Tracing Quotations
Pearl Bailey? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Everyone experiences failures in life. Yet, each setback can be transformed into an energizing event and an episode of learning. Even the largest failures can be changed into successes. The prominent U.S. actress and singer Pearl Bailey said something like this. Would you please help me to find …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Some of the Biggest Failures I Ever Had Were Successes”
Helen Keller? Socrates? Plato? Seneca the Younger? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A person has two genetic parents, four grandparents, and eight great-grandparents. The number of ancestors in a generation roughly doubles when going backwards in time, and this exponential growth implies that each individual has an enormous number of ancestors. This line of reasoning …
A. H. Reginald Buller? Resident of Brighton? E. V. Lucas? Carolyn Wells? Walter Winchell? Robert Conquest? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: There is a comical limerick about a “family” named Stein. The three referents were prominent writer Gertrude Stein, influential sculpture Jacob Epstein, and famous scientist Albert Einstein. Wordplay was used to split “Stein” from …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: A Notable Family Named Stein With Gertrude, Ep, and Ein”
George Washington Carver? Alvin D. Smith? Martin Luther King Jr.? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Prominent scientist and educator George Washington Carver believed that fear lay at the root of hatred, and hatred would eventually lead to the destruction of the hater. Would you please help me to find a citation? Reply from Quote Investigator: …
Henry Norman? A. P. Buchman? George Washington Carver? Alvin D. Smith? Louis N. Whealton? Frederick C. Walcott? Peter Witt? Martin Luther King Jr.? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Loathing and hostility are intense emotions which are difficult to control. Here is an applicable adage: Hatred destroys the hater. Would you please explore the provenance of …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Hate Ultimately Destroys the Hater”
Dorothy L. Sayers? George Eliot? Thomas Fuller? George Herbert? George Latimer Apperson? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The ongoing pandemic reminded me of an eccentric proverb I once heard: Love and a cough cannot be hidden. The prominent mystery wrote Dorothy L. Sayers once referred to a statement like this. Would you please explore the …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Love, Anger, Sorrow, and a Cough Cannot Be Hid”
Naval Officer? Voltaire? William Pitt Lennox? Herb Caen? Howard Jacobs? Norman R. Augustine? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: When an organization encounters difficulties, and its members experience low morale, it is counterproductive to enforce harsh discipline. This notion can be captured with the following sarcastic remark: The beatings will continue until morale improves. Close variants …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: The Floggings Will Continue Until Morale Improves”
Vladimir Lenin? Karl Marx? Louis C. Fraina? Homero Aridjis? Carlos Fuentes? Saint Peter? George Galloway? Liz Smith? Steve Bannon? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Many societal changes do not follow smooth trajectories. Instead, change occurs via irregular starts and stops. Here are two versions of this notion: The first saying has been ascribed to Russian …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Days Into Which 20 Years Are Compressed”
Eleonora Duse? John Martin Harvey? Eva Le Gallienne? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The prominent Italian actress Eleonora Duse believed that the joyful appreciation of nature provided evidence of a vivacious soul. She highlighted the simple beauty inherent in blue skies and blades of grass. Would you please help me to find a citation. Reply …
George Orwell? Eric Arthur Blair? Bernard Crick? Sonia Orwell? Norman Lear? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: George Orwell apparently once made a fascinating comment about the essence of liberty. Here are two versions: Would you please help me to determine the correct phrasing and to locate a solid citation? Reply from Quote Investigator: George Orwell …