Calvin Coolidge? E. E. Whiting? Harold Schoelkopf? Styles Bridges? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: President Calvin Coolidge was once told that a U.S. Senator was an S.O.B. He replied with a comical and wistful statement about group representation within a democracy. Would you please explore this anecdote? Quote Investigator: The earliest match located by QI appeared …
Tag Archives: Calvin Coolidge
Coolidge Effect
Calvin Coolidge? Frank A. Beach? Lisbeth Jordan? Robert E. Whalen? Elliot Liebow? Dear Quote Investigator: The scientific literature on animal behavior contains the term “Coolidge Effect” which apparently was inspired by a ribald anecdote about Calvin Coolidge and his wife Grace. Would you please explore the provenance of this term and the accompanying story? Quote …
Purpose and Persistence Are Required for Success: Unrewarded Genius Is Almost a Proverb
Calvin Coolidge? Theodore Thornton Munger? M. M. Callen? Orison Swett Marden? Edward H. Hart? Dear Quote Investigator: Many books extolling self-improvement include a didactic passage that begins as follows: Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded …
“I Bet I Could Get Three Words Out of You.” “You Lose.”
Calvin Coolidge? Frank B. Noyes? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: President Calvin Coolidge was known as “Silent Cal” because of his extraordinarily laconic speech. A famous anecdote tells of a dinner party during which the person sitting adjacent to the Coolidge said: “Mr. President I’ve made a large bet that I would be able to make …
Continue reading ““I Bet I Could Get Three Words Out of You.” “You Lose.””
You Have the Whole Government Working for You. All You Have To Do Is Report the Facts. I Don’t Even Have to Exaggerate
Will Rogers? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: While searching for a quotation on the subject of government in a reference book I came across a quip from the famous cowboy and Native American humorist Will Rogers: I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts. But the supporting citation was dated 1962, …