Quote Investigator® – Page 51

Quote Origin: It Is the Soul’s Duty To Be Loyal To Its Own Desires

Rebecca West? George Bernard Shaw? Apocryphal?

Question for Quote Investigator: The prominent British author and literary critic Rebecca West once wrote about the necessity to be loyal to one’s own desires. Would you please help me to find a citation?

Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1913 Rebecca West published in the journal “The New Freewoman” a review of George Bernard Shaw’s play “Androcles and the Lion”. West suggested that the actions of the character Ferrovius reflected the yearnings of his soul, and she presented the following guidance. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

It is the soul’s duty to be loyal to its own desires. It must abandon itself to its master-passion.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: A Happy Family Is But an Earlier Heaven

George Bernard Shaw? John Bowring? John Browning? John Bouring?

Question for Quote Investigator: Some envision heaven filled with a joyous, loving, and interconnected group of people united on a higher spiritual plane. If one is a member of a happy family here on Earth then it is possible to obtain a glimpse of this future possibility. One may express this notion as follows:

A happy family is an earlier heaven.

This statement has been attributed to playwright George Bernard Shaw, political economist Sir John Bowring, and parliamentarian Sir John Browning. Would you please help me to identify the correct originator?

Reply from Quote Investigator: Sir John Bowring’s career was long and varied. He wrote articles about economics, served as a Member of the U.K. Parliament, worked a literary translator, and was appointed Governor of Hong Kong. In addition, his Unitarian faith inspired him to write many hymns. In 1837 a volume of “Hymns for Public and Private Worship” compiled by John R. Beard included a work celebrating domestic life titled “Home Joys” credited to Bowring containing the following two verses. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

The pilgrim’s step in vain
Seeks Eden’s sacred ground;
But in home’s holy joys, again
An Eden may be found.

A glance of heaven to see,
To none on earth is given;
And yet—a happy family
Is but an earlier heaven.

Bowring’s name was followed by an asterisk, and the accompanying note stated that the hymn was an original “composed for the most part expressly for the volume”.

In 1841 John Bowring published the third edition of “Matins and Vespers: With Hymns and Occasional Devotional Pieces”. He included the hymn he wrote with slightly different punctuation.²

A glance of heaven to see,
To none on earth is given;
And yet a happy family
Is but an earlier heaven.

The first edition of “Matins and Vespers” appeared in 1823, but the hymn containing the quotation under examination was absent.³ QI has not yet seen the second edition and does not know whether it included the hymn and quotation.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: The One-Eyed Mollusc On the Sea-Bottom Is My Equal in What He and I Know of Star Clusters Not Yet Found

Carl Sandburg? Anonymous?

Question for Quote Investigator: Humanity takes arrogant pride in the knowledge it has accumulated over the centuries. Yet, it is a paltry amount when compared to the vast treasure troves that remain undiscovered in the uncharted regions of space and time. I roughly recall a saying on this theme that emphasized humility:

The one-eyed mollusc on the ocean floor and I have the same knowledge of the universe.

Would you please help me to find the correct phrasing and the originator’s identity?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The acclaimed poet and biographer Carl Sandburg won three Pulitzer Prizes. When he was 85 years old in 1963 he published the collection “Honey and Salt” which included the poem “Timesweep”. The work displayed a cosmological perspective. The verses imagined embodiment in a series of creatures of increasing complexity. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

” . . . there is a vast Unknown and farther beyond the vaster Unknowable—and the Ignorance we share and share alike is immeasurable.”

The one-eyed mollusc on the sea-bottom, feathered and luminous, is my equal in what he and I know of star clusters not yet found by the best of star-gazers.

In 1976 the influential quotation collector Laurence J. Peter published “The Peter Plan: A Proposal for Survival”, and he reprinted the verse while crediting Sandburg.²

In conclusion, Carl Sandburg deserves credit for the quotation which appeared in his 1963 poem “Timesweep”.

Image Notes: Public domain image of galaxy from WikiImages at Pixabay.

Acknowledgement: Great thanks to VOXINDICA whose inquiry led QI to formulate this question and perform this exploration.

Update History: On March 20, 2025 the format of the bibliographical notes was updated.

1963, Honey and Salt by Carl Sandburg, Poem: Timesweep, Start Page 96, Quote Page 110, Harbrace Paperback Library: Harcourt, Brace & World, New York. (Verified with scans) ↩︎
1976 (1975 Copyright), The Peter Plan: A Proposal for Survival by Laurence J. Peter, Part 2: The Peter Planet, Chapter 7: Progeny, Quote Page 135, William Morrow and Company, New York. (Verified with scans) ↩︎

Quote Origin: Science and Everyday Life Cannot and Should Not Be Separated

Rosalind Franklin? Brenda Maddox? Apocryphal?

Question for Quote Investigator: In the 21st century the insights gained via science have re-emerged as centrally important to the flourishing of our planet and humanity. Apparently, a researcher enthralled by work was told that she was placing too much emphasis on science. She replied:

Science and everyday life cannot and should not be separated.

