Fran Lebowitz? Herb Caen? Don Bleu? Rob Morse? Rebecca Blagrave? Liz Smith? William Deresiewicz? Question for Quote Investigator: The probability that you will purchase a lottery ticket worth millions of dollars is miniscule. Here are two comically exaggerated quips based on this observation: I figure your odds of winning the lottery are the same, whether …
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Quote Origin: A Politician Straddles the Fence With Both Ears To the Ground
H. L. Mencken? Arthur Stanwood Pier? L. Curry Morton? Life Magazine? Sylvester K. Stevens? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A startling and funny depiction of a politician has been constructed by mixing two vivid metaphors: A politician is an animal who can sit on a fence and yet keep both ears to the ground. This …
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Quote Origin: Die, My Dear Doctor! That’s the Last Thing I Shall Do
Groucho Marx? Lord Palmerston? Old Bishop? John Cordy Jeaffreson? Söndags-Nisse? Robert Lee Bullard? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A famous person lying on their deathbed overheard distraught visitors discussing mortality. The stricken but still lively individual sat bolt upright and declared: Die? That’s the last thing I’ll do. This humorously redundant statement has been attributed …
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Quote Origin: That Person Is the Richest Whose Pleasures Are the Cheapest
Henry David Thoreau? Robert Chambers? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A centimillionaire who is fixated on the wealth and extravagances of a billionaire may feel comparatively poor. Yet, a different mindset would allow almost anyone to feel wealthy. The transcendentalist philosopher Henry David Thoreau suggested that one could feel rich if one’s pleasures were inexpensive. …
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Quote Origin: Pay Enough for Anything and It Passes for Taste
Sue Grafton? Kinsey Millhone? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A handbag with the logo of a top fashion company is quite expensive. The high cost functions as a marker of desirability. Here is a germane adage: Pay enough for anything and it passes for taste. This statement has been attributed to popular detective novelist Sue …
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Quote Origin: When Everybody Is Digging for Gold, It’s Good To Be in the Pick and Shovel Business
Mark Twain? Walter Powell? Collis Huntington? Mark Hopkins? Jim Winder? Gavin Dobson? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: During the 1800s the discovery of gold in a locale triggered a frenetic scramble of miners who dreamed of great fortunes. Unfortunately, mining led to disappointment for most miners. Here are two versions of a pertinent adage: This …
Quote Origin: I’m Not Comfortable Being Preachy, But More People Have To Start Spending As Much Time in the Library As They Do On the Basketball Court
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A prominent professional basketball player once shared a bracing insight. Only a relatively tiny number of people are able to advance to the U.S. National Basketball Association (NBA). Hoping to become an NBA player is rarely a practical goal. Hence, one should place an emphasis on education and …
Quote Origin: Whilst I Write This Letter, I Hold a Sword In One Hand, and a Pistol In the Other
Boyle Roche? Joe Miller? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A comically incoherent or absurd statement is sometimes called a bull or an Irish bull. Here is an example: I am writing this letter with a sword in one hand and a pistol in the other. If the writer is not a three-handed alien then this …
Quote Origin: These Pictures Are Not On Trial. It Is the Visitors Who Are On Trial
Gerald Stanley Lee? F. W. Macdonald? Thomas Vezey Strong? Heywood Broun? Eugene O’Neill? Vincent Starrett? Florentine doorkeeper? Parisian Curator? Question for Quote Investigator: Critics and tastemakers have proclaimed that some paintings, books, and plays are masterpieces. Yet, the general populace is not always able to perceive the quality of these works. An anecdote set in …
Quote Origin: Efficiency Is Concerned With Doing Things Right. Effectiveness Is Doing the Right Things
Peter Drucker? Elsie Robinson? Warren Bennis? Stephen R. Covey? Glenn J. Shanahan? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: In the domain of business and entrepreneurship two contrasting statements yield a crucial insight: The most successful organizations require both efficiency and effectiveness. Another version highlights the following two ideas: These notions have been attributed to the famous …