Quote Origin: Hell Begins On the Day When God Grants Us a Clear Vision of All That We Might Have Achieved

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe? Gian Carlo Menotti? John Greenleaf Whittier? Adelaide Anne Procter? Norman Cousins? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Looking back on one’s life sometimes produces a surge of regret for lost opportunities. Here are two versions of a statement expressing this feeling: (1) Hell begins the day God grants you the vision to …

Success Is Failure Turned Inside Out

John Greenleaf Whittier? Edgar Guest? Labor? Nellie Maxwell? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: A popular poem about perseverance includes these lines: When all is pressing you down a bit— Rest if you must, but don’t you quit. The poets John Greenleaf Whittier and Edgar A. Guest have both been credited. Would you please determine the actual …

The Joy That You Give to Others Is the Joy That Comes Back to You

John Greenleaf Whittier? Margaret E. Sangster? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Recently, I came across a heartfelt short poem titled “Happy New Year” containing the following line: The joy that you give to others is the joy that comes back to you. The verse was attributed to the prominent nineteenth-century poet John Greenleaf Whittier who died …