Tracing Quotations
James Watson? Holly Hunter? James L. Brooks? Steven R. Craig? Michael Dell? Ed Burns? Orlando Taylor? Selena Gomez? Taylor Swift? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The molecular biologist James Watson earned a Nobel Prize as a member of the team that elucidated the helical structure of DNA. He did not claim to be uniquely brilliant; instead, …
Continue reading “Never Be the Brightest Person in the Room; Then You Can’t Learn Anything”
Mark Twain? Biblical Proverb? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Conflict on social media is now endemic, but it is not really new. Acrimonious exchanges between participants during the primeval days of online forums were known as “flame wars”. Famed humorist Mark Twain has received credit for a germane cautionary remark: Never argue with a …
John Lennon? Roland Orzabal? Nicky Holland? Tears for Fears? Dear Quote Investigator: The famous songwriter and musician John Lennon has received credit for the following lines: Love is a promise Love is a souvenir Once given Never forgotten, never let it disappear My mother who is very knowledgeable about the Beatles says that these are …
William Ralph Inge? Fulton J. Sheen? Leonard Cohen? Charles Haddon Spurgeon? E. Luccock? Joseph R. Sizoo? Dear Quote Investigator: Any organization that aspires to multi-generational longevity must not become enmeshed in evanescent enthusiasms and fashions. Long-term steadiness and perspective are required. Here are two pertinent sayings: If you marry the spirit of your age, you …
Continue reading “If You Marry the Spirit of Your Own Generation You Will Be a Widow in the Next”
Wilson Mizner? Samuel Thomas Hauser? Edward O. Wolcott? Silver Dick? Anonymous? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: A self-satisfied gambler once approached a poker table and asked to join the game. The dealer shook his head while saying, “This game is probably too big for you”. The irritated gambler placed ten large denomination bills on the table. …
Fanny Brice? Alice Roosevelt Longworth? Beatrice Lillie? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Giving birth to a child is an intense physical ordeal. A witty woman employed the following simile: Having a baby is like trying to push a grand piano through a transom. This remark has been attributed to the prominent Washington socialite Alice Roosevelt Longworth …
Continue reading “Giving Birth Is Like Pushing a Piano Through a Transom”
Quotation Said By: David Lloyd George? Douglas Haig? Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook? Susan Riley? Alan Walters? Barb Aimed At: Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby? John Turner? John Major? Question for Quote Investigator: The opinions and responses of some people are easily swayed by domineering individuals with emphatic goals. Suggestable people may shift viewpoints …
George Orwell? Jan Kalina? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: A joke which ridicules an oppressive institution can help to undermine it. George Orwell once wrote about the subversive capabilities of humor and stated that a trenchant quip was analogous to a “tiny revolution”. Would you please help me to find a citation? Quote Investigator: In 1945 …
Francis Bacon? Bernard Baruch? Mary Gordon? Nina Wilcox? Walter A. Clark? John W. Carswell? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: One witty and vibrant individual who maintained a youthful outlook throughout a long life uttered a statement in the following family: Old age is always 15 years older than I am. Old age is always ten years …
Continue reading “Old Age Is Always Fifteen Years Older Than I Am”
James Baldwin? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: According to the prominent author and social critic James Baldwin the craft of writing depends fundamentally on channeling experience. He employed the metaphorical phrase “the last drop, sweet or bitter”. Would you please help me to find a citation for his statement? Quote Investigator: In 1955 James Baldwin published …
Continue reading “One Writes Out of One Thing Only—One’s Own Experience”