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 …
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Anecdote Origin: I Hope Your Honor Will Have Mercy on a Poor Orphan
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 …
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Quote Origin: The Young Man Knows the Rules, But the Old Man Knows the Exceptions
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 …
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Proverb Origin: If You Don’t Know Where You Are Going, Any Road Will Take You There
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 …
Quote Origin: If Your Idea Is Original, You Will Have to Ram It Down People’s Throats
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 …
Proverb Origin: If You’re Not Sure Where You’re Going, You’re Liable to End Up Someplace Else
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 …
Quote Origin: The Individual Has Always Had to Struggle to Keep from Being Overwhelmed by the Tribe
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 …
Quote Origin: Everything Beeps Now
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 …
Phrase Origin: A Solution in Search of a Problem
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 …
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Dialogue Origin: “I Got Me a Dream” “Eat Your Eggs”
Lorraine Hansberry? Stephen King? Helene Keyssar? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: I am trying to find the source of the following dialogue. The setting was a breakfast table. One person enthusiastically described a grand plan and said, “I have a dream” or “I want to fly”. The other person attenuated the emotional intensity by simply …
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