Émile Zola? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The prominent French novelist and journalist Émile Zola has been credited with an inflammatory anti-clerical statement. Here are three versions in English: Civilization will thrive only when the last stone, from the last church has fallen on the last priest. Civilization will not attain perfection, until the last stone …
Tag Archives: Emile Zola
I Would Rather Die of Passion than of Boredom
Vincent van Gogh? Émile Zola? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The famous Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh has been credited with the following fervent statement: I would rather die of passion than of boredom. Surprisingly, this remark has also been ascribed to the prominent French novelist Émile Zola. Would you please elucidate this topic? Quote Investigator: …
Continue reading “I Would Rather Die of Passion than of Boredom”
Quote Origin: Eat a Live Frog Every Morning, and Nothing Worse Will Happen to You the Rest of the Day
Mark Twain? Nicolas Chamfort? Émile Zola? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: There is a best-selling self-help book called “Eat That Frog!” that presents strategies to stop procrastination. The author discusses the meaning of the curious title in his introduction: Mark Twain once said that if the first thing you do each morning is to eat …