Tracing Quotations
H. G. Wells? Diane Ackerman? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: When the famous science fiction author and social critic H. G. Wells envisioned utopia he wished to see ubiquitous bicycle paths winding through forests and gardens. Would you please help me to find a citation? Reply from Quote Investigator: H. G. Wells serialized his alternate …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Cycle Tracks Will Abound In Utopia”
Rebecca West? George Bernard Shaw? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The prominent British author and literary critic Rebecca West once wrote about the necessity to be loyal to one’s own desires. Would you please help me to find a citation? Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1913 Rebecca West published in the journal “The New Freewoman” …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: It Is the Soul’s Duty To Be Loyal To Its Own Desires”
George Bernard Shaw? John Bowring? John Browning? John Bouring? Question for Quote Investigator: Some envision heaven filled with a joyous, loving, and interconnected group of people united on a higher spiritual plane. If one is a member of a happy family here on Earth then it is possible to obtain a glimpse of this future …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: A Happy Family Is But an Earlier Heaven”
Carl Sandburg? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Humanity takes arrogant pride in the knowledge it has accumulated over the centuries. Yet, it is a paltry amount when compared to the vast treasure troves that remain undiscovered in the uncharted regions of space and time. I roughly recall a saying on this theme that emphasized humility: …
Rosalind Franklin? Brenda Maddox? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: In the 21st century the insights gained via science have re-emerged as centrally important to the flourishing of our planet and humanity. Apparently, a researcher enthralled by work was told that she was placing too much emphasis on science. She replied: Science and everyday life cannot …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Science and Everyday Life Cannot and Should Not Be Separated”
Loren Eiseley? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The motions of water are often mesmerizing, e.g., the rhythmic crashing of waves on a beach, the misty turbulence of a plunging waterfall, and the sparkling jet of a fountain. A science popularizer apparently once said: If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water. …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: If There Is Magic On This Planet, It Is Contained In Water”
Veronica Lake? Judy Klemesrud? Walter Clemons? Anonymous? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A pulchritudinous movie star of the golden age of Hollywood supposedly said: I wasn’t a sex symbol; I was a sex zombie. Is this an authentic quotation? If someone did deliver this line would you please tell me who it was? Reply from …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: I Wasn’t a Sex Symbol; I Was a Sex Zombie”
Albert Einstein? Werner Mitsch? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: It is difficult to conceive of an ordinary creature foolish enough to design and build a device that would dramatically increase the probability of its self-annihilation. The great scientist Albert Einstein supposedly made the following remark: Mankind invented the atomic bomb, yet a mouse would never …
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 …
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. …