Tracing Quotations
Arthur Brisbane? Confucius? Kathleen Caffyn? Frederick R. Barnard? Robert Maguire? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A famous adage highlights the value of illustrations and photographs. Here are four versions: (1) A picture is worth ten thousand words(2) A picture is worth a thousand words.(3) One picture is worth a ten thousand words.(4) One picture is …
Continue reading “Maxim Origin: A Picture Is Worth Ten Thousand Words”
Katharine Whitehorn? Confucius? Elbert Hubbard? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A generation of social media stars began by sharing their passions, e.g., playing video games, applying makeup, preparing meals, or animating short tales. Lucrative careers became possible with support from advertisers, patrons, and merchandise deals. Vocational advice from decades ago is especially pertinent today: Find …
Confucius? Japanese Proverb? Chinese Proverb? William Elliot Griffis? Jeff Bezos? Question for Quote Investigator: Seeking vengeance can backfire on an individual and lead to additional pain and suffering. The founding CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, referenced a powerful cautionary proverb about revenge during an interview in 2016 although he expressed uncertainty about its origin: It’s …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: If You Seek Revenge You Should Dig Two Graves”
Benjamin Franklin? Confucius? Xunzi? Hsüntze? Native American Saying? Shuo Yuan? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The following tripartite expression encapsulates an influential approach to education: Tell me and I forget,teach me and I remember,involve me and I learn. The U.S. statesman Benjamin Franklin and the Chinese philosopher Confucius have both received credit for these words. …
Eleanor Roosevelt? Confucius? Chinese Proverb? William L. Watkinson? E. Pomeroy Cutler? James Keller? Oliver Wendell Holmes? Adlai Stevenson? John F. Kennedy? Charles Schulz? William Appleton Lawrence? Question for Quote Investigator: I love the emphasis on constructive action in the following saying: It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. These words …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Better to Light a Candle Than to Curse the Darkness”
Joyce Kilmer? Ogden Nash? Confucious? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: April is National Poetry Month in the U. S., and Arbor Day also occurs in this month. A famous poem by Joyce Kilmer begins with the following couplet: I think that I shall never see A poem lovely as a tree. A comical riff on …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: I Think that I Shall Never See a Billboard Lovely as a Tree”
George Bernard Shaw? Puck? Saxby’s Magazine? Elbert Hubbard? Confucius? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The following adage is the perfect antidote to excessive negativity and obstructionism: People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it. These words are often attributed to Asian sage Confucius and to the acclaimed playwright …
Confucius? Arthur Szathmary? An Old-Timer? Janet Lambert-Moore? Harvey Mackay? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: I assist students in the selection of accurate and properly credited quotations for the school yearbook. One student would like to use a popular adage about career choice: Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a …
Confucius? Nelson Mandela? Vince Lombardi? Oliver Goldsmith? Ralph Waldo Emerson? Christian Nestell Bovee? Question for Quote Investigator: The following adage about motivation and perseverance has been attributed to an oddly eclectic group: Chinese philosopher Confucius, football coach Vince Lombardi, activist politician Nelson Mandela, Irish author Oliver Goldsmith, and transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson. Here are four …