Tracing Quotations
Peter Graham? Terry Carr? Avram Davidson? Barry N. Malzberg? Baird Searles? L. Sprague de Camp? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” and H. G. Wells’ “The War of the Worlds” were milestones in the genesis and evolution of the science fiction (SF) genre. This imaginative category of literature built upon technological and other-worldly …
Continue reading “Dialogue Origin: “When Was the Golden Age of Science Fiction?” “Twelve””
Aldous Huxley? George Bernard Shaw? Voltaire? Andy Capp? Reg Smythe? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A dejected literary figure apparently experienced an alarming eschatological revelation: Maybe this world is another planet’s Hell. This notion has been credited to English writer Aldous Huxley who penned the classic dystopian novel “Brave New World”. Credit has also been …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: How Do You Know That the Earth Isn’t Some Other Planet’s Hell?”
Sydney Smith? Punch? Evan Esar? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A disagreement between two people is sometimes caused by a difference in underlying assumptions. Two individuals arguing from different premises are likely to reach different conclusions. This notion can be comically transformed via a pun on the word “premises” which can mean “assumptions” or “residences”. …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: They Will Never Agree. They Argue from Different Premises”
Mark Twain? Merle Johnson? Caroline Thomas Harnsberger? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Mark Twain once spoke about the number of fools in the world. He did not believe that there were too many fools, but he did suggest that lightning strikes were not ideally distributed. Would you please help me to find a citation for …
Andrew Ng? Nick Bostrom? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A top artificial intelligence (AI) researcher was asked whether he feared the possibility of malevolent superintelligent robots wreaking havoc in the near future, and he answered “No”. He illustrated his answer with the following analogy. Worrying about human overpopulation on Mars is fruitless. It is a distant …
Milan Kundera? Anne Raver? Jan Karon? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The faithfulness and love exhibited by a pet dog can lead to an idealized perception. The Czech writer Milan Kundera has received credit for the following remark: Dogs are our link to paradise. I am uncertain about the accuracy of this attribution because I …
Ralph Waldo Emerson? Tryon Edwards? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: During one’s lifetime one may discover a truth that appears deep and beautiful. Yet, one must be willing to continuously grow and change. That supposed truth may later seem trivial or misleading. Personal development demands regular reevaluations. The transcendentalist philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson made a …
Dorothy Parker? Jean Kerr? Charles Whitehead? Simon Suggs Jr.? Sam Stackpole? Abe Martin? Kin Hubbard? Herbert Spencer? Mort Walker? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Beauty is only skin-deep according to an adage that can be traced back to the 1600s. This assertion has inspired a wide variety of twisted reactions and elaborations. Here are three …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Beauty Is Only Skin-Deep, But Ugly Goes Clean To the Bone”
Louis Brandeis? Ralph Waldo Emerson? Robert Walter? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: There is a family of sayings about the effectiveness of light for the destruction of noxious infectious agents. This family also includes metaphorical instances in which corrupt behavior is revealed and prevented via publicity. Here are some examples: Would you please explore this …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Sunlight Is the Best Disinfectant”
Langston Hughes? Robert Frost? Zig Ziglar? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A poem about the need to maintain aspirational dreams employed a vivid metaphor based on a bird with a damaged wing. The author was Langston Hughes or Robert Frost. Would you please help me to find a citation? Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1932 …