Winston Churchill? Bertram Carr? F. W. Cole? John D. Rockefeller? L. P. Jacks? Helen Keller? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Here are four versions of a popular saying about differing mental attitudes: The statesman Winston Churchill is typically credited with this remark, but I have been unable to find a citation. Would you please help? …
Category Archives: Winston Churchill
Quote Origin: An Empty Taxi Arrived and Clement Attlee Stepped Out of It
Winston Churchill? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Critics of U.K. Prime Minister Clement Attlee viewed him as an insubstantial and dull figure. The following quip apparently circulated during the 1940s: An empty taxi arrived at 10 Downing Street and Clement Attlee got out of it. These words are often attributed to Winston Churchill. What do …
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Quote Origin: The Young Sow Wild Oats. The Old Grow Sage
Winston Churchill? Stephen Fry? Henry James Byron? W. Davenport Adams? Aubrey Stewart? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The recent memoir by English comedian and actor Stephen Fry contains the following intriguing remark: ‘Young men sow wild oats, old men grow sage,’ Churchill is reputed to have said. It almost never is Churchill. In fact collectors …
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Quote Origin: Sure, We’ll Have Fascism in This Country, and We’ll Call It Anti-Fascism
Huey Long? Winston Churchill? Bruce Bliven? H. L. Mencken? Lawrence Dennis? Jimmy Street? Robert Cantwell? Lawrence Dennis? Halford Luccock Question for Quote Investigator: The famous populist Huey Long and British leader Winston Churchill have both been credited with a bold prediction about political deception. Here are two versions: Would you please investigate? Reply from Quote …
Quote Origin: Dictators Ride To and Fro Upon Tigers from Which They Dare Not Dismount
Winston Churchill? Harry Truman? Chinese Adage? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Anyone who was sitting atop a tiger would have a difficult time dismounting safely. Apparently, this scenario has been employed metaphorically by the political leaders Winston Churchill and Harry Truman. Would you please explore this topic? Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1937 Winston Churchill …
Quote Origin: We Shall Escape the Absurdity of Growing a Whole Chicken in Order To Eat the Breast or Wing
Winston Churchill? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Scientists have successfully produced meat in culture without the need to grow an entire animal. Apparently, long ago Winston Churchill envisioned this possibility, and he predicted that chicken wings would be created without growing a full chicken. Would you please locate Churchill’s remarks on this topic? Reply from …
Quote Origin: If Anyone Says Anything Back, That Is an Outrage
Winston Churchill? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Genuine free speech entails disagreement and debate; it is never a one-sided notion. According to a Facebook meme Winston Churchill supposedly said: Some people’s idea of free speech is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone says anything back, that is an outrage. …
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Quote Origin: Dancing Is a Perpendicular Expression of a Horizontal Desire
George Bernard Shaw? George Melly? I. S. Johar? Ann Landers? Patrick Harte? Robert Frost? Winston Churchill? Oscar Wilde? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Here are two versions of an adage highlighting the sensual aspects of popular gyrations: George Bernard Shaw, Ann Landers, Oscar Wilde, and Robert Frost have received credit for this saying. What do …
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Quote Origin: The Trouble with Socialism Is Socialism; the Trouble with Capitalism is Capitalists
William F. Buckley Jr.? William Schlamm? Winston Churchill? Herbert Hoover? Question for Quote Investigator: I have heard a humorous saying that compares two major economic systems: The problem with socialism is socialism. The problem with capitalism is capitalists. These words have been attributed to conservative commentator William F Buckley Jr. and British statesman Winston Churchill. …
Quote Origin: We Shape Our Tools, and Thereafter Our Tools Shape Us
Marshall McLuhan? Winston Churchill? Henry David Thoreau? Robert Flaherty? Emerson Brown? John Culkin? William J. Mitchell? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The famous media theorist Marshall McLuhan has been credited with a brilliant adage about the co-evolution of humans and tools. Here are two versions: I have not been able to find a good citation. …
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