John Updike? Henry Bech? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: People who love living in New York City often believe it is the epicenter of the world. Here are two versions of a statement displaying this attitude: (1) The true New Yorker secretly believes that people living anywhere else have to be, in some sense, kidding. …
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Quote Origin: I’d Much Rather Eat Pasta and Drink Wine Than Be a Size Zero
Sophia Loren? Sophia Bush? Sofia Scicolone? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A person in the public eye was asked about dieting to remain svelte, and the fun-loving reply highlighted the importance of taking pleasure in life: I’d much rather eat pasta and drink wine than be a size zero. This statement has been attributed to …
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Quote Origin: Revenge Is a Dish Best Eaten Cold
Eugène Sue? Klemens von Metternich? Charles de Talleyrand? Otto von Bismarck? Susannah Frances Reynolds? Roman Proverb? Klingon Proverb? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Individuals who seek revenge often find that careful planning and the elapse of time are required to obtain justice. The following proverb is popular with those who pursue vengeance. Here are four …
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Quote Origin: Nine-Tenths of Painting Will Be Extinguished by the Competition of Photographs
George Bernard Shaw? Henrietta Clopath? Sidney Trefusis? Charles Baudelaire? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems are now capable of rapidly constructing images, videos, 3d-objects, and text. The current output displays flaws, but the quality and variety continues to improve. Artists are experiencing a volatile mixture of wonder, anticipation, uncertainty, fear, …
Quote Origin: Edison Has Invented Too Many Things
New York Times? Anonymous? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: After Thomas Edison invented the phonograph many praised the device. However, a major newspaper apparently reacted with the following odd remark: Mr. Edison has invented too many things. This statement has been attributed to “The New York Times”. Is this quotation accurate? Did it ever appear …
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Quote Origin: The Tree Remembers What the Axe Forgets
Shona Proverb? G. Fortune? Maya Angelou? Wolfgang Mieder? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A faultfinder may deliver a harsh criticism and quickly forget it. Yet, the recipient of the barb may create a painful memory. Similarly, a person who causes an injury may forget the incident, but the person who is hurt will likely remember …
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Quote Origin: You Will Find the Key To Success Under Your Alarm Clock
Benjamin Franklin? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Achieving success in life requires simple skills such as showing up for work on time. The following saying is pertinent: You will find the key to success under the alarm clock. This statement has been attributed to U.S. statesman Benjamin Franklin. However, I am skeptical because I …
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Quote Origin: There Is No Point in Using Exact Methods Where There Is No Clarity in the Concepts and Issues To Which They Are To Be Applied
John von Neumann? Oskar Morgenstern? W. Edwards Deming? Michael A. Jackson? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The brilliant polymath John von Neumann performed pioneering research in game theory, computer science, quantum physics, and other areas. His work was so original that he required the formulation of important new definitions. The following two similar remarks have …
Quote Origin: The Trees Voted for the Axe Because the Axe Handle Was Made of Wood
Talmudic Proverb? Turkish Proverb? Kimberly Joyce Pollock? Wafula Chebukati? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A popular allegory suggests that people are unable to distinguish between allies and adversaries: The forest was shrinking, but the trees kept voting for the axe. The axe was clever and convinced the trees that since his handle was made of …
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Quote Origin: To Stand Up For the Truth Is Nothing! For Truth You Have To Sit In Jail!
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn? Anatoly Ilyich Fastenko? Alexander Pushkin? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A political activist once indicated that standing up for the truth was nothing, whereas sitting in jail for the truth reflected genuine commitment. I do not recall the precise phrasing. This notion has been attributed to Soviet dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, but I have …