This statement has been attributed to Rosalind Franklin whose x-ray crystallography work led to the epochal discovery of the structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), the molecule of genetic inheritance. Would you please help me to find a citation.

Reply from Quote Investigator: This quotation is contained in the biography “Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA” by Brenda Maddox within chapter four titled “Never Surrender (October 1938-July 1941)”. During this time period Rosalind Franklin was attending Cambridge University, and she received a letter from her father Ellis Franklin. Her reply described her father’s complaint:¹

You frequently state, and in your letter you imply, that I have developed a completely one-sided outlook and look at everything and think of everything in terms of science.

Rosalind Franklin opposed the separation of science and quotidian life. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:

But you look at science (or at least talk of it) as some sort of demoralising invention of man, something apart from real life, and which must be cautiously guarded and kept separate from everyday existence. But science and everyday life cannot and should not be separated. Science, for me, gives a partial explanation of life.

In 2004 the quotation appeared as an entry in the sixth edition of “The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations” edited by Elizabeth Knowles. The letter from Rosalind Franklin reprinted in Maddox’s biography was cited.²

In 2015 the remark was printed in “Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science—and the World” by Rachel Swaby, and Rosalind Franklin received credit.³

In conclusion, Rosalind Franklin deserves credit for this quotation.

Image Notes: Public domain illustration depicting careers in science from deMysticWay at Pixabay.

Update History: On March 20, 2025 the format of the bibliographical notes was updated.

2002, Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA by Brenda Maddox, Chapter 4: Never Surrender (October 1938-July 1941), Quote Page 60 and 61, HarperCollins Publishers, New York. (Verified with scans) ↩︎
2004, The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, Sixth Edition, Edited by Elizabeth Knowles, Entry: Rosalind Franklin, Quote Page 332, Column 2, Oxford University Press, Oxford, England. (Verified with scans) ↩︎
2015, Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science—and the World by Rachel Swaby, Chapter: Rosalind Franklin 1920-1958, Quote Page 109, Broadway Books: Penguin Random House, New York. (Verified with scans) ↩︎

Quote Origin: If There Is Magic On This Planet, It Is Contained In Water

Loren Eiseley? Anonymous?

Question for Quote Investigator: The motions of water are often mesmerizing, e.g., the rhythmic crashing of waves on a beach, the misty turbulence of a plunging waterfall, and the sparkling jet of a fountain. A science popularizer apparently once said:

If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.

Would you please help me to find a citation and identify the creator of this statement?

Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1957 U.S. educator and science writer Loren Eiseley published “The Immense Journey” which included an essay titled “The Flow of the River”. He began with a paean to water. Boldface added to this excerpt:¹

If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water. Its least stir even, as now in a rain pond on a flat roof opposite my office, is enough to bring me searching to the window.

In 1983 an entry for the quotation appeared in “Webster’s Treasury of Relevant Quotations” by Edward F. Murphy. The words were credited to Eiseley and “The Immense Journey” was cited.²

Acknowledgement: Great thanks to Natália B. whose inquiry led QI to formulate this question and perform this exploration.

Image Notes: Public domain depiction of a water droplet from ronymichaud at Pixabay. Image has been resized, retouched, and cropped.

Update History: On March 20, 2025 the format of the bibliographical notes was updated.

1957, The Immense Journey by Loren Eiseley, Chapter: The Flow of the River, Quote Page 15, Random House, New York. (Verified with scans) ↩︎
1983, Webster’s Treasury of Relevant Quotations by Edward F. Murphy, Topic: Water, Quote Page 579 and 580, Greenwich House, New York. (Verified with scans) ↩︎

Quote Origin: I Wasn’t a Sex Symbol; I Was a Sex Zombie

Veronica Lake? Judy Klemesrud? Walter Clemons? Anonymous? Apocryphal?

Question for Quote Investigator: A pulchritudinous movie star of the golden age of Hollywood supposedly said:

I wasn’t a sex symbol; I was a sex zombie.

Is this an authentic quotation? If someone did deliver this line would you please tell me who it was?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest match located by QI appeared in “The New York Times” in March 1971. Journalist Judy Klemesrud interviewed actress Veronica Lake and asked about her sex symbol status. Boldface added to excerpts By QI:¹

Miss Lake, dressed primly in a two-tone green suede suits cringed when the term “sex symbol” was mentioned. She prefers “sex-zombie,” which a book critic recently used in referring to her.

“That really names me properly,” she said. “I was laughing at everybody in all of my portraits. I never took that stuff seriously. I will have one of the cleanest obits of any actress.”

Thus, an unnamed book critic applied the phrase “sex zombie” to Lake, and she thought that it was appropriate. Perhaps she felt that the publicity machine of Hollywood had constructed an artificial and deadening role for her to play.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: Humanity Invented the Atom Bomb. No Mouse in the World Would Think of Building a Mousetrap

Albert Einstein? Werner Mitsch? Apocryphal?

Question for Quote Investigator: It is difficult to conceive of an ordinary creature foolish enough to design and build a device that would dramatically increase the probability of its self-annihilation. The great scientist Albert Einstein supposedly made the following remark:

Mankind invented the atomic bomb, yet a mouse would never invent a mousetrap.

