Quote Origin: If You Want To Be a Grocer, or a General, or a Politician, or a Judge, You Will Invariably Become It; That Is Your Punishment

Oscar Wilde? Stephen Fry? Apocryphal?

A series of blue icons with people and various occupations.
Avatar icons representing professions from Pixabay

Question for Quote Investigator: The following remark about selecting a career is comically acerbic:

If you want to be a grocer, or a general, or a politician, or a judge, you will invariably become it; that is your punishment.

The statement above has been attributed to the famous Irish playwright and wit Oscar Wilde, but I am skeptical. There is a second part to the remark which comments on an artistic life:

If you live what some might call the dynamic life, but i will call the artistic life, if each day you are unsure of who you are and what you know, you will never become anything, and that is your reward.

Would you please explore the provenance of these statements?

Reply from Quote Investigator: These statements were spoken by the popular English actor and broadcaster Stephen Fry in 2010. Fry attributed the words to Oscar Wilde, but QI believes that Fry was really presenting a rough paraphrase and interpretation of a passage written by Wilde in his essay/letter titled “De Profundis†which was composed while Wilde was in prison in 1897.

“De Profundis†was published posthumously in 1905. Boldface added to excerpts by QI. The term “gaol†is an alternative spelling of “jailâ€:1

People point to Reading Gaol and say, ‘That is where the artistic life leads a man.’ Well, it might lead to worse places. The more mechanical people to whom life is a shrewd speculation depending on a careful calculation of ways and means, always know where they are going, and go there.

They start with the ideal desire of being the parish beadle, and in whatever sphere they are placed they succeed in being the parish beadle and no more.

A man whose desire is to be something separate from himself, to be a member of Parliament, or a successful grocer, or a prominent solicitor, or a judge, or something equally tedious, invariably succeeds in being what he wants to be. That is his punishment. Those who want a mask have to wear it.

But with the dynamic forces of life, and those in whom those dynamic forces become incarnate, it is different. People whose desire is solely for self-realization never know where they are going. They can’t know.

In one sense of the word it is of course necessary , as the Greek oracle said, to know oneself : that is the first achievement of knowledge. But to recognise that the soul of a man is unknowable, is the ultimate achievement of wisdom . . .

I hope to live long enough and to produce work of such a character that I shall be able at the end of my days to say, ‘Yes! this is just where the artistic life leads a man!’

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Quote Origin: You Have To Be Careful To Protect the Rights of People You Despise

Daniel Patrick Moynihan? Robert Lenzer? John Rhoades? Ann Landers? Apocryphal?

A wooden gavel sitting on top of a brown object.
Illustration of a wooden gavel and sounding block from Unsplash

Question for Quote Investigator: A society which grants wide liberties and constitutional rights to engage in speech and action will contain people who are performing activities deemed distasteful or reprehensible by many. The following remark is pertinent:

You have to be careful to protect the rights of people you despise.

This statement has been attributed to U.S. politician and diplomat Daniel Patrick Moynihan, but I am having trouble trying to locate a precise citation. Would you please help me?

Reply from Quote Investigator: In November 1996 a “Forbes†magazine article by journalist Robert Lenzer reported on individuals in the U.S. who had acquired great wealth and did not wish to pay taxes. These individuals renounced their U.S. citizenship and became citizens of other countries such as the Bahamas to avoid paying taxes. The term “taxpatriate†was used to describe these people. “Forbes†published comments from Moynihan. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:1

The matter isn’t settled. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-N.Y.), the Senate Finance Committee’s ranking Democrat, thinks that treating taxpatriates like illegal immigrants is a bad idea.

“You have to be careful to protect the rights of people you despise,†says Moynihan. “Our legislation which called for a capital gains tax on appreciated assets as the price of expatriation was a fairer way to deal with the problem. What passed was a bad bill.â€

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Quote Origin: People Don’t Care How Much You Know Until They Know How Much You Care

Theodore Roosevelt? Margaret Tyson? Zig Ziglar? John C. Maxwell? James F. Hind? Beltone Hearing Aid Company?

