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? 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 …

“Life, Though, Is Peculiar,” Said Jeremy. “As Compared With What?” Said the Spider

Elizabeth Madox Roberts? Harvey Wickham? Charles P. Curtis Jr.? Ferris Greenslet? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: An entire lifetime can be encapsulated within the following memorably eccentric dialog: “Life is peculiar” said Jeremy. “Compared to what?” said the spider. I have encountered this exchange several times, but I have never been able to determine its …