Tracing Quotations
Maya Angelou? Claudia Tate? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: You will experience many setbacks and reversals in life, but you should never feel defeated. Encountering difficulties will help you to strengthen your power to endure and succeed. The prominent poet and memoirist Maya Angelou said something like this. Would you please help me to find …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: You May Encounter Many Defeats, But You Must Not Be Defeated”
Maya Angelou? Oprah Winfrey? Phil McGraw? Gary Zukav? Ernest Rogers? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Life requires a complicated incremental process of learning. Agonizing mistakes are inevitable. Here are two versions of a heartfelt response to setbacks: (1) You did what you knew how to do, and when you knew better, you did better. (2) …
Continue reading “You Did What You Knew How To Do, and When You Knew Better, You Did Better”
Maya Angelou? Bertha Flowers? Bill Moyers? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Rhyme and rhythm often produce a lovely euphony in poems. This notion has been expressed as follows: Poetry is music written for the human voice. These words have been attributed to Renaissance woman Maya Angelou, but some people assert that she disclaimed credit. Would you …
Continue reading “Poetry Is Music Written for the Human Voice”
Maya Angelou? Claudia Tate? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: An insightful simile likens the creative talent displayed by an individual while dancing, composing, teaching, or singing to electricity. This figure of speech has been attributed to Renaissance woman Maya Angelou. Would you please explore this topic? Quote Investigator: In 1983 Claudia Tate edited and released a …
Maya Angelou? Bill Moyers? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The prominent memoirist and poet Maya Angelou suffered in her early life, but she did not become bitter. She believed that young cynics were tragic figures. Would you please help me to find her comment on this topic? Quote Investigator: This article mentions rape, murder, and trauma-induced …
Maya Angelou? Odetta Holmes? Velma Gibson Watts? Apocryphal? Dear Quote investigator: The prominent memoirist and poet Maya Angelou overcame great obstacles in her life, and she encouraged others to maintain a positive energetic perspective. She has been credited with this saying: Don’t bring negative to my door. Would you please help me to find a …
Ray Bradbury? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: On Facebook I saw the following quotation displayed on a star-filled picture: We are an impossibility in an impossible universe The words were attributed to the prominent science fiction author Ray Bradbury, but I haven’t been able to find a citation. Would you please help? Quote Investigator: In January …
Continue reading “We Are an Impossibility in an Impossible Universe”
Maya Angelou? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: I once read a piece by the prominent memoirist and poet Maya Angelou that contained a fascinating simile depicting jealousy in a love affair as a spice or salt because it enhanced the flavor of the relationship. I have not been able to relocate this passage, and now I …
Maya Angelou? Joan Walsh Anglund? William Hazlitt? Alfred Lord Tennyson? Jimmie Allison? Lou Holtz? Dear Quote Investigator: In 2015 the U.S. Postal Service released a controversial commemorative stamp featuring the prominent author Maya Angelou which displayed the following words: A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song. …
Continue reading “A Bird Doesn’t Sing Because It Has an Answer, It Sings Because It Has a Song”
Maya Angelou? H. Jackson Brown Jr.? A 52-Year-Old Person? Dear Quote Investigator: Each of us must occasionally experience irritating situations. Maturity and self-control help to keep a person steady. A quotation touching on this theme has been attributed to the prominent poet and memoirist Maya Angelou. Here are two versions: I’ve learned that you can …
Continue reading “A Rainy Day, Lost Luggage, and Tangled Christmas Tree Lights”