Quote Origin: You Never Change Anything By Fighting It; You Change Things By Making Them Obsolete Through Superior Technology

Buckminster Fuller? Mike Vance? Diane Deacon? Daniel Quinn? Apocryphal?

A close up of the keys on an old typewriter.
Typewriter illustrating obsolescence. Image from Unsplash

Question for Quote Investigator: Inventor and futurist R. Buckminster Fuller once spoke about the best way to accomplish positive changes. He said that one rarely changes something by fighting it directly. Instead, one should build a new system or model that makes the existing model obsolete. I do not recall the exact phrasing used by Fuller. Would you please help me to find the correct quotation together with a citation?

Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1995 Mike Vance and Diane Deacon published “Think Out of the Boxâ€. The couple were business consultants. Previously, Vance had worked for The Walt Disney Company where he was part of a team working on innovative ideas for the Walt Disney World theme park.

Vance interviewed creative thinkers to help develop new concepts. He described meeting with Buckminster Fuller at a small beach motel in Santa Monica. The interview must have occurred before Fuller’s death in 1983. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:1

Bucky sat in a comfortable reclining chair, sipping thoughtfully from his tea cup, as we conducted an unforgettable interview with one of the world’s most unusual people . . .

He spoke quietly: “You never change anything by fighting it; you change things by making them obsolete through superior technology. Telstar replaced 500 tons of transoceanic cable. It used to take us three years to circumnavigate the globe in a wooden-hulled ship. It took three months in a steel ship, 90 minutes in a space capsule and now instantaneously with telecommunications.â€

The text above seems to be an excerpt from a transcript; hence, it is probably the most reliable version of the quotation. The book “Think Out of the Box†also included a slightly different version of the quotation as an epigraph on a different page:2

“You can’t change anything by fighting or resisting it. You change something by making it obsolete through superior methods.â€
— Buckminster Fuller

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Anecdote Origin: “You Have Come Late To the Office” “Oh! I’ll Make Up For It By Leaving Early”

Charles Lamb? Thomas Love Peacock? William Makepeace Thackeray? Frederick Saunders? Oscar Wilde? Apocryphal?

A pile of clocks sitting next to each other.
Illustration of a collection of clocks from Unsplash

Question for Quote Investigator: A humorous anecdote depicts an absurdist interaction between a worker and a supervisor:

Supervisor: “You have arrived late for work.â€
Worker: “Yes, but I will make up for it by leaving early.â€

This reply has been attributed to the English essayist and poet Charles Lamb who died in 1834, but I am skeptical because I have never seen a solid citation. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: Charles Lamb was a clerk at the East India House which was the London headquarters of the East India Company. Lamb is best known for a 1823 collection of essays titled “Essays of Elia†which was supplemented a decade later with “Last Essays of Eliaâ€.

This anecdote is difficult to trace because the phrasing of the dialog is highly variable. The earliest evidence found by QI appeared in 1852 almost two decades after Lamb’s death. The book “Memories of the Great Metropolis: Or, London, from the Tower to the Crystal Palace†by Frederick Saunders contained the following passage. Boldface added to excepts by QI:1

It was here on one occasion when a complaint was made that he came late to his office in the morning, that Lamb wittily replied, “I admit it, but I leave early in the afternoon.â€

This evidence was weak because it was not directly from a witness and because it appeared posthumously. Thus, QI believes that the attribution to Charles Lamb remains uncertain.

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Quote Origin: One of the Best Ways To Persuade Others Is With Your Ears — By Listening To Them

Dean Rusk? Jacob Morton Braude? Reader’s Digest? Apocryphal?

A black and white picture of an ear
Illustration of a listening ear from Pixabay

Question for Quote Investigator: If you wish to influence or persuade a person you must attempt to determine their viewpoint. You must be attentive to their needs and desires. Here are two versions of a pertinent saying:

(1) One of the best ways to persuade others is with your ears — by listening to them.
(2) The best way to persuade someone is with your ears—by listening to them.

