Tracing Quotations
Graham Greene? Doris Lessing? Erica Jong? Question for Quote Investigator: An artist who has achieved a distinctive reputation with critics and the general public is placed into a metaphorical strait jacket. Newly fashioned artworks are expected to be similar to previous artworks. Change and innovation are frowned upon. This notion can be expressed using a …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: A Reputation Is Like a Death Mask. I Wanted To Smash the Mask”
Mignon McLaughlin? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: December is a season of generosity for many, but the eagerness of participants varies. A friend recently joked that she wanted to achieve a reputation for generosity as cheaply as possible. She disclaimed authorship of this quip. Would you please explore its provenance? Reply from Quote Investigator: The …
Joseph Campbell? Diane K. Osbon? Kurt Vonnegut? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: When I watch the news I see endless reports signaling that the world is a mess. Efforts to mend the world are necessary and laudable; however, I am reminded of the advice given by mythology scholar Joseph Campbell. The world has always been …
Bette Davis? Ruth S. Hain? Malcolm Forbes? John S. Whelan? Paul Newman? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: One grows in wisdom as the decades accumulate, but the challenges to health and intellect also increase. Here are four versions of a spirited adage: In this context, the words sissy and wimp refer to a weak or …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Old Age Sure Ain’t for Sissies”
Paul Valéry? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The following appeared as an epigraph to an article I saw recently: Serious-minded people have few ideas. People with ideas are never serious. The words were attributed to the French poet and commentator Paul Valéry. I am not sure precisely what the remark means. Would you please help …
G. K. Chesterton? Hugh Gesshugh? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The Thanksgiving season reminds me of a notion that I have seen expressed in three different ways: Instead of taking things for granted, we should take them with gratitude. We must learn to take things with gratitude instead of taking them for granted. When it …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Taking Things with Gratitude, and Not Taking Things for Granted”
Darryl F. Zanuck? Anonymous Movie Mogul? Gabe Essoe? San Franciscan? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Movie industry people felt threatened by the advent of televised entertainment. Yet, early television consoles were expensive devices housed in bulky wooden cabinets with small screens that displayed only flickering black and white images. Apparently, a skeptical movie tycoon said: …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: People Soon Get Tired of Staring at a Plywood Box Every Night”
Mark Twain? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Recently, I encountered an insightful quotation about courage attributed to Mark Twain that I had not seen before: Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, and not the absence of fear. Is this a genuine Twain quotation? Where did it appear? Reply from Quote Investigator: In December …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Courage Is Resistance To Fear, Mastery of Fear—Not Absence of Fear”
Kurt Vonnegut? Larry L. King? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The quotations and misquotations discussed on this website have typically been attributed to famous people. My inquiry is different. I would like you to explore a ubiquitous quotation describing a famous person. The prominent satirist and science fiction author Kurt Vonnegut has been called a …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Kurt Vonnegut Is a Laughing Prophet of Doom”
Tom Stoppard? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The world of social media highlights upvotes, shares, and retweets. Many marketers, influencers, and politicians adhere to the following axiom: It’s better to be quotable than honest. Would you please explore the provenance of this expression? Reply from Quote Investigator: British playwright Tom Stoppard has earned an Academy …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: It’s Better To Be Quotable Than Honest”