Tracing Quotations
Gladys Parker? Don Marquis? Walter Winchell? Uncle Ezra? Phyllis Diller? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A collection of Christmas season quips employ wordplay based on “past” and “present”. Here are two examples: What I like about Christmas is that you can make people forget the past with a present. At Christmas time youngsters want the …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: During Christmas People Will Forget the Past With a Present”
Don Marquis? Christopher Morley? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Crafting a bright witticism or a clever aphorism is a difficult task especially for a writer who is facing a tight deadline. One strategy is described as follows: Stroke a platitude until it purrs like an epigram. This remark has been ascribed to Don Marquis who …
Don Marquis? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: One strategy for attacking an idea is to exhibit a repugnant individual who supports the idea. This method can influence the opinions of those who are susceptible to psychological manipulation, but it is logically flawed. Here is a pertinent adage: An idea isn’t responsible for the people who …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: An Idea Isn’t Responsible for the People Who Believe In It”
Don Marquis? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Recently, a wealthy acquaintance told me that hard work was their key to becoming rich. I asked, “Whose?” Would you please explore the provenance of this riposte? Reply from Quote Investigator: Don Marquis was a popular columnist and storyteller. In 1921 he published a column called “The Weather …
Don Marquis? Christopher Morley? Roscoe B. Ellard? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: People readily accept thoughtful opinions that are close to their own, but they become unhappy when sharply different viewpoints are expressed forcefully. Here is a germane remark: If you make people think they’re thinking, they’ll love you. If you really make them think …