U.S. Secretary of State Dean Rusk has received credit for this saying. Would you please help me to find a citation?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest match found by QI appeared in “Reader’s Digest†magazine in May 1961 within a section titled “Quotable Quotesâ€. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:1

One of the best ways to persuade others is with your ears — by listening to them. —Dean Rusk

This evidence was substantive, but “Reader’s Digest†received information about quotations from readers; hence, the accuracy was not guaranteed.

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Quip Origin: In Ancient Times Cats Were Worshipped As Gods; They Have Not Forgotten This

Terry Pratchett? P. G. Wodehouse? Dave Ochs? Dusty Rainbolt? Anonymous?

A kitten playing with a flower on the ground.
Illustration of a cat and a flower from Unsplash

Question for Quote Investigator: Cats project an air of superiority and aloofness according to sharp observers. A humorous remark reflects this viewpoint:

In ancient times, cats were worshipped as gods. They have never forgotten this.

The best-selling English fantasy author Terry Pratchett has received credit for this comment, but I am skeptical because I have never seen a solid citation. Would you please explore the provenance of this quip?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The phrasing of this remark is highly variable; hence, it is difficult to trace. QI has not yet found any substantive evidence that Terry Pratchett crafted this quip. The prominent English humorist P. G. Wodehouse penned a version of the comical observation in 1933. Here is an overview with dates and ascriptions showing the evolution of the quip:

1933: Cats, as a class, have never completely got over the snootiness caused by the fact that in Ancient Egypt they were worshipped as gods. (P. G. Wodehouse)

1991 Apr 22: The Egyptians worshipped cats, and the cats have never forgotten. (Anonymous)

1992: The ancient Egyptians worshiped cats as gods. Cats have never forgotten this. (Hallmark Cards)

1993 Dec 28: Thousands of years ago the Egyptians worshipped cats as gods. Cats have never forgotten this. (Anonymous)

1998 Apr 8: Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this. (Anonymous)

1998 Apr 16: In ancient times, cats were worshipped as gods. They have never forgotten this. (Anonymous)

1998 May 12: Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this. (Tentatively attributed to Terry Pratchett)

2002 Mar 24: Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this. (Another tentative attribution to Terry Pratchett)

2004: In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this. (Attributed to Terry Pratchett)

The information above represents a snapshot of current research, and new citations will probably be discovered in the future.

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Simile Origin: The Mind Is Like an Iceberg; It Floats With One-Seventh of Its Bulk Above Water

Sigmund Freud? G. Stanley Hall? Henry H. Goddard? Julia Turner? Percy Dearmer? Carlos María de Heredia? Woods Hutchinson?

A large iceberg in the middle of an ocean.
Picture of an iceberg from Unsplash

Question for Quote Investigator: The subconscious mind has an enormous influence on human behavior. A clever simile juxtaposes a mind and an iceberg. The conscious mind corresponds to the part of the iceberg above the waterline, and the subconscious mind corresponds to the part below the waterline:

The mind is like an iceberg—it floats with only one seventh of its bulk above water.

This notion has been attributed to the famous Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, but I am skeptical because I have never seen a solid citation. Would you please explore the history of this simile?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest instance of this simile known to QI occurred in an article by the prominent U.S. psychologist G. Stanley Hall published in “The American Journal of Psychology†in 1898. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:1

We have sought the real ego in the intellect. It is not there, nor yet in the will, which is a far better expression of it than thought. Its nucleus is below the threshold of consciousness. The mistake of ego-theorists is akin to that of those who thought icebergs were best studied from above the surface and were moved by winds, when in fact about nine-tenths of their mass is submerged, and they follow the deeper and more constant oceanic currents, often in the teeth of gales, vitiating all the old aerodynamic equations.

