Quote Origin: God’s Only Excuse Is That He Does Not Exist

Stendhal? Marie-Henri Beyle? Friedrich Nietzsche? Albert Camus? Prosper Mérimée? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: An atheist who was angry about the state of the world crafted the following comically paradoxical saying: The only excuse for God is that he does not exist. This remark has been attributed to the French Romantic novelist Marie-Henri Beyle (known …

Quote Origin: The World Is a Book, and Those Who Do Not Travel Read Only One Page

St. Augustine of Hippo? Louis-Charles Fougeret de Monbron? Lord Byron? St. Austin? Stendhal? Richard Lassels? Question for Quote Investigator: The following popular saying about travel praises the knowledge gained from visiting multiple locations: The world is a book, and those who don’t travel read only one page. This statement is usually attributed to St. Augustine …

Quote Origin: A Donkey Is a Horse Translated Into Dutch

Georg Christoph Lichtenberg? Stendhal? Marie-Henri Beyle? W. H. Auden? Bayard Taylor? Question for Quote Investigator: A German humorist who lived in the 18th century thought the Dutch language sounded ridiculous as indicated by the following quip: A donkey appears to me like a horse translated into Dutch. Would you please help me to find the …