John Updike? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Exalted activities such as composing a symphony or devising an invention clearly enable the maker to express creativity. Refreshingly, the prominent writer John Updike contended that even quotidian activities allowed for creativity if the doer cared enough to excel. Would you please help me to find a citation? …
Author Archives: quoteresearch
Quote Origin: Computer Science Is Not About Computers, Any More Than Astronomy Is About Telescopes
Edsger W. Dijkstra? Alan Perlis? Jacques Arsac? George Johnson? Donald Knuth? Matthew Dennis Haines? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Computers are the fundamental tool employed within the field of computer science; however, the discipline transcends this tool. Here are three attempts to articulate this viewpoint: Computer science is no more about computers than astronomy is …
Quote Origin: No One On His Deathbed Ever Said, ‘I Wish I Had Spent More Time On My Business’
Paul Tsongas? Harold Kushner? Arnold Zack? Barbara Mackoff? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: When an individual is lying on a deathbed and contemplating mortality the need to ascribe a transcendent meaning and purpose to life often becomes paramount. Deep bonds of love, caring, and friendship are highlighted. The workaday world recedes in importance. Here are …
Quote Origin: We Look Into Mirrors But We Only See the Effects of Our Times On Us—Not Our Effect On Others
Pearl Bailey? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: When you look into a mirror your self-image may be altered, but you are not forced to see yourself objectively. You do not perceive yourself through the eyes of others, and you do not really understand your effect on others. The U.S. actress and singer Pearl Bailey once …
Quote Origin: The Best Swordsman in the World Doesn’t Need To Fear the Second Best Swordsman
Mark Twain? David Weber? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Achieving expert knowledge and abilities in a domain may require many years of hard work. Yet, expertise does not guarantee success. Here is a counterintuitive adage: The best swordsman does not fear the second best. He fears the worst since there’s no telling what that idiot …
Quote Origin: In Science We Should Be Interested In Things, Not Persons
Marie Curie? Pierre Curie? Ève Curie? Marie Mattingly Meloney? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Gossip about people is extraordinarily popular. A famous scientist once criticized this attitude as follows: In science, we must be interested in things, not in persons. This statement has been attributed three members of a renowned French family: Marie Curie, Pierre …
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Quote Origin: All the Love Scenes Had Been Shot Like Murder Scenes, and All the Murder Scenes Like Love Scenes
Alfred Hitchcock? François Truffaut? Grace Kelly? Sam Mendes? Question for Quote Investigator: Director Alfred Hitchcock was a master of suspense and horror. For decades his filmmaking techniques have been closely studied by other directors, screenwriters, and critics. One observer uncovered a disquieting connection between Hitchcock’s portrayal of homicide and intimacy: The murder scenes are filmed …
Quote Origin: Talent Is Like Electricity
Maya Angelou? Claudia Tate? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: An insightful simile likens the creative talent displayed by an individual while dancing, composing, teaching, or singing to electricity. This figure of speech has been attributed to Renaissance woman Maya Angelou. Would you please explore this topic? Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1983 Claudia Tate edited …
Quote Origin: Tact Is the Ability To Describe Others As They See Themselves
Mary Pettibone Poole? Abraham Lincoln? Aldous Huxley? Eleanor Chaffee? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The ability to perceive others as they see themselves is an enormously helpful guide for smooth and productive interactions. Here is a pertinent adage: Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves. This saying has been attributed …
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Quote Origin: Within a Generation … the Problems of Creating Artificial Intelligence Will Be Substantially Solved
Marvin Minsky? Herbert A. Simon? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A top researcher in computer science in the 1960s contended that the problem of building machines with artificial intelligence (AI) would be largely solved within a generation. A statement of this type has been attributed to Marvin Minsky of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Would …