In 1908 G. Stanley Hall employed the simile again within an article published in “Appleton’s Magazineâ€. His phrasing was closer to the statement under examination although he used the fraction nine-tenths:2

Again, as nine tenths of an iceberg is submerged and hidden, and as it follows aquatic rather than aërial currents, so most of the human soul is unconscious; but it is just that part, with its own laws of which we know so little, that dominates trances, second states, hypnoidal conditions, etc. Consciousness is only the small fraction of the soul that projects above the horizon, threshold, or sea level, into the light of day, and is seen and felt; and if it were conscious, would itself wish and feel other things, but would not be aware of its own sunken bulk.

Interestingly, Hall recognised that the simile was imperfect, and his article mentioned this criticism:

The iceberg simile limps if pushed too far because the subliminal psyche is of different texture, and is more or less partitioned off from the super-liminal soul.

The phrasing of this simile has evolved over time, and it has been used by many people who have studied the human mind. The fraction of the iceberg below the waterline varies in size, e.g., six-sevenths, seven-eighths, and nine-tenths.

QI has not yet found any substantive evidence that Sigmund Freud crafted this saying. Freud received credit in 1929 after the figurative language was in wide circulation.

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Quote Origin: Give Me a Good Fruitful Error Any Time, Full of Seeds, Bursting with Its Own Corrections

Vilfredo Pareto? John Bartlett? Charles P. Curtis Jr.? Ferris Greenslet? Stephen Jay Gould? Apocryphal?

A variety of fruits are arranged on the table.
Picture of fruits and seeds from Unsplash

Question for Quote Investigator: Scientific observations are often inexact. Yet, this inexactitude can be helpful because it facilitates the formulation of theories that generate predictions which are approximately correct. These intermediary theories are valuable because they provide a stepping stone toward achieving successor theories which are more comprehensive and more precise. Over time as observations improve in accuracy, novel theories can be built on previous ideas and can generate superior predictions.

The prominent Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto has been credited with the following statement which embraces the utility of “fruitful errorâ€:

Give me a fruitful error any time, full of seeds, bursting with its own corrections. You can keep your sterile truth for yourself.

Unfortunately, I have never seen a solid citation supporting this attribution, and I have become skeptical. Pareto received credit in the prestigious reference book “Bartlett’s Familiar Quotationsâ€, but strangely no citation was given. Would you please explore the provenance of this quotation?

Reply from Quote Investigator: QI believes that the ascription to Vilfredo Pareto is incorrect. Instead, QI thinks Charles P. Curtis Jr. and Ferris Greenslet should receive credit for this quotation. In 1945 these two authors published a compilation of quotations titled “The Practical Cogitator: Or, The Thinker’s Anthologyâ€, and the earliest match for the statement under examination appeared in this book.

Confusion occurred because the target statement was located within an entry for Vilfredo Pareto. The entry began with a translation of text written by Pareto about the German scientist Johannes Kepler:1

PARETO 1848-1923
It was a happy circumstance for the beginning of astronomy that in Kepler’s time the observations of Mars were not too exact. If they had been, Kepler would not have discovered that the curve described by the planet was an ellipse and he would have failed to discover the law of planetary motion.

This entry continued, and the full text from Pareto consisted of two paragraphs with a total of 149 words. These words were followed by two sentences written in a slightly smaller font. These final sentences were not written by Pareto; instead, they were commentary composed by Charles P. Curtis Jr. and Ferris Greenslet. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:2

Give me a good fruitful error any time, full of seeds, bursting with its own corrections. You can keep your sterile truth for yourself.

This mistake corresponds to a known error mechanism based on the misreading of neighboring expressions. A reader sometimes inadvertently transfers the ascription of one statement to a contiguous statement.

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Adage Origin: An Army of Stags Led by a Lion Is More Formidable Than an Army of Lions Led by a Stag

Plutarch? Chabrias? Julius Caesar? Philip of Macedon? Iphicrates? Napoleon Bonaparte? Daniel Defoe?