A stethoscope, thermometer and pills are on the table.
Items used to care for medical patients fron Unsplash

Question for Quote Investigator: Interpersonal relationships are based on trust. A knowledgeable person can be impressive, but another quality is more important when establishing a connection. Here is a pertinent adage:

People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

This statement has been attributed to U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, motivational speaker Zig Ziglar, best-selling author John C. Maxwell, and others. Yet, I have not seen any definitive citations. Would you please help trace this statement?

Reply from Quote Investigator: This clever saying employs a rhetorical device called antimetabole. Key words in the first half of the statement are reordered in the second half.

QI has found no evidence that Theodore Roosevelt used this expression. The earliest match located by QI appeared in a 1959 commencement speech by Margaret Tyson who was the Dean of the School of Nursing at the University of Virginia. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:1

Nurses graduating from a course at King’s Daughter’s Hospital here last night were told that “People won’t care how much you know unless they really know how much you care.â€

Margaret Tyson is a candidate for creator of the saying, but QI conjectures that the saying was already in circulation, and the originator remains anonymous.

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Quote Origin: Promise People That They Will Have a Chance of Maltreating Someone

Aldous Huxley? George Sokolsky? Apocryphal?

A red and white sign that says cancelled.
Illustration of a stamp which displays “CANCELLED” from Pixabay

Question for Quote Investigator: Social media enables people to express righteous indignation by joining together to form electronic mobs.  The chance to target and maltreat individuals while maintaining a good conscience is psychologically appealing. The opportunity to hurt and pull down others is enticing to some people.

Apparently, the English writer and philosopher Aldous Huxley made an observation of this type before the existence of social media. Huxley’s remark supposedly appeared in the novel “Crome Yellowâ€, but I have carefully examined that book, and I was unable to find any matching statement. This situation is confusing. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: Aldous Huxley was commissioned to write an introduction to a collector’s edition of Samuel Butler’s nineteenth century novel “Erewhonâ€. Huxley placed the date of July 24, 1933 at the end of his introduction, and the book was issued by the Limited Editions Club in 1934. Huxley commented on the motivations of people. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:1

The surest way to work up a crusade in favour of some good cause is to promise people that they will have a chance of maltreating someone. Men must be bribed to build up and do good by the offer of an opportunity to hurt and pull down. To be able to destroy with a good conscience, to be able to behave badly and call your bad behavior ‘righteous indignation’—this is the height of psychological luxury, the most delicious of moral treats.

QI has searched the 1921 satirical novel “Crome Yellowâ€2 by Huxley for the phrases “righteous indignationâ€, “good conscienceâ€, and “pull downâ€. There were no matches for these phrases in the book.

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Quote Origin: Show Me a Good Loser and I’ll Show You a Loser

Knute Rockne? Red Auerbach? Robert Zuppke? Fred Taylor? Richard Nixon? Jimmy Carter? Anonymous?

A trophy with the number one on it.
Illustration of a trophy for the winner

Question for Quote Investigator: Any participant in competitive sports must eventually experience defeat. The value of good sportsmanship has been emphasized by many mentors. Different terms have been employed to contrast the divergent reactions to defeat: “gracious loser”, “good loser”, “poor loser”, “angry loser”, and “sore loser”.

A controversial adage emerged from sports coaches in the twentieth century which suggested that a loss should make a person unhappy and should provide a strong impetus for future improvement:

Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser.

This saying has been attributed to U.S. football coach Knute Rockne, U.S. basketball coach Red Auerbach, U.S. football coach Vince Lombardi, and many others.  I have not seen any solid citations. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The saying evolved over time, and  there are many variants which makes it difficult to trace. The earliest exact match known to QI appeared in 1962 when it was spoken by Gus Doerner who was a U.S. basketball player and coach. Yet, QI believes the expression was already in circulation. The creator remains anonymous.

