Tracing Quotations
Thomas Edison? Julia Marlowe? Samuel Smiles? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A famous entrepreneur once spoke about the ingredients needed for success. Here are two versions: (1) I tell you genius is hard work, stick-to-it-iveness, and common sense. (2) The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Genius Is Hard Work, Stick-To-It-Iveness, and Common Sense”
Ernest Hemingway? Leicester Hemingway? Elizabeth Hamilton? Lois L. Vine? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The following statement appeared as a crossword puzzle clue in “The New York Times”: Human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a ___ does not. This statement was attributed to Ernest Hemingway, and the missing word …
Artemus Ward? Charles Farrar Browne? Leo Rosten? Punch Magazine? Malakoff? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A grotesque comical tale illustrates the notion of chutzpah. A young person was found guilty of murdering his father and mother. The judge asked, “Have you anything to say before I pass sentence?” The defendant replied, “I hope your Honor …
Continue reading “Anecdote Origin: I Hope Your Honor Will Have Mercy on a Poor Orphan”
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.? Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.? Clinton Cushing? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Young people emerging from rigorous training are familiar with the rules of their professions, but it takes time and practical experience to recognize and adapt to the exceptions to these rules. A sage once said the following: The young man …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: The Young Man Knows the Rules, But the Old Man Knows the Exceptions”
Lewis Carroll? Cheshire Cat? Caterpillar? Harry S. Albert? R. Elizabeth Jones? Manmatha Nath Chatterjee? Henry Miller? Theodore Levitt? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Choosing goals in life is difficult but essential. The following absurdist proverb is pertinent: If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there. This statement has been credited …
Howard H. Aiken? Kenneth E. Iverson? Gregory W. Welch? Robert Slater? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A cynical comment about innovation states that it is not necessary to fear the theft of your ideas because people obstinately resist imaginative ideas. If your idea is original, you will have to ram it down people’s throats. This …
Yogi Berra? Abigail Van Buren? Joe Garagiola? Laurence J. Peter? Robert F. Mager? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Selecting goals and targets is helpful. A collection of humorous sayings highlights the disadvantages of aimlessness. Here are three examples: (1) If you don’t know where you are going you will never arrive. (2) If you don’t …
Rudyard Kipling? Friedrich Nietzsche? Arthur Gordon? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The peer group exerts enormous pressure on the individual. Achieving and maintaining an independent viewpoint is arduous. An influential thinker stated the following: The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. The thinker believed that pursuing a …
George Carlin? Jeremy Clarkson? Carol Mueller? Larry Tobin? Bill Hall? Cheryl Saban? Ben Rubin? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Electronic devices beep when reporting notifications. Trucks beep when they are backing up. Microwave ovens beep when food is ready. A wit commented on our modern soundscape. Here are three versions: (1) Everything beeps now.(2) Now …
Author: Jerrold R. Zacharias? Abigail Johnson? S. Paul Johnson? Theodore Maiman? Anonymous? Technology: Laser? Nuclear Energy? Electronic Computer? Meteorological Satellite? Artificial Intelligence? Bitcoin? Blockchain? Question for Quote Investigator: When the first laser was built it received high praise, but the applications of the invention were unclear. A clever phrase described the situation. Here are two …
Continue reading “Phrase Origin: A Solution in Search of a Problem”