A statue of a lion sitting on top of a stone wall.
Statue of a lion outside of the Utah State Capitol from Unsplash

Question for Quote Investigator: The quality of the members of an organization is important, but the leadership is decisive to achieving success. Here are two versions of a pertinent adage:

(1) An army of sheep commanded by a lion is more formidable than an army of lions commanded by a sheep.

(2) An army of donkeys led by a lion is vastly superior to an army of lions led by a donkey.

A variety of animal names appear in different versions of this template including: stags, harts, deer, sheep, donkeys, asses, and jackasses. Apparently, this saying is ancient. Would you please explore its provenance?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The saying appeared in the collection “Moralia†by the Greek philosopher Plutarch who died in AD 119. The Athenian general Chabrias who died in 357 BC received credit. Here is an English translation by scholar Frank Cole Babbitt from 1931. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:1

He was wont to say that an army of deer commanded by a lion is more to be feared than an army of lions commanded by a deer.

Many others have been credited with instances of this saying including Roman leader Julius Caesar, Philip of Macedon, and Athenian general Iphicrates.

Here is an overview based on early appearances of instances in Latin or English:

1544: Dictitare etiam solebat, formidabiliorem esse cervoru exercitum duce leone, quàm leonum cervo imperate (Attributed to Chabrias by Plutarch)

1544: (Translation into English from Latin) He also used to say that an army of stags led by a lion is more formidable than lions commanded by a stag (Attributed to Chabrias by Plutarch)

1563: Rather an army of harts, under the conduct of a Lion, then of Lions, conducted by a hart (Attributed to Philip, probably Philip II of Macedon)

1644: An Army of Harts led by a Lion, is better then an Army of Lions led by a Hart (Anonymous)

1655: There is greater hope of a herd of Harts led by a Lion, then of so many Lions conducted by a Hart (Julius Caesar by translator Clement Edmonds Esquire)

1658: An army of valiant Lions led by a cowardly Hart, is not so prevalent as an army of Harts led by a Lion (John Jones comment on Ovid)

1673: An Army of Harts, with a Lion to their Captain, would be able to vanquish an Army of Lions, if their Captain were but an Hart (Attributed to Iphicrates)

1683: He esteemed more an Army of Deer, commanded by a Lion, than an Army of Lions, commanded by a Deer (Attributed to Chabrias by Plutarch)

1736: An Army of Sheep, headed by a Lyon, is more to be apprehended, than an Army of Lyons headed by a Sheep (Anonymous saying used by Henry Stonecastle)

1743: Better to have a Lyon at the Head of an Army of Sheep, than a Sheep at the Head of an Army of Lyons (Anonymous proverb in a work credited to Daniel Defoe)

1803: An army of stags is more to be feared under the command of a lion, than an army of lions led by a stag (Anonymous Latin Proverb)

1823: An army of deer commanded by a lion is better than an army of lions commanded by a deer (Attributed to an unnamed Athenian general by Napoleon Bonaparte)

1855: An army of lions led on by donkeys (Attributed to an anonymous Russian)

1856: An army of lions led by jackasses (Attributed to John Arthur Roebuck by Lord Palmerston)

1864: An army of asses led by a lion is vastly superior to an army of lions led by an ass (Anonymous)

1887: An army of jackasses led by a lion will defeat an army of lions led by a jackass (Persian proverb)

1904: Rather have an army of donkeys with a lion for a leader, than an army of lions with a donkey for a leader (Attributed to Napoleon)

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Quote Origin: Every New Idea Is Just a Mashup or a Remix of One or More Previous Ideas

Austin Kleon? T. S. Eliot? C. E. M. Joad? Ecclesiastes? Anonymous?

A painting of sunflowers in the sky
Mashup of Van Gogh’s paintings “Sunflowers†and “Starry Nightâ€

Question for Quote Investigator: The recent creation of artificial intelligence systems that generate text, images, and videos has caused ferocious controversy and motivated several copyright lawsuits. The current generation of popular AI systems are trained using billions of webpages and billions of images.

