Upton Sinclair? W. E. B. Du Bois? George Orwell? George Bernard Shaw? Ann Petry? Morris Edmund Speare? Richard Hunt? Ludwig Lewisohn? Edmund Wilson? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Advocates often extoll their visions with strong-willed certainty. Insistent artists are accused of preaching and propagandizing. Yet, this criticism is sometimes provocatively embraced. Here are three assertions: …
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Quote Origin: If Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade
Elbert Hubbard? Dale Carnegie? Julius Rosenwald? Robert M. Hutchins? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: In the early 1900s the slang expression “handed a lemon” emerged. It referred to experiencing a setback or failure. The term “lemon” meant something which was bad, undesirable, or sub-standard. A humorous expression evolved as a counterpoint. Here are two versions: …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: If Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade”
Quote Origin: Basically Dogs Think Humans Are Nuts
John Steinbeck? Charley? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A U.S. novelist who won a Nobel Prize in Literature apparently once said that “dogs think humans are nuts”, and occasionally dogs display a look of “amazed contempt”. These thoughts have been attributed to John Steinbeck. Would you please help me to find a citation? Reply from …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Basically Dogs Think Humans Are Nuts”
Quote Origin: There Is No Bad Weather, Only Inappropriate Clothing
Elisabeth Woodbridge? Charlotte V. Gulick? Ranulph Fiennes? Alfred Wainwright? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: With the proper clothing a person is capable of adapting to almost any type of weather. Here is an adage reflecting this attitude: There is no bad weather, only bad clothing. Would you please explore the provenance of this saying? Reply …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: There Is No Bad Weather, Only Inappropriate Clothing”
Quote Origin: No Such Thing As Bad Weather, But Only Different Kinds of Pleasant Weather
John Ruskin? Ettrick Shepherd? Christopher North? John Wilson? Elisabeth Woodbridge? George Gissing? John Lubbock? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Cold, wet, and windy weather is often considered unsatisfactory, but several thinkers contend that there is no such thing as bad weather. All weather is pleasant when examined from the appropriate perspective. Precipitation and fluctuating temperatures …
Quote Origin: Time Is the Coin of Your Life. It Is the Only Coin You Have
Carl Sandburg? Ralph McGill? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: It is too easy to waste time on frivolous, foolish, or self-destructive pursuits. Apparently, a prominent literary figure once equated time to a valuable coin which each person must spend wisely. Would you please help me find the correct phrasing and a citation? Reply from Quote …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Time Is the Coin of Your Life. It Is the Only Coin You Have”
Quote Origin: Definition of a Classic—Something That Everybody Wants To Have Read and Nobody Wants To Read
Mark Twain? Caleb Thomas Winchester? Frank Norris? Otto F. Ege? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Classic works of literature are sometimes difficult or tedious to read. Apparently, a humorist once said something like the following: (1) Definition of a classic—something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read. (2) A classic is …
Quote Origin: One of the Great Mistakes Is to Judge Policies and Programs by Their Intentions Rather Than Their Results
Milton Friedman? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Economic policies are typically promulgated and enacted with high purposes and goals, yet sometimes the results are inadvertently deleterious. A prominent economist once said: One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results. These words have been credited to …
Quote Origin: Social Media Gives the Right To Speak To Legions of Imbeciles Who Previously Only Spoke in Bars After Drinking
Umberto Eco? Dery Dyer? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A prominent intellectual once denounced social media because it amplified the voices of imbeciles who in the past only propounded their opinions at local bars after drinking. This notion has been attributed to the Italian semiotician and novelist Umberto Eco who wrote “Il Nome Della Rosa” …
Quote Origin: There Are Years That Ask Questions and Years That Answer
Zora Neale Hurston? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A new year brings uncertainties and choices. The uncertainties will be resolved in a future year. A prominent literary figure once wrote: There are years that ask questions and years that answer. This statement has been attributed to U.S. writer Zora Neale Hurston. Would you please help …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: There Are Years That Ask Questions and Years That Answer”