Tracing Quotations
Herbert A. Simon? Eric Schmidt? Andrej Karpathy? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The capabilities of artificial intelligence systems continue to grow in 2025. Complex computer programs can now be generated from prompts uttered in English, Chinese, and other natural languages. Here are two predictions separated by sixty-five years: (1) It is far more likely that …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: The Programming Occupation Will Become Extinct”
Arthur Kantrowitz? Gerard K. O’Neill? Timothy Leary? Arthur C. Clarke? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Grand futuristic projects such as the following four examples have been greeted with a mixture of hope, excitement, skepticism, and derision: (1) Laser propulsion systems for spacecraft(2) Space-based solar power systems(3) Space habitats with thousands or millions of people(4) Space …
Kansas Cooperative Council? Lance Burr? Betty Hutton? Jim Briggs? John Rankin? Boris Yavitz? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: One encounters numerous obstacles when working toward the completion of an ambitious goal. It is necessary to keep the final objective in mind to make progress. A humorous statement highlights the troubles one must circumvent: When you …
François Truffaut? Sam Mendes? Steven Spielberg? Gene Siskel? Roger Ebert? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The excitement, violence, and brutality of films about war often causes confusion in the minds of movie goers. Even when a director’s avowed stance is anti-war the visceral reaction of viewers might be very different. A prominent director once said something …
Francis Bacon? Samuel Palmer? James Kelly? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Valuable insights into cultures may be obtained by studying popular proverbs. The English philosopher and statesman Francis Bacon has been credited with the following statement: The genius, wit, and spirit of a nation are discovered in its proverbs. I am skeptical of this attribution …
Margaret Atwood? Ingrid Koenig? Naomi Wolf? Gavin de Becker? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Each of us experiences different fears. A popular feminist saying presents divergent dreads: Men are afraid women will laugh at them. Women are afraid men will kill them. This saying has been attributed to prominent Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood, U.S. feminist …
Continue reading “Adage Origin: Men Fear Women Will Laugh at Them; Women Fear Men Will Kill Them”
Edwin Lutyens? Arthur Wimperis? Geoffrey Willans? John Poole? Malcolm Sterling Mackinlay? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A wit at a restaurant was served a plate of cod which looked unappetizing. The rejected fish inspired this memorably hilarious pun: A piece of cod which passeth all understanding. The wordplay was based on a biblical verse: The …
Continue reading “Pun Origin: A Piece of Cod Which Passeth All Understanding”
Mao Zedong? Zhou Enlai? Eduard Shevardnadze? Andre Malraux? Anonymous Official? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A popular anecdote claims that a high-level U.S. politician once met with a Chinese official during the 1970s, and they began to talk about the French Revolution. When the Chinese official was asked about the impact of this momentous historical …
Douglas Adams? Spike Milligan? Terry Pratchett? Charlie Bates? Harry Harrison? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Prominent humorists have been credited with statements from the following family of jokes about collisions. Here are three examples: (1) Falling doesn’t hurt you; it’s the sudden stop at the end.(2) It isn’t the speed that kills people; it’s the …
Continue reading “Quip Origin: It’s Not the Fall That Hurts You; It’s the Sudden Stop at the End”
Mark Twain? Merle Johnson? Albert Bigelow Paine? Question for Quote Investigator: A famous humorist apparently said something like the following about taxation. Here are two versions: (1) “What is the difference between a taxidermist and a tax collector?” “The taxidermist takes only your skin.” (2) The difference between a tax collector and a taxidermist is …