Wilma Rudolph? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: To achieve victory you must be able to handle defeat without collapsing or becoming discouraged. No one goes through life completely undefeated. Olympic gold-medal-winning runner Wilma Rudolph once indicated that winners must be able to pick themselves up after crushing defeat. Would you please help me to find a …
Author Archives: quoteresearch
Talent Is a Dreadfully Cheap Commodity, Cheaper Than Table Salt
Stephen King? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Years ago the famous horror writer Stephen King was discussing how to become a successful artist, and he employed vivid figurative language that I can still recall. He indicated that talent was as common and cheap as table salt. His bracing insight was that success required great effort combined …
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There Is No Royal and Flower Strewn Road To Success
Madam C. J. Walker? Sarah J. Walker? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The cosmetics entrepreneur Madam C. J. Walker once spoke to a journalist about her enormous accomplishments. She indicated that her pathway to success was not strewn with flowers, and her ascent required hard work and sleepless nights. Would please help me to find a …
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Bitcoin: It’s Probably Rat Poison Squared
Warren Buffett? Charlie Munger? Liz Claman? Becky Quick? Mark Cuban? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The value of bitcoin has fluctuated dramatically. Extreme language has been used to either praise or vilify this prominent digital currency. The superinvestors Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger have made harsh pronouncements. Apparently, Munger said bitcoin was rat poison, and Buffett …
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Don’t ASS-U-ME Anything
Oscar Wilde? Felix Unger? Tony Randall? John Glick? Clarence L. Lollar? Dick West? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Making unfounded assumptions causes endless difficulties. A clever quip highlighting this problem is based on splitting a word into three parts: It is dangerous to assume because you might make an “ass” out of “u” and “me”. This …
Quote Origin: Comparison Is the Thief of Joy
Theodore Roosevelt? Mark Twain? C. S. Lewis? Dwight Edwards? John Powell? Ray Cummings? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Comparing your status to others often produces envy and unhappiness. Here are four instances from a family of pertinent adages: Statesman Theodore Roosevelt, humorist Mark Twain, author C. S. Lewis, and religious figure Dwight Edwards have all …
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Bicycle Riding, If Persisted In, Leads To Weakness of Mind, General Lunacy, and Homicidal Mania
The New York Times? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: A major U.S. newspaper supposedly published an article that claims riding a bicycle inevitably leads to general lunacy and homicidal mania. This assertion sounds satirical. Does this article actually exist? Quote Investigator: On August 12, 1894 “The New York Times” published an article titled “Lunacy in England” …
The Lecture: An Obsolete Practice Dating From the Middle Ages When Books Were Scarce
Virginia Woolf? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Apparently, the prominent English writer Virginia Woolf thought that transmitting knowledge via lectures was a “vain and vicious system”. She also stated that lecturing was “an obsolete practice dating from the Middle Ages”. Would you please help me to find a citation? Quote Investigator: Virginia Woolf published the book-length …
Quote Origin: The Greatest Shortcoming of the Human Race Is Man’s Inability To Understand the Exponential Function
Albert A. Bartlett? William Dillinger? Paul A. Tipler? David Suzuki? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: What do the following have in common: computing power, internet communication traffic, human population, energy use? Each has experienced exponential growth. The full implications of such rapid changes are difficult to grasp. A scientist has asserted that the incomprehension of …
Conditions Are Never Just Right
William Feather? John R. Gunn? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: When commencing a significant new endeavor in life it is tempting to wait until conditions are perfect, but that never occurs. Delays are often the result of indecisiveness, fear, or procrastination. Yet, one must move forward. The successful publisher and printer William Feather expressed the situation …