Below is an overview of the evolution with dates and attributions:

1904 Jul: If I may not win, make me a good loser (Anonymous)

1907 Jun: The “good loser†is blamed seldom any old kind of a winner (Jim Nasium)

1924 Nov: A good loser is no good (Robert Zuppke)

1938 Jun: Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a man without guts (Anonymous)

1940 Oct: Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a streak of yellow (Anonymous)

1943 Aug: Show me a good loser, and I will show you a failure (Attributed to Knute Rockne by George Strickler)

1946 Jan: Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a guy without an ounce of competitive spirit in his makeup (Lee Dunbar)

1948 Dec: Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a failure (Attributed to Knute Rockne by John Mooney)

1952 Mar: Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a consistent loser (John Mooney)

1956 Jan: Show me a good loser and I’ll show you an idiot (Attributed to Paul Gilbert by Bennett Cerf)

1957 Sep: Show me a good loser and I’ll show you an unsuccessful man (Attributed to Knute Rockne by Paul Steiner)

1959 Mar: Show me a good loser and I’ll show you someone who never wins (Fred Taylor)

1960 Apr: Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a guy who is going to lose most of the time (Carl Rees)

1960 Jun: Good losers get lots of practice (Benny Marshall)

1962 Apr: Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser (Gus Doerner)

1963 Jun: Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser (Frankie Albert)

1965 Apr: Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser (Red Auerbach)

1975 Jul: Show me a good loser in professional sports, and I’ll show you an idiot. (Leo Durocher)

1975: You show me a good loser and I will show you a loser (Credited to Anonymous by Jimmy Carter)

1978: Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser (Attributed to Wallace Newman by Richard Nixon)

1982 May: Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser (Credited to Anonymous by Paul Newman)

2010: Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser (Attributed to Vince Lombardi by John Marlowe)

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Quote Origin: Art Is the Window of a Person’s Soul. Without It, They Would Never Be Able To See Beyond Their Immediate World

Lady Bird Johnson? Claudia Alta Johnson? Jill Biden? Henry Seldis?

A bright sun shining through the clouds in the sky.
Allusive illustration of a soul from Pixabay

Question for Quote Investigator: A First Lady of the United States once spoke about the importance of experiencing great art. She said that art was the window of person’s soul. Art was required to see beyond the immediate everyday world and to see the inner world.

I do not recall the precise phrasing. Would you please help me to identify the speaker, and to find a citation?

Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1964 the sculpture garden of the Museum of Modern Art in New York was considerably enlarged. The First Lady of the United States Claudia Alta Johnson spoke at the rededication ceremony. She was known to the public as Lady Bird Johnson. The art critic of the “Los Angeles Times†Henry Seldis reported the words of Johnson. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:1

“This great and growing museum makes it possible to leave our ‘dailyness’ and see what we never saw before in the daily round—for art is the window of man’s soul. Without it, he would never be able to see beyond his immediate world; nor could the world see the man within.

“We are so often pictured as a society entirely devoted to technological advance that it is good to have this abundant proof to the contrary,†the First Lady said.

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Quote Origin: As Soon As It Works, No One Calls It AI Anymore

John McCarthy? Pamela McCorduck? Bertram Raphael? Donald Michie? Melanie Mitchell? Bertrand Meyer? Anonymous?

A computer circuit board with the brain in it.
Visual metaphor of a brain-like circuit from Unsplash

Question for Quote Investigator: Pioneering artificial intelligence (AI) researchers tackled a variety of challenging problems. One early goal was the development of symbolic mathematics systems capable of  performing polynomial factorization, integration, and differentiation. Researchers made such great progress that this field was reclassified. It was no longer part of AI; instead, it became a subfield of algorithm design and analysis.

In 1997 the Deep Blue chess computer triumphed over world champion Garry Kasparov. The system employed a massive brute-force game-tree search. The victory was a milestone, but some researchers believed that the system was no longer part of AI research.