Unfortunately, no one has presented a supporting citation, and I know that fake Einstein quotations are endemic. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: There is no substantive evidence that Albert Einstein wrote or spoke this statement. It is not listed in the comprehensive reference “The Ultimate Quotable Einstein” from Princeton University Press. Einstein died in 1955, and he received credit for the remark many years afterward in 2010.

The earliest match known to QI was identified by top German quotation expert Gerald Krieghofer who traced the saying to German aphorist Werner Mitsch who placed it into the 1983 collection “Das Schwarze unterm Fingernagel. Sprüche. Nichts als Sprüche” (“The black under the fingernail. Sayings. Nothing but sayings”). Here is the original German followed by an English rendering. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

Der Mensch hat die Atombombe erfunden. Keine Maus der Welt käme auf die Idee, eine Mausefalle zu konstruieren.

Humanity invented the atom bomb. No mouse in the world would think of building a mousetrap.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: All You Need In This Life Is Ignorance and Confidence; Then Success Is Sure

Mark Twain? Benjamin De Casseres? Richard Grant White? Mary Hallock Foote? Cordelia Foote? Apocryphal?

Question for Quote Investigator: Mark Twain once joked that the key to success was a combination of ignorance and confidence. I do not know the precise phrasing. Would you please help me to find the exact quotation and a citation?

Reply from Quote Investigator: Mark Twain penned this amusing remark in a letter dated December 2, 1887 which he sent to “Mrs. Foote”. The letter was reprinted in the “Los Angeles Times” on March 16, 1930.¹

Also, in 1934 a facsimile of the missive appeared in the book “When Huck Finn Went Highbrow” by Benjamin De Casseres, a limited edition with 125 copies.

There was a long delay between the letter’s composition and its publication, but Twain scholars believe that it is authentic. The famed humorist discussed leading a study group who were exploring the poetry of Robert Browning.²

The quotation reflected Twain’s comical reaction to holding a position of leadership:³

Now when you come to think of it, wasn’t it a curious idea—I mean for a dozen ladies of (apparently) high intelligence to elect me their Browning reader? Of course you think I declined at first; but I didn’t. I’m not the declining sort. I would take charge of the constellations if I were asked to do it. All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: No Man Will Make a Great Business Who Wants To Do It All Himself, Or To Get All the Credit of Doing It

Andrew Carnegie? Barnard Alderson? Apocryphal?

Question for Quote Investigator: Business titan and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie stated that one person cannot build a great enterprise alone. Also, one person should never demand all the credit. Would you please help me to find the precise quotation and a citation?

Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1899 the “St. Louis Globe-Democrat” of Missouri published an interview with Andrew Carnegie who mentioned that he had many partners in his industrial endeavors. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

“I do not believe any one man can make a great success of a business nowadays. I am sure I never could have done so without my partners, of whom I had thirty-two, the brightest and cleverest young fellows in the world. ”

Carnegie asserted that only small-minded individuals attempted to take all the credit for a successful business:²

“No man will make a great business who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit of doing it. That spirit is fatal, and the sure proof of a small mind.”

Carnegie’s remarks were published in “The Philadelphia Times” of Pennsylvania on the same day,³ and two weeks later his guidance appeared in “The St. Paul Globe” of Minnesota.⁴

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: You Cannot Push On a String (Or a Rope)

John Maynard Keynes? George Patton? Samuel Harries Daddow? ‎Benjamin Bannan? Henry Smith? S. H. Monell? Thomas Brackett Reed? Thomas Alan Goldsborough? Anonymous?

Question for Quote Investigator: A brilliant figure of speech has been employed to describe the performance of a futile or counter-productive task. Here are two versions:

(1) You cannot push on a string.
(2) It’s not wise to try to push a rope.

This saying has been attributed to the prominent economist John Maynard Keynes and U.S. General George S. Patton. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: John Maynard Keynes died in 1946, and the saying was attributed to him in 1970; hence, evidence for this linkage is weak. There is substantive evidence that George Patton employed this saying by 1942, but it was already in circulation.

The earliest match located by QI appeared in the 1866 book “Coal, Iron, and Oil; Or, The Practical American Miner” by Samuel Harries Daddow and ‎Benjamin Bannan. A section discussed two strategies to achieve proper ventilation within a underground mine. One may attempt to push air into a mine or draw air out of a mine. Only the second strategy was practical. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

The effect, therefore, of forcing air through a long series of intricate passages is to increase its density and friction in proportion to the pressure applied and the length of the column. To a limited extent this may be done by the expenditure of sufficient power, but this may be compared to the attempt to push a rope instead of pulling it. Whether the ordinary blowing-fan or blowing-cylinder be used, the difficulties are the same: therefore this mode must be condemned.

But when the same power is reversed, and the fan or cylinders are made to draw or suck the air instead of pushing it, the effect is reversed, and the natural or atmospheric pressure becomes an active agent instead of a repellant force . . .

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.