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 …
Author Archives: quoteresearch
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 …
Quote Origin: Old Age Sure Ain’t for Sissies
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 …
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Quote Origin: Serious-Minded People Have Few Ideas. People With Many Ideas Are Never Serious
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 …
Quote Origin: Taking Things with Gratitude, and Not Taking Things for Granted
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 …
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Quote Origin: People Soon Get Tired of Staring at a Plywood Box Every Night
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: …
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Quote Origin: Courage Is Resistance To Fear, Mastery of Fear—Not Absence of Fear
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 …
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