In general, if a problem is effectively solvable then it is no longer deemed an appropriate task for AI. Here are two versions of a comment about this phenomenon that is both wistful and mordant:

(1) As soon as it works, no one calls it AI anymore.
(2) If it works, it isn’t AI.

This notion has been attributed to several AI researchers including John McCarthy and Edward Feigenbaum. I am having difficulty finding solid citations. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: This notion is difficult to trace because it can be expressed in many different ways. Below is an overview showing the evolution via key statements together with dates:

1971: AI is a collective name for problems which we do not yet know how to solve properly by computer [Attributed to Bertram Raphael by Donald Michie]

1979: Every time somebody figured out how to make a computer do something—play good checkers, solve simple but relatively informal problems—there was a chorus of critics to say, but that’s not thinking [Pamela McCorduck]

1979: AI is whatever hasn’t been done yet [Attributed to Larry Tesler by Douglas Hofstadter]

1982 May: If it’s useful, it isn’t AI [Anonymous]

1982 Sep: If you can understand how it works, it isn’t AI [Anonymous]

1983 May: If you do know what you’re doing (or if you find out), it isn’t AI anymore [Beau Sheil]

1984: If it works, it isn’t AI [Anonymous]

1984 Feb: Anything computers can’t yet do is AI [Anonymous]

1984 Sep: It it’s useful, it isn’t AI [Anonymous]

1985: If you understand how it works, it isn’t AI [Anonymous]

1985 Apr: When an AI idea is turned into a useful system, in some sense it isn’t AI anymore [Roger Schank and Larry Hunter]

1985 Jun: Once they are thoroughly solved, they are not AI anymore but just another computer program [Severo Ornstein]

1988: If it works, it isn’t AI [Attributed to Edward Feigenbaum]

2011 Oct: As soon as it works, no one calls it AI anymore [Attributed to John McCarthy by Bertrand Meyer]

2017: Intelligence is whatever machines haven’t done yet [Attributed to Larry Tesler by Garry Kasparov]

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Quote Origin: People More Frequently Require To Be Reminded Than Informed

Samuel Johnson? C. S. Lewis? Peggy Noonan? Apocryphal?

A pile of to do lists covered in different colors.
Picture of To-Do lists from Pixabay

Question for Quote Investigator: People often know what they should be doing. A didactic lecture is not required. Instead, a simple reminder is adequate to inspire appropriate action. Here are four examples from a family of pertinent sayings:

(1) Men more frequently require to be reminded than informed.
(2) People require more to be reminded than informed.
(3) Mankind in general stand more in need of being reminded than instructed.
(4) People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed.

This saying has been credited to English lexicographer Samuel Johnson and British fantasy writer C. S. Lewis. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1750 Samuel Johnson began to publish the periodical “The Ramblerâ€. The second issue contained the following passage. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:1

What is new is opposed, because most are unwilling to be taught; and what is known is rejected, because it is not sufficiently considered, that men more frequently require to be reminded than informed.

The learned are afraid to declare their opinion early, lest they should put their reputation in hazard; the ignorant always imagine themselves giving some proof of delicacy, when they refuse to be pleased . . .

QI believes that Samuel Johnson deserves credit for initiating this family of sayings. The saying evolved over time, and Johnson often received credit for variant phrasings.

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Quote Origin: Trust Everybody, But Cut the Cards

Finley Peter Dunne? Martin Dooley? Anonymous?

A pile of playing cards with the number 1 3 on top.
Picture of playing cards from Unsplash

Question for Quote Investigator: One should be generous when conveying trust, but one should not be gullible or naïve. One must take precautions and defend oneself. An adage from the domain of card games presents this viewpoint:

Trust everybody, but cut the cards.

This notion has been attributed to the U.S. humorist Finley Peter Dunne, but I have not seen a citation. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: Beginning in the 1890s Finley Peter Dunne published newspaper columns in the voice of a fictional Irish bartender named Martin Dooley. The columns used nonstandard spelling to reflect the pronunciation of a recent Irish immigrant. In 1900 Dunne published a book titled “Mr. Dooley’s Philosophyâ€. A section titled “Casual Observations†included the following item:1

Thrust ivrybody—but cut th’ ca-ards.