The nature of human originality is undergoing careful scrutiny. One influential viewpoint states that every idea which appears to be new is really a mashup or a remix of previous ideas. About a decade ago I read a similar statement in a book about art and creativity. Would you please help me to find a citation?

Reply from Quote Investigator: In 2012 artist Austin Kleon published the best-seller “Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creativeâ€. The first chapter contained the following statement. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:1

Every new idea is just a mashup or a remix of one or more previous ideas.

Please note that this remark is about human creativity, and it does not entail any specific viewpoint about AI systems and copyright.

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Quote Origin: People Don’t Realize How Much Time and Effort Is Required To Learn To Read. I Have Been At It for Eighty Years, and I Haven’t Reached My Goal

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe? Carl Sandburg? Ruth Strang? Johann Peter Eckermann? John Oxenford? Henry R. Tedder? Apocryphal?

A painting of a man sitting on top of a bench.
Painting of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe created circa 1787

Question for Quote Investigator: When the famous German intellectual Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was an octogenarian he spoke to a friend about the effort required to read a text carefully and deeply. He said something like the following:

Ordinary people know little of the time and effort it takes to learn to read. I have been at it eighty years, and have not reached my goal.

I have not been able to find a citation for this statement. Hence, I am not certain whether it is accurate.

I believe that the U.S. poet and biographer Carl Sandburg also commented on the multi-decade process of learning to read productively. Would you please explore the provenance of this saying?

Reply from Quote Investigator: Johann Peter Eckermann served as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s personal secretary during the final decade of his life. After Goethe’s death Eckermann published a multi-volume work titled “Gespräche mit Goethe†(“Conversations with Goetheâ€) which included an entry dated January 25, 1830. Here is a translation of an excerpt. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:1

He then joked about the difficulty of reading and the arrogance of many people who want to read every philosophical and scientific work straight away without any preliminary studies or preparatory knowledge, as if it were nothing more than a novel.

“The good people,†he continued, “don’t know how much time and effort it cost to learn to read. It took me eighty years to do it and I still can’t say that I’ve reached my goal.â€

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Quote Origin: Before We Reach Human-Level AI We Will Have To Reach Cat-Level & Dog-Level AI

Yann LeCun? Demis Hassabis? Bence Ölveczky? Apocryphal?

A green cat robot is standing in the woods.
Public domain illustration of a robot cat

Question for Quote Investigator: Progress on artificial intelligence during the 2010s and 2020s has been remarkable. The AlphaFold computer program developed by DeepMind employed machine learning techniques with deep neural networks to successfully predict protein structures. The AlphaGo program used a tree search algorithm together with deep neural networks to beat the best humans at the board game Go. The company OpenAI used large language models (LLMs) and reinforcement learning to build the GPT family of chatbots which displayed powerful new capabilities.

Yet, the prominent computer scientist Yann LeCun has expressed skepticism about current progress in AI and about the near-term prospects. LeCun is a Professor at New York University and the Chief AI Scientist at Meta. He won the prestigious Turing Award in 2018 together with two colleagues.

LeCun stated that researchers must first reach cat-level AI and dog-level AI before they have a chance of reaching human-level AI. I am not sure of his precise phrasing. Would you please help me to find a citation?

Reply from Quote Investigator: In February 2023 Yann LeCun posted the following message on x-twitter. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:1

Before we reach Human-Level AI (HLAI), we will have to reach Cat-Level & Dog-Level AI.
We are nowhere near that.
We are still missing something big.
LLM’s linguistic abilities notwithstanding.
A house cat has way more common sense and understanding of the world than any LLM.

Yann LeCun has been referring to animal intelligence as an important AI benchmark for several years. For example, in 2018 he posted an x-tweet containing the following lines:2

Right now, we need to get machines to the level of a house cat.
Never mind symbolic mathematics and formal logic.

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