John Updike? William W. West? Donald M. Murray? Catherine Ann Jones? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: An accomplished writer must constantly grapple with the difficulties of expressing events and ideas cogently with polish and precision. A famous prose stylist once illuminated the purpose of rewriting. Here are three versions: (1) Writing and rewriting are a …
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Quote Origin: You Could Compile the Worst Book in the World Entirely Out of Selecting Passages from the Best Writers in the World
G. K. Chesterton? Charles Poore? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Even the best writers occasionally pen passages of execrable prose. Apparently, a prominent author once made the following observation: You could compile the worst book in the world entirely out of selected passages from the best writers in the world. Would you please help me …
Quote Origin: The Ideals Which Have Always Shone Before Me and Filled Me With the Joy of Living Are Goodness, Beauty, and Truth
Albert Einstein? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Albert Einstein once spoke about his ideals which apparently included goodness, beauty, and truth. Would you please help me to find a citation? Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1930 the journal “Forum and Century” published a philosophical article by Albert Einstein titled “What I Believe”. Boldface added to …
Quote Origin: The Past Is History. The Future Is a Mystery. Today Is a Gift. That’s Why It’s Called the Present
Eleanor Roosevelt? Barbara De Angelis? Joan Rivers? Bill Keane? Emily Dickinson? Liz Curtis Higgs? Babatunde Olatunji? Susan Barkdoll? Nicholas L. Santowassa? Abigail Van Buren? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A rhyming series of statements highlight the uncertainty of the future and the desirability of appreciating the present. Here are two versions: (1) The past is …
Quote Origin: I Told the Doctor I Was Overtired, . . . Constantly Depressed With Recurring Fits of Paranoia. Turns Out I’m Normal
Jules Feiffer? Leonard Roy Frank? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Many years ago I encountered a comic strip presenting a humorous commentary about the modern condition. In a series of panels a person complained to a doctor about feeling overtired, anxious, depressed, and paranoid. The doctor simply replied that the person was perfectly normal. I …
Quote Origin: The Greatest Mistake You Can Make In Life Is To Be Continually Fearing You Will Make One
Elbert Hubbard? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Anxiety about making a mistake can cause inaction and paralysis. Moving forward inevitably leads to some errors and imperfections. Yet it is necessary to make choices, take action, and fix the accompanying mistakes. Here is a pertinent adage: The greatest mistake is continually fearing you will make one. …
Quote Origin: The Essence of True Horror — the Clown, at Midnight
Robert Bloch? Lon Chaney? Stephen King? Ray Bradbury? Carlos Clarens? Eleanor Ringel? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A clown is usually a figure of humor or pathos, but a clown can also be frightening. If one appeared on your doorstep late at night it would be deeply unsettling. The following saying has been attributed to …
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Quote Origin: Habit Is Habit, and Not To Be Flung Out of the Window By Any Man, But Coaxed Down Stairs a Step at a Time
Mark Twain? Mabel Thatcher Wellman? Ellen H. Richards? John Harvey Kellogg? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Longstanding habits are difficult to break. This notion has been expressed metaphorically as follows: A habit cannot be tossed out the window; it must be coaxed down the stairs a step at a time. This statement has been attributed …
Marriage: One Partner Can’t Sleep With the Window Shut and the Other Partner Can’t Sleep With the Window Open
George Bernard Shaw? Ogden Nash? Viva Begbie? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: I once heard the following humorous definition: Marriage — An alliance between two people: One can’t sleep with the window shut; the other can’t sleep with the window open. This definition has been attributed to the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw and the U.S. …
There Is a Hopeful Symbolism in the Fact That Flags Will Not Wave in a Vacuum
Arthur C. Clarke? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: A famous science fiction (SF) author was fearful that nationalistic and jingoistic impulses were driving conflict on Earth and endangering the future of humankind. The author hoped that space exploration would redirect and lessen those passions. A flag flapping in the breeze is a traditional signifier of allegiance, …
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