Tracing Quotations
George M. Cohan? P. T. Barnum? Mae West? Elinor Glyn? Babe Ruth? Damon Runyon? James J. Johnston? Charley Murphy? Max Schmeling? Walter Winchell? Oscar Wilde? Samuel Johnson? Ed Sullivan? Question for Quote Investigator: A person once planned to write an article or book containing derogatory material about a celebrity. The unruffled response of the celebrity …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Say Anything You Like About Me, But Spell My Name Right”
Winston Churchill? Samuel Johnson? James Boswell? Aristotle? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The rights and freedoms enshrined in political documents are sometimes nullified by oppressive governments. The health of a society depends on the principles and the bravery of the populace. Here is a pertinent adage: Courage is the first of human qualities because it …
Samuel Johnson? William Makepeace Thackeray? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The craft of storytelling is ancient; hence, creating original plots and characters is difficult. On the other hand, experimental tales without connections to the past are discordant. Here is a germane adage about successful creators: The two most engaging powers of an author are to …
Samuel Johnson? Robert Gordis? Francis Bacon? Morris Raphael Cohen? Mordecai M. Kaplan? Benjamin Jowett? Question for Quote Investigator: While I was a student a few decades ago I came across a remarkable metaphysical expression that was similar to the following: The search for knowledge will lead a person away from God, and then back toward …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: It Is Not Quite the Same God to Which One Returns”
Samuel Johnson? C. S. Lewis? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The famous English lexicographer Samuel Johnson apparently extolled domestic bliss. Did he write or say something like the following? The chief aim of all human endeavors is to be happy at home. Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1746 Samuel Johnson signed a contract to create …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: To Be Happy at Home Is the Ultimate Result of All Ambition”
Samuel Johnson? James Boswell? Thomas Carlyle? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Two statements that sound the same but have very different meanings have been attributed to the esteemed dictionary maker and man of letters Samuel Johnson: 1) Clear your mind of cant. 2) Clear your mind of can’t. In the first statement the noun “cant” …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Clear Your Mind of Cant / Clear Your Mind of Can’t”
Dorothy Parker? Mark Twain? Samuel Johnson? Sidney Skolsky? Margaret Case Harriman? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The scintillating wit Dorothy Parker once listened to an enumeration of the many positive attributes of a person she disliked. Below is the final statement of praise together with Parker’s acerbic response: “She is always kind to her inferiors.” …
Samuel Johnson? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Whenever I experience difficulties while writing I recall a remark attributed to Samuel Johnson that is both cautionary and encouraging: What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure. I have not been able to find this statement in a book written by Johnson or by …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: What Is Written Without Effort Is In General Read Without Pleasure”
Alexander Pope? Samuel Johnson? Jonathan Swift? John Dennis? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: I have heard several versions of a quotation that is beloved by people who dislike puns: (1) He who would make a pun would pick a pocket. (2) A man who will pun, will pick a pocket. (3) A man who could …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: He Who Would Pun Would Pick a Pocket”
Samuel Johnson? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: After Samuel Johnson published his masterful dictionary of the English language he was reportedly approached by two prudish individuals: “Mr. Johnson, we are glad that you have omitted the indelicate and objectionable words from your new dictionary.” “What, my dears! Have you been searching for them?” Recently, I …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Improper Words: Have You Been Searching for Them?”