Émile Zola? Apocryphal? Question for 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: Would you please explore the provenance of this remark? Reply from Quote Investigator: Émile Zola’s 1901 novel “Travail” contains a scene during which the last church …
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Quote Origin: I Would Rather Die of Passion Than of Boredom
Vincent van Gogh? Émile Zola? Apocryphal? Question for 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? Reply …
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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 …