Joseph Campbell? Diane K. Osbon? Kurt Vonnegut? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: When I watch the news I see endless reports signaling that the world is a mess. Efforts to mend the world are necessary and laudable; however, I am reminded of the advice given by mythology scholar Joseph Campbell. The world has always been …
Category Archives: Kurt Vonnegut
Quote Origin: Kurt Vonnegut Is a Laughing Prophet of Doom
Kurt Vonnegut? Larry L. King? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The quotations and misquotations discussed on this website have typically been attributed to famous people. My inquiry is different. I would like you to explore a ubiquitous quotation describing a famous person. The prominent satirist and science fiction author Kurt Vonnegut has been called a …
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Quote Origin: How Many People Here Tonight Are Telekinetic? Raise My Hand
Steven Wright? Kurt Vonnegut? Emo Philips? Rich Siegel? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A speaker will typically ask audience members to raise their hands to signal an affirmative answer to a question. A humorist constructed a funny remark based on a transformation of this scenario: If you believe in psychokinetic powers, please raise my hand. …
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Quote Origin: This World Is the Lunatic Asylum of the Universe
Mark Twain? Thomas Jefferson? Voltaire? Edward Young? George Bernard Shaw? Laird MacKenzie? Elsie McCormick? Bertrand Russell? Kurt Vonnegut? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Several thinkers have offered an anguished explanation for the dangerously disordered state of the world. Here are four versions: This notion has been credited to Mark Twain, Voltaire, Thomas Jefferson, George …
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Quote Origin: Do One Thing Every Day That Scares You
Mary Schmich? Eleanor Roosevelt? Kurt Vonnegut? Baz Luhrmann? Ralph Waldo Emerson? Jane Addams? Mark Toby? Question for Quote Investigator: To achieve personal growth it is sometimes necessary to move outside of a comfort zone. Unjustified fears can constrain exploration and positive development. Here is a saying I find valuable: Do one thing every day that …
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Quote Origin: Jump Off the Cliff and Build Your Wings on the Way Down
Ray Bradbury? Franco Mancassola? Kurt Vonnegut? Annie Dillard? Anonymous? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The influential publisher Tim O’Reilly recently tweeted a great quotation about entrepreneurship that was used in a commencement address given by DJ Patil, a Data Scientist at a venture capital company. Here is an excerpt from the speech given at the …
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Quote Origin: I Can Think of No More Stirring Symbol of Man’s Humanity to Man than a Fire Engine
Kurt Vonnegut? Winston Niles Rumfoord? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A good friend of mine is a volunteer firefighter, and he asked me about a quote credited to Kurt Vonnegut: I can think of no more stirring symbol of man’s humanity to man than a fire engine This statement can be found on many websites …