Mark Twain? Benjamin De Casseres? Richard Grant White? Mary Hallock Foote? Cordelia Foote? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Mark Twain once joked that the key to success was a combination of ignorance and confidence. I do not know the precise phrasing. Would you please help me to find the exact quotation and a citation? Reply …
Author Archives: quoteresearch
Quote Origin: No Man Will Make a Great Business Who Wants To Do It All Himself, Or To Get All the Credit of Doing It
Andrew Carnegie? Barnard Alderson? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Business titan and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie stated that one person cannot build a great enterprise alone. Also, one person should never demand all the credit. Would you please help me to find the precise quotation and a citation? Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1899 the “St. …
Quote Origin: You Cannot Push On a String (Or a Rope)
John Maynard Keynes? George Patton? Samuel Harries Daddow? Benjamin Bannan? Henry Smith? S. H. Monell? Thomas Brackett Reed? Thomas Alan Goldsborough? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A brilliant figure of speech has been employed to describe the performance of a futile or counter-productive task. Here are two versions: (1) You cannot push on a string.(2) …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: You Cannot Push On a String (Or a Rope)”
Quote Origin: The Next Best Thing To Being Witty One’s Self, Is To Be Able To Quote Another’s Wit
Christian Nestell Bovee? Evan Esar? Laurence J. Peter? Question for Quote Investigator: I once heard an observation that cogently explained the popularity of quotations. I do not recall the precise phrasing, but it was something like this: If you are unable to be witty yourself, the next best thing is being able to quote another’s …
Quote Origin: Everything Which Is Not Compulsory Is Forbidden
T. H. White? Robert Heinlein? W. H. Auden? Murray Gell-Mann? Friedrich Schiller? Weare Holbrook? Ronald Storrs? Harry Lindsay? Gordon Daniel Conant? Gerhart H. Seger? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The following societal principle has been called totalitarian, authoritarian, fascist, and dictatorial. Here are two versions: Everything which is not forbidden is compulsory. Everything which is …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Everything Which Is Not Compulsory Is Forbidden”
Quip Origin: Quotation Is The Act of Repeating Erroneously the Words of Another
Ambrose Bierce? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A clever wit claimed that the act of quoting someone really meant erroneously repeating their words. I do not remember the precise phrasing; hence, this quotation itself is somewhat erroneous. Would you please help me to find the correct quotation and author? Reply from Quote Investigator: In July …
Continue reading “Quip Origin: Quotation Is The Act of Repeating Erroneously the Words of Another”
Quote Origin: Everybody Has Plans Until They Get Hit for the First Time
Mike Tyson? Joe Louis? Helmuth von Moltke the Elder? Fair Play? Walter Payton? Mike Lupica? Dwight D. Eisenhower? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The opponent of a well-known boxing champion stated that he had a plan to win an upcoming match. The champion replied with a caustic dismissive remark. Here are four versions: (1) Everybody …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Everybody Has Plans Until They Get Hit for the First Time”
Quote Origin: How Old Would You Be If You Didn’t Know How Old You Are?
Satchel Paige? Wayne W. Dyer? Clarence H. Wilson? Wallace R. Farrington? G. Herbert True? Ruth Gordon? Garson Kanin? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: It is foolish to place restrictive limits on oneself solely based on age. Most activities can be pursued at any age. This viewpoint is encouraged by an inquiry designed for self-reflection. Here …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: How Old Would You Be If You Didn’t Know How Old You Are?”
Quote Origin: Tortoises All the Way Down
Hester Lynch Piozzi? William James? Bertrand Russell? Mark Twain? Henry David Thoreau? Carl Sagan? Terry Pratchett? Samuel Purchas? John Locke? George B. Cheever? Joseph F. Berg? George Chainey? John Phoenix? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: According to legend a prominent scientist once presented a lecture on cosmology which discussed the solar system and galaxies. Afterwards, …
Quote Origin: Like a Little Bridegroom On a Wedding Cake
Alice Roosevelt Longworth? Marie Corelli? Jane Burr? Rose Guggenheim Winslow? Nancy Hale? Ruth Hanna McCormick? Walter Winchell? Ethel Barrymore? Grace Hodgson Flandrau? Question for Quote Investigator: A U.S. politician running for president was once described as a “little man on a wedding cake” and a “bridegroom on the wedding cake”. This ridicule harmed his campaign, …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Like a Little Bridegroom On a Wedding Cake”