Tracing Quotations
Benjamin Franklin? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The renowned statesman and scientist Benjamin Franklin has been credited with two variant statements about alcohol: 1) Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. 2) Wine is constant proof that God loves us and likes to see us happy. I am skeptical because …
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Benjamin Franklin? Thomas Fuller? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: If you wish to be remembered by posterity in a literate culture you have two options: 1) Write something that people wish to read. 2) Do something grand that inspires people to write. The famous statesman Benjamin Franklin has a secure place in history for both of …
Continue reading “Either Write Things Worth Reading or Do Things Worth the Writing”
Benjamin Franklin? Dorothy Canfield Fisher? Arthur Wing Pinero? Abigail Van Buren? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: I recently saw an illustration of two people embracing above the following caption: Those who love deeply never grow old; they may die of old age, but they die young. At least three different people have been credited with …
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Theodore Roosevelt? Albert Einstein? Benjamin Franklin? Samuel Smiles? Josh Billings? Mr. Phelps? G. K. Chesterton? Robert Smith Surtees? Joseph Conrad? Will Rogers? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Mistakes are unavoidable in the life of an active and vital person. Several adages highlight this important theme: 1) A man who never makes a mistake will never …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: The Person Who Never Makes a Mistake Will Never Make Anything”
Blaise Pascal? John Locke? Benjamin Franklin? Henry David Thoreau? Cicero? Woodrow Wilson? Question for Quote Investigator: I was planning to end a letter with the following remark: If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter. But the number of different people credited with this comment is so numerous that an explanatory …
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Benjamin Franklin? Publilius Syrus? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: This is the season for New Year’s resolutions and toasts, and I have found a quotation credited to Benjamin Franklin that fits this theme: Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every New Year find you a better man …
Dear Quote Investigator: As an entrepreneur I marvel at the wisdom and concision of the following maxim: Time is money. This is usually credited to Benjamin Franklin, but I have become skeptical about attributions after reading this blog. So, I performed my own exploration for this saying and determined that it was indeed Franklin who …