Tracing Quotations
Martin Luther King? Elizabeth Tipton Derieux? Alton Hawkins? United Presbyterian Church? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: A political activist once stated something like the following: Peace is more than the absence of conflict and tension. Genuine peace requires the presence of justice. This notion has been attributed to Martin Luther King Jr. Would you please explore …
Continue reading “True Peace Is Not Merely the Absence of Tension; It Is the Presence of Justice”
George Bernard Shaw? Oscar Wilde? Clarence Rook? Alexander Woollcott? Hesketh Pearson? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: A playwright feared that his upcoming work was about to flop at the box office. After the surprisingly successful inaugural performance the bewildered playwright appeared on stage. Amongst the resounding cheers there was a barely audible hiss. The playwright addressed …
Continue reading “I Quite Agree With You, But Who Are We Two Against So Many?”
Elizabeth Warren? Ann Richards? Julia Louis-Dreyfus? Cecile Richards? Pat Rusk? David Horowitz? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: If one wishes to influence a decision then one must be present at the negotiation table. If one is absent then an unfavorable decision is likely. Metaphorically, one’s rights and interests will be consumed by the other participants at …
Continue reading “If You Are Not at the Table Then You’re Probably on the Menu”
Satchel Paige? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The famous baseball player Satchel Paige once offered advice about staying young at heart. Here are three versions: Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you. Don’t look back. Somebody may be gaining on you. Never look back. You might see someone overtaking you. Would you please help …
Continue reading “Don’t Look Back. Something Might Be Gaining On You”
Oscar Wilde? Francis Douglas? 11th Marquess of Queensberry? Percy Colson? Mark Twain? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The Book of Genesis describes the creation of the world and the formation of Adam and Eve. The actions of this couple in the Garden of Eden quickly revealed behavioral defects. A sardonic commentator has suggested that God overestimated …
Continue reading “God In Creating Man, Somewhat Overestimated His Ability”
Arthur C. Clarke? Stanley Kubrick? Christiane Kubrick? Jeremy Bernstein? Porky Pine? Walt Kelly? Frank Interlandi? Carl Sagan? Jerome Agel? Buckminster Fuller? David Shepley? Lee Alvin DuBridge? Anonymous? Quote Investigator: Astronomers have been searching for evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence for more than a century. Is humankind alone in the universe, or is humankind sharing the cosmos …
Fanny Brice? Fannie Hurst? Norman Katkov? Ray Stark? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Falling in love with someone occurs because of unconstrained desires and emotions. The decision is not based on clearsighted logic and rationality. In retrospect, an infatuation might seem foolish or destructive. An unhappy humorist once commented on this behavior. Here are two versions: …
Continue reading “I Never Liked the Men I Loved, and Never Loved the Men I Liked”
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, …
Continue reading “There Is a Hopeful Symbolism in the Fact That Flags Will Not Wave in a Vacuum”
Peter Graham? Terry Carr? Avram Davidson? Barry N. Malzberg? Baird Searles? L. Sprague de Camp? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” and H. G. Wells’ “The War of the Worlds” were milestones in the genesis and evolution of the science fiction (SF) genre. This imaginative category of literature built upon technological and other-worldly speculation …
Continue reading ““When Was the Golden Age of Science Fiction?” “Twelve””
Aldous Huxley? George Bernard Shaw? Voltaire? Andy Capp? Reg Smythe? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: A dejected literary figure apparently experienced an alarming eschatological revelation: Maybe this world is another planet’s Hell. This notion has been credited to English writer Aldous Huxley who penned the classic dystopian novel “Brave New World”. Credit has also been given …
Continue reading “How Do You Know That the Earth Isn’t Some Other Planet’s Hell?”