Calvin Coolidge? E. E. Whiting? Harold Schoelkopf? Styles Bridges? Apocryphal? Question for 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? Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest match located …
Tag Archives: Calvin Coolidge
Phrase Origin: Coolidge Effect
Calvin Coolidge? Frank A. Beach? Lisbeth Jordan? Robert E. Whalen? Elliot Liebow? Question for 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 Origin: 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? Question for 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; …
Dialogue Origin: “I Bet I Could Get Three Words Out of You.” “You Lose.”
Calvin Coolidge? Frank B. Noyes? Apocryphal? Question for 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 …
Continue reading “Dialogue Origin: “I Bet I Could Get Three Words Out of You.” “You Lose.””
Quote Origin: People Ask Me Where I Get My Jokes. I Just Watch Congress and Report the Facts
Will Rogers? Apocryphal? Question for 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 …