John Ruskin? Ettrick Shepherd? Christopher North? John Wilson? Elisabeth Woodbridge? George Gissing? John Lubbock? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Cold, wet, and windy weather is often considered unsatisfactory, but several thinkers contend that there is no such thing as bad weather. All weather is pleasant when examined from the appropriate perspective. Precipitation and fluctuating temperatures …
Tag Archives: John Ruskin
There Is Nothing in This World That Someone Cannot Make a Little Worse and Sell a Little Cheaper
John Ruskin? J. A. Richards? The Pure Food Store? White Star Company? Percy D. Hagan? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: It is always possible to manufacture an item using inferior materials and sell it at a cheaper price than a quality item. The buyer who is foolishly guided by price alone becomes the lawful prey of …
All Comedy Is Tragedy, If You Only Look Deep Enough Into It
Thomas Hardy? John Ruskin? William Stearns Davis? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Comedy and tragedy are sometimes intertwined. The prominent English novelist Thomas Hardy has received credit for the following remark: Comedy is tragedy, if you only look deep enough. This statement has also been ascribed to the influential English art critic John Ruskin. Would you …
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Quote Origin: A Man Wrapped Up in Himself Makes a Very Small Bundle
Benjamin Franklin? John Ruskin? Harry Emerson Fosdick? Mae A. Byrnes? Dan Crawford? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: An individual who is self-absorbed typically experiences a diminished life and does not achieve great renown. Here are four versions of a figurative saying on this theme: This expression has been attributed to U.S. statesman Benjamin Franklin, English …
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Most People Would Die Sooner Than Think—In Fact, They Do So
Bertrand Russell? Sheldon? John Ruskin? Woods Hutchinson? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Cantankerous individuals who believe they are surrounded by an ignorant and unthinking public sometimes proclaim: People would rather die than think. This statement has been enhanced with a funny addition that reinvigorates the cliché. Here are two versions: Many people would sooner die than …
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You Just Chip Away Everything That Doesn’t Look Like David
Michelangelo? John Ruskin? George F. Pentecost? Boys’ Life Magazine? Orison Swett Marden? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: There is an unlikely tale about the brilliant Renaissance artist Michelangelo. He was asked about the difficulties that he must have encountered in sculpting his masterpiece David. But he replied with an unassuming and comical description of his creative …
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Never Lose an Opportunity of Seeing Anything Beautiful. Beauty is God’s Handwriting
Ralph Waldo Emerson? John Ruskin? Charles Kingsley? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Extraordinary scenes of beauty can uplift one’s spirit. The following remark is often attributed to the philosopher and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson: Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God’s handwriting. I searched in a database of Emerson’s …