T. S. Eliot? Jayne Ann Krentz? Alan Bennett? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The Nobel laureate T. S. Eliot apparently stated that the establishment of libraries provided compelling evidence that humanity had a future. Would you please help me to find a citation? Reply from Quote Investigator: The renowned poet T. S. Eliot died …
Author Archives: quoteresearch
Quote Origin: You Are Not a Human Being Having a Spiritual Experience. You Are a Spiritual Being Having a Human Experience
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin? Wayne W. Dyer? Stephen R. Covey? Georges Gurdjieff? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Antimetabole is a powerful rhetorical technique in which a phrase is repeated, but key elements are reordered. A popular statement about spirituality uses this strategy: We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings …
Quote Origin: I Know Artists Whose Medium Is Life Itself, and Who Express the Inexpressible Without Brush, Pencil, Chisel, or Guitar
Frederick Franck? Oscar Wilde? Donna J. Stone? J. Stone? Timothy Morrissey? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Artists do not always require implements such as brushes, clay, chisels, hammers, or guitars to create works. Some artists use life itself as a medium. This fascinating notion has been expressed in a family of quotations that I have …
Quote Origin: All the Good Music’s Already Been Written By People With Wigs and Stuff On
Frank Zappa? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Iconoclastic musician and composer Frank Zappa was known for his trenchant cultural commentary. Apparently, he once stated that all the good music had already been created by the composers of an earlier era who stereotypically wore wigs. Would you please help me to find a citation Reply from …
Quote Origin: You Cannot Control the Length of Your Life, But You Can Control Its Width and Depth
Evan Esar? H. L. Mencken? Exchange? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The key to achieving equanimity and contentment in life is accurately assessing what is within your control and what is beyond your control. The following figurative adage is instructive: You can’t do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something …
Quote Origin: Education ‘To Earn a Living’ Will Become an Anachronism
Buckminster Fuller? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: In recent years the discussion of artificial intelligence and robotics replacing human workers has resurfaced. In addition, economic ideas such as universal basic income have been proposed to ameliorate societal dislocations. I am reminded of discourses from the 1960s. The controversial pathbreaking inventor and futurist R. Buckminster Fuller …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Education ‘To Earn a Living’ Will Become an Anachronism”
Quote Origin: I Say Hardly Any of Those Clever Things That Are Attributed To Me
Dorothy Parker? Yogi Berra? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Numerous sharp remarks have been credited incorrectly to the well-known wit Dorothy Parker. She was well aware of these misattributions, and she once commented that many of those clever remarks were not hers. Would you please help me to find a citation for her general disclaimer? …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: I Say Hardly Any of Those Clever Things That Are Attributed To Me”
Quote Origin: In Order To Be Irreplaceable One Must Always Be Different
Coco Chanel? Marcel Haedrich? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A cookie created with a cookie cutter is easily replaceable, and this fact lowers its perceived value. This baking utensil is employed in a metaphorical insult targeting lack of originality, e.g., cookie-cutter clothes and cookie-cutter houses. Understandably, people like to view themselves as irreplaceable. Yet, to …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: In Order To Be Irreplaceable One Must Always Be Different”
Quote Origin: Don’t Pray When It Rains If You Don’t Pray When the Sun Shines
Satchel Paige? Billy Sunday? Hal Boyle? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Prayers are typically offered when a dangerous situation is encountered or when a disturbing event occurs. Yet, prayers of joy and thankfulness are also appropriate when something positive happens. The following metaphorical guidance is pertinent: Don’t pray when it rains if you don’t …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Don’t Pray When It Rains If You Don’t Pray When the Sun Shines”
Quote Origin: You Might Dispense With Half Your Doctors If You Would Only Consult Doctor Sun More
Henry Ward Beecher? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The famous nineteenth-century clergyman, social reformer, and orator Henry Ward Beecher offered some intriguingly modern health advice. He felt that people should “consult Doctor Sun more”. They should frequently enjoy the open air, sunlight, and rain. Would you please help me to find a citation? Reply from …