Quote Investigator® – Page 52

Quote Origin: A Theory Is Not Complete Until You Can Explain It To the Person in the Street

David Hilbert? Mary Winston Newson? Adolphe Quetelet? Joseph Diez Gergonne? Michel Chasles? William Spottiswoode? Henry John Stephen Smith? G. Carey Foster? Alphonse Rebière? Anonymous?

Question for Quote Investigator: In 1900 the influential German mathematician David Hilbert addressed the “International Congress of Mathematicians” held in Paris. He presented a collection of unsolved problems which has had an enormous influence in guiding research during the following century and beyond.

Some of the solutions discovered for these problems have been quite complex and intellectually demanding. Nevertheless, Hilbert indicated in his speech that he placed great value on simplicity and intelligibility. He credited an unnamed old French mathematician with the following remark:

A mathematical theory is not to be considered complete until you have made it so clear that you can explain it to the first man whom you meet on the street.

Would you please explore the provenance of this saying?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest match known to QI appeared in a letter dated February 25, 1825 from French mathematician Joseph Diez Gergonne to Belgian astronomer and statistician Adolphe Quetelet. Below is an image showing the part of the letter containing the quotation. The spelling in the letter differed a bit from current French spelling: “longtemps” was “longtems” and “raconter” was “racconter”. After the image and French text an English translation is shown. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

Il y a longtems que je répète à mes élèves qu’on n’a pas encore le dernier mot de la science sur une théorie, tout aussi longtems qu’on ne l’a pas amenée au point de la racconter à un passant, dans la rue.

For many years I repeated to my students that one does not yet have the last word of science on a theory for as long as one has not brought it to the point of being able to recount it to a passerby on the street.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: Life Is Not About Finding Yourself. Life Is About Creating Yourself

George Bernard Shaw? Mary McCarthy? Thomas Szasz? Sydney J. Harris? Helen A. De Rosis? Victoria Y. Pellegrino? Karen Horney? Anonymous?

Question for Quote Investigator: For decades pop-psychology has emphasized the task of “finding yourself”, i.e., identifying your deepest values, abilities, feelings, and desires. Yet, these qualities are not immutable. Instead, living fully means endlessly recreating yourself. Here are two versions of a pertinent saying:

(1) Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.

(2) The self is not something you find; it is something you create.

This notion has been attributed to playwright George Bernard Shaw, novelist Mary McCarthy, psychiatrist Thomas Szasz, and journalist Sydney J. Harris. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: Tracing this saying is difficult because it can be expressed in many different ways. QI has found no substantive evidence that George Bernard Shaw who died in 1950 employed this saying; also, QI has seen no substantive evidence that Mary McCarthy who died in 1989 used this saying.

The earliest match located by QI appeared in 1969 within the syndicated column of Sydney J. Harris. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

Young people searching for their “real self” must learn that the real self is not something one finds as much as it is something one makes; and it is one’s daily actions that shape the inner personality far more permanently than any amount of introspection or intellection.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: I Have the Heart of a Small Boy

Stephen King? Robert Bloch? Bennett Cerf? Gahan Wilson?

Question for Quote Investigator: A famous horror writer employed a comically gruesome paraprosdokian when discussing temperament. There are many phrasings for this quip. Here is one:

I have the heart of a child. I keep it in a jar on my desk.

This joke has been attributed to horror luminaries Stephen King and Robert Bloch. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: Stephen King has employed this line on multiple occasions. However, when he delivered it during a speech at a library in 1983 he credited Robert Bloch.

The earliest match known to QI appeared in “Weird Tales” magazine in 1942. Bloch sent a letter stating that he was crafting new stories that included more humor to accompany the macabre. He illustrated this new direction by providing an amusing self-description. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

As a matter of fact, I am really a very loveable person, as my friends tell me—or they would, if I had any friends. Deep down underneath it all I have the heart of a small boy. I keep it in a jar, on my desk.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: He Who Knows, and Knows Not He Knows, Is Asleep; Awaken Him

Bruce Lee? Margaret of Valois? Sir John Fenwick? Isabel Burton? Richard Francis Burton? Arabic Apothegm? Asian Saying? Charles Haddon Spurgeon? Park Ludlow? Theron Brown? Anonymous?

Question for Quote Investigator: The following four part saying is about knowledge and self-knowledge:

He who knows not, and knows not he knows not, is a fool; shun him.
He who knows not, and knows he knows not, is simple; teach him.
He who knows, and knows not he knows, is asleep; awaken him.
He who knows, and knows he knows, is wise; follow him.

This saying has been attributed to martial artist and actor Bruce Lee, but I have not seen a solid citation. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: QI has found no substantive evidence that Bruce Lee who died in 1973 employed this expression.

QI believes that this saying evolved over time. A partial precursor appeared in the 1654 book “Heptameron or the History of the Fortunate Lovers” by Princess Margaret of Valois which described a wise person with the phrase: “he who knows that he knows not any thing”. Boldface added to excerpts by QI. Anomalous spelling appeared in the original document:¹

. . .for there is no man a veryer fool, than he who thinks himself to be wise, nor any more wise, than he who knows that he knows not any thing. Howsoever (said Parlament) he knows somthing, who knows that he knows nothing.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: Cycle Tracks Will Abound In Utopia

H. G. Wells? Diane Ackerman? Apocryphal?

Question for Quote Investigator: When the famous science fiction author and social critic H. G. Wells envisioned utopia he wished to see ubiquitous bicycle paths winding through forests and gardens. Would you please help me to find a citation?

Reply from Quote Investigator: H. G. Wells serialized his alternate history novel titled “A Modern Utopia” in “The Fortnightly Review” with chapter two printed in November 1904,¹ and the full book appearing in 1905. Wells described picturesque bicycle paths:²

Cycle tracks will abound in Utopia, sometimes following beside the great high roads, but oftener taking their own more agreeable line amidst woods and crops and pastures; and there will be a rich variety of footpaths and minor ways. There will be many footpaths in Utopia.

There will be pleasant ways over the scented needles of the mountain pinewoods, primrose-strewn tracks amidst the budding thickets of the lower country, paths running beside rushing streams, paths across the wide spaces of the corn land, and, above all, paths through the flowery garden spaces amidst which the houses in the towns will stand. And everywhere about the world, on road and path, by sea and land, the happy holiday Utopians will go.

Below are two additional selected citations.

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) ↩︎