Tracing Quotations
Oscar Wilde? Titus Lucretius Carus? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: One person may enjoy a food or activity that another person finds repellent. A well-known adage expresses this notion: One man’s meat is another man’s poison. The following funny variant has been attributed to the famous wit Oscar Wilde: One man’s poetry is another man’s …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: One Man’s Poetry Is Another Man’s Poison”
James Matthew Barrie? Oscar Wilde? Benjamin Disraeli? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Young people often reject the teachings of their elders. They believe that their understanding is superior. An older individual constructed the following ironic barb: I am not young enough to know everything. This statement has often been attributed to the famous Irish wit …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: I’m Not Young Enough To Know Everything”
Oscar Wilde? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Oscar Wilde once constructed an epigram about human knowledge and the three stages of life. I recall Wilde’s remarks about two of the stages. The arrogant young know everything, and the credulous old believe anything. Would you please help me to find this epigram? Reply from Quote Investigator: …
Oscar Wilde? Francis Douglas? 11th Marquess of Queensberry? Percy Colson? Mark Twain? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The Book of Genesis describes the creation of the world and the formation of Adam and Eve. The actions of this couple in the Garden of Eden quickly revealed behavioral defects. A sardonic commentator has suggested that God …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: God In Creating Man, Somewhat Overestimated His Ability”
Oscar Wilde? G. K. Chesterson? Richard G. Moulton? Coulson Kernahan? William Thomas Stead? Richard Le Gallienne? C. Ranger Gull? Leonard Cresswell Ingleby? Guy Thorne? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The contemplation of a seemingly self-contradictory statement can help to illuminate a larger truth. This notion may be expressed with figurative language: Paradox is merely truth …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Paradox Is Truth Standing On Its Head To Attract Attention”
Oscar Wilde? Jacques Joseph Duguet? Claude Joseph Dorat? Henry Ward Beecher? Gaspard Dughet? H. Jackson Brown? John Burroughs? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Hoping and dreaming are not enough; taking action is crucial. Here are two pertinent statements: Would you please examine this family of sayings? Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest match located by …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: The Smallest Good Deed Is Better Than the Grandest Good Intention”
Dorothy Parker? Oscar Wilde? Mike Porter? Arch Ward? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Composing poetry is rarely a lucrative occupation. A traditional moralistic adage has been transformed into a comical warning for versifiers: This word play has been credited to the prominent wit Dorothy Parker who published multiple collections of poetry. Would you please explore …
George M. Cohan? P. T. Barnum? Mae West? Elinor Glyn? Babe Ruth? Damon Runyon? James J. Johnston? Charley Murphy? Max Schmeling? Walter Winchell? Oscar Wilde? Samuel Johnson? Ed Sullivan? Dear Quote Investigator: A person once planned to write an article or book containing derogatory material about a celebrity. The unruffled response of the celebrity to …
Continue reading “Say Anything You Like About Me, But Spell My Name Right”
Mrs. Patrick Campbell? Beatrice Stella Tanner? Helen Maud Tree? Oscar Wilde? Linkum Fidelius? Washington Irving? Alice Roosevelt Longworth? Eric Erskine Wood? Mrs. Claude Beddington? Frances Ethel Beddington? John Moore? King Edward VII? Ronald Reagan? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Enforcing societal norms and taboos is an important activity for some people. Others hesitate to proscribe conduct. …
Oscar Wilde? George Bernard Shaw? Oliver Onions? Anonymous? Quote Investigator: The psychology of human desire is paradoxical. The failure to achieve a goal can lead to unhappiness and ever despair. Yet, attaining an objective can produce an aftermath of uncertainty and lassitude. The following adage is humorous and poignant: There are two tragedies in life—not …