Sophie Tucker? Kathleen Norris? Mary Kay Ash? Mrs. Price Smith? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: There is an old-fashioned saying about the stages of a woman’s life. It begins with a young child who needs good parents and health. It continues with a young adult who needs good looks followed by a middle-aged person who …
Author Archives: quoteresearch
Quote Origin: A Friend Is a Present You Give Yourself
Robert Louis Stevenson? Betsy Patterson? Harry B. Brockett? Walter Winchell? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Living a full and happy life is facilitated by maintaining a network of steadfast friendships. Here are three versions of a germane adage: This saying has been attributed to the famous adventure and horror novelist Robert Louis Stevenson, but …
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Quote Origin: Go Out There and Do Something Remarkable. Don’t Live Down To Expectations
Wendy Wasserstein? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: We are told that people should live up to expectations. Yet, the chronically underestimated are implicitly told to live down to expectations. A graduation speaker once told an audience to do something remarkable and to refuse to live down to expectations. Would you please help me to trace …
Quote Origin: How Can I Know What I Think Till I See What I Say?
Graham Wallas? E. M. Forster? André Gide? Anonymous Little Girl? Anonymous Old Lady? Herbert Samuel? W. H. Auden? C. S. Lewis? Arthur Koestler? Christopher Hollis? Question for Quote Investigator: Pre-verbal and non-verbal thoughts are vitally important. Yet, there is an intimate relationship between thinking and using language especially when analysis and reflection are required. A …
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Quote Origin: Style Is the Stuff You Get Wrong
Neil Gaiman? Jerry Garcia? Elizabeth McCracken? Robert Burton? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: I have heard two fascinating adages about artistic style: Both statements were made by the prominent fantasist Neil Gaiman who writes short stories, novels, comic books, and screenplays. Yet, Gaiman credited both phrases to acclaimed guitarist Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead …
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Quote Origin: It Is Not Possible for One Man To Hold Another Man Down in the Ditch Without Staying Down There With Him
Booker T. Washington? Henry H. Proctor? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The famous educator and orator Booker T. Washington believed that the disadvantaged in society should be uplifted because a thoughtful program of amelioration would help everyone. During speeches Washington used the metaphor of two individuals fighting in a ditch. If one person wanted to …
Quote Origin: Self-Consciousness Is the Enemy of All Art
Ray Bradbury? Erica Jong? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The science fiction luminary Ray Bradbury relied deeply on his intuitions and his imagination to compose lyrical prose. He believed that creativity was obstructed by over-thinking and intellectualizing. The following two statements have been attributed to him: Are these quotations genuine? Would you please help me …
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Quote Origin: A Reputation Is Like a Death Mask. I Wanted To Smash the Mask
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 …
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Quote Origin: We’d All Like a Reputation for Generosity, and We’d All Like To Buy It Cheap
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 …
Quote Origin: We Cannot Cure the World of Sorrows, But We Can Choose To Live in Joy
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 …