Ralph Waldo Emerson? Nike Advertisement? Janet Champ? Charlotte Moore? Wieden & Kennedy? Pam Finger? Question for Quote Investigator: Some people fear that their genes or social circumstances will restrict their life options and push them inexorably toward a foreordained destiny. An inspirational message presents a radically different viewpoint: The only person you are destined to …
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Quote Origin: I Never Vote For Anybody. I Always Vote Against
W. C. Fields? Franklin P. Adams? H. L. Mencken? Richard Croker? Franklin D. Roosevelt? Will Rogers? Question for Quote Investigator: There is a family of sardonic sayings about the behavior of voters. Here are three examples: This viewpoint has been attributed to popular columnist Franklin P. Adams, curmudgeonly commentator H. L. Mencken, and star comedian …
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Quote Origin: There Is Nothing As Mysterious As a Fact Clearly Described
Garry Winogrand? Diane Arbus? Sandra S. Phillips? John Dufresne? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A photograph presents a direct representation of a person, object, or landscape. It seems to provide a perfect unmediated description. Yet, photographs can be cryptic, confusing, or misleading. The photographer is typically a purposeful intermediary. Garry Winogrand who became famous for …
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Quote Origin: Even Stones Have a Love, A Love That Seeks the Ground
Meister Eckhart? C. De B. Evans? Victor Gollancz? George William Target? Sharon Blackie? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Some philosophers believe that mentality is ubiquitous in the universe. Thus, it is possible to assign volition to every entity, and even inanimate objects have a purpose. For example, an apple that falls from a tree might …
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Quote Origin: To Die for an Idea Is To Place a Very High Price Upon Conjecture
Anatole France? François Rabelais? Michel de Montaigne? Lewis Piaget Shanks? Will Durant? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The French Nobel laureate Anatole France was skeptical of martyrdom. Here are three versions of a statement attributed to him: Would you please help me to find the original statement in French? Reply from Quote Investigator: In April …
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Quote Origin: If I Can Make About Five Good Scenes and Not Annoy the Audience, It’s an Awfully Good Picture
Howard Hawks? Martin Kasindorf? Alejandro Jodorowsky? Gene Siskel? Roger Ebert? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Howard Hawks was a leading director during the Golden Age of Hollywood. His oeuvre included “Scarface”, “Bringing Up Baby”, “The Big Sleep”, and “His Girl Friday”. He was never pretentious, and he followed a pragmatic strategy for creating his hugely …
Quote Origin: True Peace Is Not Merely the Absence of Tension; It Is the Presence of Justice
Martin Luther King? Elizabeth Tipton Derieux? Alton Hawkins? United Presbyterian Church? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A political activist once stated something like the following: Peace is more than the absence of conflict and tension. Genuine peace requires the presence of justice. This notion has been attributed to Martin Luther King Jr. Would you please …
Quote Origin: No Matter Where You Go, There You Are
Buckaroo Banzai? Peter Weller? Earl Mac Rauch? Thomas à Kempis? W. H. Hutchings? Jim Russell? Jacqueline? C. Gordon Furbish? Jon Kabat-Zinn? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The following saying is a profound guideline for mindfulness meditation; alternatively, it is a fun absurdist joke. Here are three versions: The 1984 movie “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai …
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Quote Origin: I Quite Agree With You, But Who Are We Two Against So Many?
George Bernard Shaw? Oscar Wilde? Clarence Rook? Alexander Woollcott? Hesketh Pearson? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A playwright feared that his upcoming work was about to flop at the box office. After the surprisingly successful inaugural performance the bewildered playwright appeared on stage. Amongst the resounding cheers there was a barely audible hiss. The playwright …
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Quote Origin: If You Are Not at the Table Then You’re Probably on the Menu
Elizabeth Warren? Ann Richards? Julia Louis-Dreyfus? Cecile Richards? Pat Rusk? David Horowitz? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: If one wishes to influence a decision then one must be present at the negotiation table. If one is absent then an unfavorable decision is likely. Metaphorically, one’s rights and interests will be consumed by the other participants …
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