Here is the standard spelling:

Trust everybody—but cut the cards.

Here are three other items from the same page of the book which illustrate the eye dialect. The items are accompanied with renderings in standard English:

’Tis as hard f’r a rich man to enther th’ kingdom iv Hiven as it is f’r a poor man to get out iv Purgatory.

It’s as hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven as it is for a poor man to get out of Purgatory.

Ivry man has his superstitions. If I look at a new moon over me shoulder I get a crick in me neck.

Every man has his superstitions. If I look at a new moon over my shoulder I get a crick in my neck.

If ye dhrink befure siven ye’ll cry befure iliven.

If you drink before seven you’ll cry before eleven.

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Quote Origin: What I Learned, I No Longer Know. What Little I Still Know, I Have Guessed

Nicolas Chamfort? Charles de Talleyrand? Catherine Gore? Apocryphal?

A close up of some blue flowers with yellow centers
Picture of Forget-Me-Not Flowers from Unsplash

Question for Quote Investigator: A student is taught numerous topics during a formal education, yet most details are swiftly forgotten once schooling is completed. A wit composed the following candid remark:

All that I’ve learned, I’ve forgotten. The little that I still know, I’ve guessed.

This saying has been attributed to the French epigrammatist Nicolas Chamfort and the French statesman Charles de Talleyrand. I have never seen a solid citation. Would you please help to find the original French statement together with a citation?

Reply from Quote Investigator: Nicolas Chamfort died in 1794, and the following year a multivolume collection of his works was published in Paris. The fourth volume included a section titled “Pensées morales†(“Moral thoughtsâ€) which included the following statement. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:1

Ce que j’ai appris, je ne le sais plus. Le peu que je sais encore, je l’ai deviné.

Here is one possible translation into English:

What I learned, I no longer know. What little I still know, I have guessed.

A similar statement was attributed to Charles de Talleyrand many years later in 1848. QI conjectures that Talleyrand was aware of the Chamfort’s remark, and Talleyrand decided to employ a version of it.

Below is an overview of this family of expressions with dates and attributions:

1795: Ce que j’ai appris, je ne le sais plus. Le peu que je sais encore, je l’ai deviné. (Nicolas Chamfort)

1795: What I learned, I no longer know. What little I still know, I have guessed. (English translation of Chamfort)

1848: What I have been taught, I have forgotten; what I know, I have guessed. (Attributed to Charles de Talleyrand)

1857: What I have learned I no longer know; the little I know I have divined. (Attributed to Chamfort)

1857: What I have been taught, I have forgotten; what I know, I have guessed. (Attributed to Talleyrand)

1860: What I learnt, I have forgotten: what I know, I have guessed. (Attributed to Talleyrand)

1874: Tout ce que j’ai appris, je l’ai oublié; ce que je sais, je l’ai deviné. (Attributed to Chamfort)

1874: Everything I learned, I have forgotten; what I know, I have guessed. (English translation of phrase attributed to Chamfort)

1891: All that I was taught I have forgotten. I remember only what I taught myself. (Attributed to Talleyrand)

1894: What I have been taught I have forgotten; what I know I have guessed. (Attributed to Talleyrand)

1902: What I have learnt I no longer know; what I still know has come to me by intuition. (Attributed to Chamfort)

1903: What I learned I have forgotten. The little that I do know I have guessed. (Attributed to Chamfort)

1933: The little that I do know I have guessed. (Attributed to Chamfort)

1948: What I have learnt I know no longer.What I know I have guessed. (Attributed to Chamfort)

1949: What I have been taught, I have forgotten; what I know, I have guessed. (Attributed to Talleyrand)

1969: What I have learned, I no longer know. The little that I still know, I have guessed. (Attributed to Chamfort)

2008: All that I’ve learned, I’ve forgotten. The little I still know, I’ve guessed. (Attributed to Chamfort)

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