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 …
Tag Archives: Samuel Johnson
Quote Origin: It Is Not Quite the Same God to Which One Returns
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 …
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Quote Origin: To Be Happy at Home Is the Ultimate Result of All Ambition
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 …
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Quote Origin: Clear Your Mind of Cant / Clear Your Mind of Can’t
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” …
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Dialogue Origin: “She Is Always Kind to Her Inferiors” “But Where Does She Find Them?”
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.” …
Quote Origin: What Is Written Without Effort Is In General Read Without Pleasure
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 …
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Quote Origin: He Who Would Pun Would Pick a Pocket
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 …
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Quote Origin: Improper Words: Have You Been Searching for Them?
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 …
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Quote Origin: Academic Politics Are So Vicious Because the Stakes Are So Small
Henry Kissinger? Wallace Sayre? Charles Frankel? Samuel Johnson? Jesse Unruh? Courtney Brown? Laurence J. Peter? Question for Quote Investigator: The following saying is often attributed to the prominent U.S. foreign policy figure and Nobel laureate Henry Kissinger: Academic politics are so vicious precisely because the stakes are so small. But I have also seen it …
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Quote Origin: The Chains of Habit Are Too Light To Be Felt Until They Are Too Heavy To Be Broken
Warren Buffett? Samuel Johnson? Maria Edgeworth? Bertrand Russell? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: I recall seeing a lecture by the famed investor Warren Buffett during which he cautioned his audience to avoid falling into self-destructive behavior patterns. He used this eloquent analysis: The chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are …