Edward Hulse? Leewin B. Williams? Viola Brothers Shore? Arthur Godfrey? Walter Winchell? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The feeling of humility is paradoxical. The instant you become self-aware and proud of your humility, it disappears. This thought has been stated as follows: Humility is a strange thing. The moment you think you’ve got it, you’ve …
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Review Origin: “I Am a Camera” “No Leica”
Walter Kerr? Jean Kerr? Caroline A. Lejeune? Dorothy Parker? Walter Winchell? Goodman Ace? Clare Boothe Luce? Alexander Woollcott? Kenneth Tynan? Question for Quote Investigator: A famous one-line theater review employed a horrible pun. Many people have been credited with this pun, but I have never seen any solid evidence. The target of the review was …
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Adage Origin: Assumption Is the Mother of All Foul-Ups
Glenn Curtiss? Angelo Donghia? Stephen Robbins? Eugene Lewis Fordsworthe? Caroline Leaf Carol? Bill Gatter? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Relying on false assumptions leads to serious blunders. Here are two versions of a pertinent adage: (1) Assumption is the mother of all mistakes.(2) Assumption is the mother of all screw-ups. This saying has been attributed …
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Quote Origin: The World Is a Book, and Those Who Do Not Travel Read Only One Page
St. Augustine of Hippo? Louis-Charles Fougeret de Monbron? Lord Byron? St. Austin? Stendhal? Richard Lassels? Question for Quote Investigator: The following popular saying about travel praises the knowledge gained from visiting multiple locations: The world is a book, and those who don’t travel read only one page. This statement is usually attributed to St. Augustine …
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Quote Origin: Travel Is Fatal To Prejudice, Bigotry and Narrow-Mindedness
Mark Twain? John W. Casto? Maturin M. Ballou? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Mark Twain traveled widely, and he wrote about his experiences in the books “The Innocents Abroad” and “Following the Equator”. Twain believed that travel broadened the mind and reduced prejudices. Would you please help me to find a quotation in which he …
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Adage Origin: The Only Good Author Is a Dead Author
Patrick O’Connor? Stella Adler? Edward Fuller? Elizabeth Hodgson? Irving Babbitt? Margaret Harford? Jed Harris? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Living authors are often viewed with a mixture of suspicion and aggravation. Here are three versions of a pertinent adage: (1) The only good author is a dead author.(2) All good authors are dead authors.(3) The …
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Quip Origin: Chaucer Is Dead, Spencer Is Dead, So Is Milton, So Is Shakespeare, and I Am Not Feeling Very Well Myself
Mark Twain? Punch magazine? James T. Fields? William P. Clyde? Walt Mason? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Apparently, an effusive admirer of Mark Twain once proclaimed that the famous humorist deserved membership in the pantheon of major writers. Twain’s comical response highlighted his mortality: I was sorry to have my name mentioned as one of …
Quote Origin: The Real Question Is Not Whether Machines Think But Whether People Do
B. F. Skinner? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A famous psychologist once contemplated the question of machine intelligence and presented a provocative counter question: The real question is not whether machines think but whether men do. This statement has been attributed to U.S. behaviorist B. F. Skinner. Would you please help me to find a …
Motto Origin: Machines Should Work. People Should Think
IBM Motto? Richard Hamming? Sia Armajani? Howard Dimmig? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Machines can perform work which humans do not wish to perform because it is repetitive and dangerous. Yet, as we enter the age of advanced AI there are many humans who desire to continue to perform creative and engaging tasks. Here are …
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Quote Origin: Unfortunately, the Balance of Nature Decrees That a Superabundance of Dreams Is Paid for by a Growing Potential for Nightmares
Peter Ustinov? Frank A. Jones? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The British actor and raconteur Peter Ustinov once wrote about an inevitable balance between dreams and nightmares. Would you please help me to find a citation? Reply from Quote Investigator: In February 1989 Peter Ustinov published an article about Orson Welles in “The Independent” newspaper …