Edgar Allan Poe? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A hyperbolic statement about poetry has been credited to the major literary figure Edgar Allan Poe: If a poem hasn’t ripped apart your soul, you haven’t experienced poetry. Could this possibly be a genuine remark from Poe? Reply from Quote Investigator: QI has found no substantive evidence …
Category Archives: Edgar Allan Poe
Quote Origin: The Lunatics Have Taken Charge of the Asylum
Edgar Allan Poe? Richard Rowland? Terry Ramsaye? Laurence Stallings? H. L. Mencken? William Gibbs McAdoo? Jack Oakie? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The leaders of a group often face a variety of criticisms. Harsh detractors employ a vivid metaphor from the domain of mental health. Here are two examples: This barb has often been aimed …
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Quote Origin: The Enormous Multiplication of Books in Every Branch of Knowledge is One of the Greatest Evils of This Age
Edgar Allan Poe? Alfred Smee? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The number of new books has increased vertiginously in recent years, but even in the nineteenth century critics lamented an oversupply. Did the major literary figure Edgar Allan Poe complain that the proliferation of books was “one of the greatest evils” of his age? Reply …
Quote Origin: Believe Nothing You Hear, and Only One Half That You See
Edgar Allan Poe? Samuel Johnson? William Johnson Neale? Dinah Craik? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The following hyperbolic proverb encouraging skepticism has been credited to the master of mystery and the macabre Edgar Allan Poe: Believe half of what you see and nothing of what you hear. Did Poe craft this saying? Reply from Quote …
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Quote Origin: All Religion, My Friend, Is Simply Evolved Out of Chicanery, Fear, Greed, Imagination and Poetry
Edgar Allan Poe? William Barton? John A. Joyce? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The following remark has been ascribed to the master of mystery and the macabre Edgar Allan Poe Religion evolved out of fraud, fear, and greed. Is this quotation accurate? Reply from Quote Investigator: A controversial remark of this type was included in …
Quote Origin: It’s Easy Enough, My Friend, to Dream of Utopian Worlds Afar…
Edgar Allan Poe? Ted Olson? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: There is a verse stating that only one person out of one-hundred is actively working toward making bold dreams come true. This notion has been ascribed to the horror master Edgar Allan Poe. Are you familiar with this verse? Would you please examine this topic? …
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I Do Not Believe in Ghosts, But I Am Awfully Afraid of Them
Edgar Allan Poe? Germaine de Staël? Bert Leston Taylor? Charles A. Dana? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: There is a family of quips that express a comically contradictory attitude toward specters. Here are three instances: I do not believe in ghosts, but I am awfully afraid of them. I don’t believe in ghosts, but I’ve …
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Quote Origin: I Don’t Suffer from Insanity; I Enjoy Every Minute of It!
Edgar Allan Poe? Edward Hastings Ford? Lloyd Biggle Jr.? Pat Williams? Joss Whedon? Bumper Sticker? T-Shirt Slogan? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The following statement has been attributed to Edgar Allan Poe, the influential writer of detective fiction and the macabre: I don’t suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it! Poe died in …
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Quote Origin: Sometimes I’m Terrified of My Heart, of Its Constant Hunger for Whatever It Is It Wants
Edgar Allan Poe? Poe? Anne D. Danielewski? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Edgar Allan Poe authored groundbreaking tales in three different genres: horror, mystery, and science fiction. Numerous websites attribute the following emotion-laden passage to the literary master: Sometimes I’m terrified of my heart; of its constant hunger for whatever it is it wants; the …
Quote Origin: A Short Story Must Have a Single Mood and Every Sentence Must Build Towards It
Edgar Allan Poe? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: On a popular website I saw an intriguing list of “Indispensable Writing Tips from Famous Authors”. The following words were attributed to Edgar Allan Poe, the master of mystery and the macabre: A short story must have a single mood and every sentence must build towards it. …