Howard Thurman? Gil Bailie? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: If you are an altruistic or philanthropic person you face many choices. It is natural to ask, “What does the world need?” Yet, it is essential to maintain commitment and enthusiasm. Hence, you should ask yourself what makes you come alive. This will help you decide …
Author Archives: quoteresearch
Quote Origin: Power Without Responsibility — The Prerogative of the Harlot Throughout the Ages
Stanley Baldwin? Rudyard Kipling? Arthur W. Baldwin? Benjamin Disraeli? Tom Stoppard? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: In the 1930s British politician Stanley Baldwin reacted with anger when he read a claim that he considered defamatory in the pages of a popular newspaper. Shortly afterward he delivered a speech accusing the U.K. press barons of wielding …
Quote Origin: Anxiety Does Not Empty Tomorrow of Its Sorrows; It Empties Today of Its Strength
Alexander McLaren? Charles Haddon Spurgeon? Ian Maclaren? Corrie ten Boom? Question for Quote Investigator: Excessive fear and worry about the future can weaken the resolve needed to thrive. Here are three versions of a pertinent saying: (1) Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength. (2) Anxiety does …
Quote Origin: If I Owned Hell and Texas, I Would Rent Texas and Live at the Other Place
Philip Sheridan? H. L. Mencken? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Texas is a beloved state to many, but it also has detractors. One comical remark compares the state unfavorably to Hades: If I owned Hell and Texas, I’d rent out Texas and live in Hell. Would you please explore the provenance of this joke? Reply …
Quote Origin: Whoever Is Winning at the Moment Will Always Seem To Be Invincible
George Orwell? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The naïve extrapolation of current events leads to faulty predictions. Apparently, the influential English novelist and essayist George Orwell made a point of this type regarding the overestimation of victors in recent battles. Too often people view ruthless contemporary winners as invincible and are unable to recognize flaws. …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Whoever Is Winning at the Moment Will Always Seem To Be Invincible”
Quote Origin: The Meaning of Life Is That Nobody Knows the Meaning of Life
Woody Allen? Ken Kelley? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Philosophers, religious figures, and spiritual gurus have been making claims about the meaning of life for millennia. The comedian Woody Allen apparently offered his own quixotic analysis. Would you please help me to find a citation? Reply from Quote Investigator: On July 1, 1976 “Rolling Stone” …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: The Meaning of Life Is That Nobody Knows the Meaning of Life”
Quote Origin: Life Is Not a Spectacle Or a Feast; It Is a Predicament
George Santayana? W. H. Auden? Cyril Connolly? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Fortunate people experience life as an overflowing banquet coupled with a remarkable series of sights and sounds. But most people have more complicated ordeals. Here are two pertinent expressions: Life is not a spectacle or a feast; it is a predicament. Life is …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Life Is Not a Spectacle Or a Feast; It Is a Predicament”
Quote Origin: Judge Each Day Not By the Harvest You Reap But By the Seeds You Plant
Robert Louis Stevenson? William Arthur Ward? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: An eloquent agricultural metaphor occurs within an astute proverb about the value of preparation and investment: Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant. The prominent Scottish novelist Robert Louis Stevenson has received credit for this saying, …
Quote Origin: Nostalgia Is a Dangerous Emotion Because It Glides So Easily Into Hatred and Resentment
Carolyn G. Heilbrun? Amanda Cross? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Nostalgia is a sentimental emotion that does not seem to be dangerous. Yet, wistful feelings for a bygone era can become a source of hatred and resentment. The mystery author Carolyn G. Heilbrun expressed something similar. Would you please help me to find a citation? …
Quote Origin: That’s the Point of Quotations, You Know: One Can Use Another’s Words To Be Insulting
Carolyn G. Heilbrun? Amanda Cross? Kate Fansler? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: By employing a quotation from a well-known individual it is possible to firmly express a viewpoint without directly endorsing it. I vaguely recall the following similar statement: Often the point of quotations is to use somebody else’s words to deliver an insult. Would …