P. Malalasekera? James Crook? Islwyn Jeneins? Richard Wagner? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A genuine leader must be willing to ignore a popularly help opinion when it is flawed and act in the best interest of all. This thought has been conveyed via a clever analogy: When you wish to …
Alan Turing? Sara Turing? Stuart Russell? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A pioneering mathematician and computer researcher in the 1950s believed that an intelligent computer system could be built, and “it would not take long to outstrip our feeble powers”. Would you please tell me the name of this person and help me to find …
Irving John Good? Arthur C. Clarke? Philip J. Davis? Reuben Hersh? Vernor Vinge? Raymond Kurzweil? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A prominent computer researcher in the 1950s or 1960s predicted that humanity would create a superintelligent machine sometime during the twentieth century. The researcher believed that this machine would be humanity’s last invention. Would you …
Roy Zuvers? Stephen Tonnison? Paul Parkhurst? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Computers are known for performing blazingly fast calculations with excruciating precision. Computers are also known for inescapable bugs. A humorous statement combines these attributes: Computers make very fast, very accurate mistakes. Would you please explore the provenance of this remark? Reply from Quote Investigator: …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Computers Make Very Fast, Very Accurate Mistakes”
Dale Carnegie? Lee de Forest? Dorothy Carnegie? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Dale Carnegie was a popular author of self-improvement books. He once argued against premature discouragement by asserting that most remarkable achievements had been attained by people who continued to try even when no hope seemed possible. Would you please help me to find …