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: …
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Quote Origin: Hate Ultimately Destroys the Hater
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 …
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Quote Origin: Love, Anger, Sorrow, and a Cough Cannot Be Hid
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 …
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Quote Origin: The Floggings Will Continue Until Morale Improves
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 …
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Quote Origin: Days Into Which 20 Years Are Compressed
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 …
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Quote Origin: If the Sight of the Blue Skies Fills You With Joy . . . Rejoice, for Your Soul Is Alive
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 …
Quote Origin: If Liberty Means Anything At All It Means the Right To Tell People What They Do Not Want To Hear
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 …
Quote Origin: Nothing Contributes So Much To Tranquillize the Mind As a Steady Purpose,—a Point On Which the Soul May Fix Its Intellectual Eye
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley? Robert Walton? Victor Frankenstein? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Finding a goal or purpose to strive for in life is wonderfully helpful; uncertainty and anxiety are replaced by mental tranquility. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley who authored the groundbreaking science fiction novel “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus” once made this point. Would you please …
Quote Origin: The Cat / Dog Is Always On the Wrong Side of the Door
T. S. Eliot? Ogden Nash? Kate Upson Clark? William Lyon Phelps? O. M. Gregor? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Some pets are constantly signaling a desire to enter or leave a domicile. Here are two pertinent expressions: This notion has been attributed to the poets T. S. Eliot and Ogden Nash. Would you please help …
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Quote Origin: The Men the American People Admire Most Extravagantly Are the Most Daring Liars
H. L. Mencken? George Jean Nathan? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The famous curmudgeon H. L. Mencken asserted that the most daring liars were rewarded with public admiration. I do not recall the precise phrasing Mencken employed. Would you please help me to find a citation? Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1922 “The Smart Set” …