Tracing Quotations
Dorothy Parker? Lillian Hellman? Ford Model T Label? Frank Sullivan? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The witty author Dorothy Parker was once asked to suggest an epitaph for her tombstone. Over the years she crafted several different candidates, and I am interested in the following saying which can be expressed in multiple ways: If …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: If You Can Read This, You’ve Come Too Close”
Dorothy Parker? Robert Benchley? Frank Sullivan? Question for Quote Investigator: The writer Dorothy Parker was famous for her clever and barbed witticisms. Her remarks were often aimed at others, but sometimes she laughed at herself with a self-deprecating comment. I particularly enjoy the statement she made when asked about her fame: Yes, I once was …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: I Was the Toast of Two Continents: Greenland and Australia”