Tracing Quotations
John Waters? Austin Kleon? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Building a library is an enjoyable lifelong pursuit. Intellectually engaged people are often bibliomaniacs. Yet, many acquired volumes are never read. This behavior has been condemned and praised in two radically different statements that differ by a single word: (1) Nothing is more impotent than an unread …
Continue reading “Nothing Is More Impotent Than an Unread Library”
Charlie Chaplin? Nigel Bruce? Claire Bloom? Austin Kleon? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Before performing a new show or displaying a novel artwork it is natural to feel fear. Perhaps the audience will condemn you as an amateur. A famous comic actor crafted a brilliant remark about amateurism. It went something like this: Everyone is an …
Continue reading “That’s All Any of Us Are: Amateurs. We Don’t Live Long Enough To Be Anything Else”