Alfred Hitchcock? George Bernard Shaw? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Enthusiastic critics treat films as elevated objects of art, but the famous director Alfred Hitchcock once insightfully remarked on the pragmatic limitations placed on commercial movies by human biology. He stated that the proper length of a film was dependent on the endurance of the human …
Author Archives: quoteresearch
The Merely Different Is Not Always Better, But the Better Is Always Different
David Rowland? Dale Dauten? Art Weinstein? William C. Johnson? Sun Microsystems? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Attempting something new and innovative is crucial to success in many fields, but triumph is not guaranteed. An unfamiliar or unusual strategy may fail. Designers have advanced the following adage: Different isn’t always better, but better is always different. Memorability …
Continue reading “The Merely Different Is Not Always Better, But the Better Is Always Different”
No Matter How Far a Person Can Go the Horizon Is Still Way Beyond You
Zora Neale Hurston? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Futurists use the horizon metaphorically to help explain the limits of prediction. As one approaches the horizon, more of the world becomes visible, but there are always vast regions that remain invisible because they are beyond the horizon. I think the Harlem Renaissance author Zora Neale Hurston employed …
Continue reading “No Matter How Far a Person Can Go the Horizon Is Still Way Beyond You”
Courage Is Rightly Esteemed the First of Human Qualities Because . . . It Is the Quality Which Guarantees All Others
Winston Churchill? Samuel Johnson? James Boswell? Aristotle? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The rights and freedoms enshrined in political documents are sometimes nullified by oppressive governments. The health of a society depends on the principles and the bravery of the populace. Here is a pertinent adage: Courage is the first of human qualities because it is …
The Fellow Who Thinks He Knows It All Is Especially Annoying To Those of Us Who Do
Isaac Asimov? Harold Coffin? Unitarian Church Bulletin? Robert Reisner? Joey Adams? Milton Berle? Robert K. Mueller? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Know-it-alls are eager to assert their expertise on all subjects. I love the following comical reaction to grandiose egotism: Those who believe they know everything are a great nuisance to those of us who do. …
Anyone Who Believes Exponential Growth Can Go On Forever in a Finite World Is Either a Madman or an Economist
Kenneth Boulding? Paul Ehrlich? David Attenborough? Mancur Olson? Wayne H. Davis? Jay W. Forrester? John S. Steinhart? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Population size, energy use, and gross domestic product (GDP) have grown exponentially for limited time periods within some nations; however, these trends are complex. Economies sometimes shrink; per-capita energy use sometimes declines; human population …
A True Work of Art Takes at Least an Hour
Charles Schulz? Lucy van Pelt? Linus van Pelt? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Recently, while watching videos presenting art tutorials online I was amazed at the quality of rapidly created drawings. Yet, I was reminded of a “Peanuts” comic strip from decades ago that claimed a genuine artwork cannot be created in less than one hour. …
Continue reading “A True Work of Art Takes at Least an Hour”
It Is Perhaps a More Fortunate Destiny To Have a Taste for Collecting Shells Than To Be Born a Millionaire
Robert Louis Stevenson? Florence Davies? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson is best known for his famous novels, e.g., “Treasure Island” and “Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde”. He believed that an individual should be invigorated by desires, interests, and aspirations otherwise he or she will lead a blank …
If You Seek Revenge You Should Dig Two Graves
Confucius? Japanese Proverb? Chinese Proverb? William Elliot Griffis? Jeff Bezos? Dear Quote Investigator: Seeking vengeance can backfire on an individual and lead to additional pain and suffering. The founding CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, referenced a powerful cautionary proverb about revenge during an interview in 2016 although he expressed uncertainty about its origin:[1]YouTube video, Title: …
Continue reading “If You Seek Revenge You Should Dig Two Graves”
Time Is What Keeps Everything From Happening At Once
Albert Einstein? Ray Cummings? Mark Twain? Arthur C. Clarke? John Archibald Wheeler? Arthur Power Dudden? Susan Sontag? Dear Quote Investigator: Albert Einstein has received credit for a humorous remark about time: The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once. Would you please explore the provenance of this quip? Quote Investigator: …
Continue reading “Time Is What Keeps Everything From Happening At Once”