J. Frank Dobie? Susan Riley? Joseph B. Mohr? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Performing scholarly research requires scrutinizing bibliographies carefully, retrieving tomes conscientiously, and examining text closely. Afterwards the researcher must construct a thorough bibliography for their own creative work. A wit crafted the following humorous description of the process: Doctoral research is similar to …
Author Archives: quoteresearch
Quote Origin: All I Want Is a Story. If You Have a Message, Send It by Western Union
Samuel Goldwyn? Humphrey Bogart? Ed Sullivan? Moss Hart? John Ford? Brendan Behan? Harry Warner? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Storytellers often wish to do more than simply entertain. They wish to instruct their audiences via a didactic narrative. Yet, the primary concern of the producers of films and plays is financial success. This tension is …
Quote Origin: The True Friend Walks In When Others Walk Out
Walter Winchell? Robert Hill? C. R. Durrant? William T. Ellis? Milton Berle? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: When you encounter difficulties some nominal friends will walk away from you, but your genuine friends will offer help and support. Here are two versions of an apposite adage: (1) The true friend walks in when others walk …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: The True Friend Walks In When Others Walk Out”
Quote Origin: Beware of His False Knowledge: It Is More Dangerous Than Ignorance
George Bernard Shaw? Alexander Pope? H. W. James? Thomas Henry Huxley? Paul Janet? George Pellew? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Recently I saw a tweet with a quotation attributed to the famous playwright and intellectual George Bernard Shaw: Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. I haven’t been able to find a …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Beware of His False Knowledge: It Is More Dangerous Than Ignorance”
Quote Origin: You Are the First Generation To Face the Possibility of Being the Last Generation
Thomas Clement Douglas? Beto O’Rourke? Jay Inslee? Barack Obama? Mike McGinn? W. R. Barnhart? Lee Loevinger? Billy Graham? Jay D. Hair? Brian Fisher? Question for Quote Investigator: Humanity faces a severe danger according to similar statements from two presidential candidates: (1) We are the first generation to feel the sting of climate change and we …
Quote Origin: You Are My Fifth Favorite Actor. The First Four Are the Marx Brothers
George Bernard Shaw? Winston Churchill? Cedric Hardwicke? Blanche Patch? Leonard Lyons? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: According to a Hollywood legend, a famous intellectual or statesman once praised a prominent actor with a left-handed compliment. Here are two versions: The famous person was supposedly George Bernard Shaw or Winston Churchill. The actor was the English …
Quote Origin: People Are Taking Their Comedians Seriously, and Their Politicians as a Joke
Will Rogers? Ron Chernow? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The U.S. journalist and historian Ron Chernow spoke at the 2019 White House Correspondents’ Association annual dinner. He shared a quip attributed to humorist Will Rogers about the status reversal of comedians and politicians. Would you please help me to find a citation? Reply from Quote …
Quote Origin: The Two Most Engaging Powers of an Author: New Things Are Made Familiar, and Familiar Things Are Made New
Samuel Johnson? William Makepeace Thackeray? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The craft of storytelling is ancient; hence, creating original plots and characters is difficult. On the other hand, experimental tales without connections to the past are discordant. Here is a germane adage about successful creators: The two most engaging powers of an author are to …
Quote Origin: Fashions, After All, Are Only Induced Epidemics
George Bernard Shaw? Gloria Steinem? W.H. Auden? Leo Rosten? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A style, jingle, gif, graffito, saying, or idea that rapidly mutates and propagates through a culture and achieves popularity is called a “meme” nowadays. The coinage of “meme” was based on “gene”, but a different biological metaphor was employed in the …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Fashions, After All, Are Only Induced Epidemics”
Quote Origin: For There Is Nothing As Stupid As an Educated Man If You Get Off the Thing That He Was Educated In
Will Rogers? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Achieving extensive knowledge and expertise in one domain can be quite valuable, but it does not automatically allow one to pontificate intelligently in a different domain. The intellectual mastery attained by some experts is quite narrow. Here is a germane remark: There is nothing so stupid as an …