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 …
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Quote Origin: Co-Authoring a Book Is Like Three People Getting Together To Have a Baby
Evelyn Waugh? Agatha Christie? Hilary St. George Saunders? Leonard Lyons? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Collaborating on a complex project like writing a novel is impossible for many people. English writer Evelyn Waugh said something like the following: Coauthoring a book is like three people getting together to have a baby. Would you please help …
Quote Origin: When First We Fall in Love, We Feel That We Know All There Is To Know About Life, and Perhaps We Are Right
Mignon McLaughlin? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: First love is exhilarating. Infatuated lovers feel like they have acquired esoteric knowledge of the universe. This might even be true. The witty journalist Mignon McLaughlin made this point using a different phrasing. Would you please help me to find a citation? Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1963 …
Quote Origin: You Have the Same Chance of Winning a Lottery Whether You Play Or Not
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 …
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 …