Tracing Quotations
Robert Frost? G. K. Chesterton? Eleanor Graham Vance? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The prominent poet Robert Frost did not compose free verse. Instead, he welcomed the structural demands of rhyme and meter. To explicate his choice he used a clever and vivid simile from the domain of tennis. Would you please help me to …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Composing Free Verse Is Like Playing Tennis Without a Net”
William James? Harry Granison Hill? Joseph Fort Newton? Norman Vincent Peale? E. Stanley Jones? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: One’s attitude toward life has an enormous effect on one’s experiences in life. Here are two statements on this theme: (1) The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by …
Emily Dickinson? Susan Gilbert Dickinson? Martha Dickinson Bianchi? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The ability to envision something novel and appealing is vital to the formulation and accomplishment of worthwhile goals. A robust imagination initiates the process. The poet Emily Dickinson employed the apt metaphor of lighting a fuse to express this notion. Would you …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: The Possible’s Slow Fuse Is Lit By the Imagination!”
Elbert Hubbard? Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle? William J. Crawford? Walt Kelly? Pogo? Pierre Daninos? Alphonse Allais? Julien Green? Question for Quote Investigator: There is a trenchant family of fatalistic sayings concerning the solemnity of life. Here are four examples: This notion has been attributed to U.S. aphorist Elbert Hubbard and French essayist and scholar …
Samuel Butler? John Pope? T.B.? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: There is a family of sayings about the difficulty of compelling obedience. Here are three instances: A man convinced against his will,Is of the same opinion still. Those convinced against their will,Are of the same opinion still. He that complies against his will,Is of his …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: A Man Convinced Against His Will, Is of the Same Opinion Still”
Samuel Butler? Frances Burney? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Force can be used to compel a person to exhibit a specific behavior, but it is much more difficult to change the mind of a person. Compliance does not denote mental submission. The 17th-century poet Samuel Butler composed a couplet expressing this notion. Would you please …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: He That Complies Against His Will, Is of His Own Opinion Still”
Bertrand Russell? Leo Rosten? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The relationship between government and law can be deftly summarized with two contrasting statements: These dual notions have been attributed to the famous British mathematician and social critic Bertrand Russell. Would you please help me to find a citation? Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1950 Bertrand …
Isaac Asimov? W. A. H. Rushton? R. C. Winton? Edgar J. Westbury? Christopher Marlowe? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Standards of beauty are notoriously subjective and variable. Different qualities are prized over time, and distinct cultures value divergent attributes. In the domain of Greek mythology, Helen of Troy was the most beautiful woman in the …
Helmuth von Moltke the Elder? Carl von Clausewitz? Dwight D. Eisenhower? Mike Tyson? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Anybody who is attempting to accomplish a major project must be flexible. Planning is important, but adaptability is essential. Here are two versions of a pertinent adage from the domain of warfare and competition: This saying has …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: No Plan Survives First Contact With the Enemy”
Oscar Wilde? Lloyd Lewis? Henry Justin Smith? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The famous wit Oscar Wilde apparently expressed some forward thinking ideas about the environment. He believed that the natural world should be preserved so that it can be conveyed to our children in the condition it was received. Would you please help me …