Upton Sinclair? W. E. B. Du Bois? George Orwell? George Bernard Shaw? Ann Petry? Morris Edmund Speare? Richard Hunt? Ludwig Lewisohn? Edmund Wilson? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Advocates often extoll their visions with strong-willed certainty. Insistent artists are accused of preaching and propagandizing. Yet, this criticism is sometimes provocatively embraced. Here are three assertions: …
Tag Archives: Upton Sinclair
It Is Difficult to Get a Man to Understand Something When His Salary Depends Upon His Not Understanding It
Upton Sinclair? H. L. Mencken? William Jennings Bryan? C. E. M. Joad? Christopher Matthews? Paul Krugman? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Financial incentives can compromise the critical faculties of an individual. Here are four versions of this insight: Never argue with a man whose job depends on not being convinced. It is difficult to get a …
Whatever is Not Nailed Down is Mine and Whatever I Can Pry Loose is Not Nailed Down
Collis Huntington? Richard Ballinger? David Starr Jordan? Upton Sinclair? Dear Quote Investigator: Collis Huntington was one of the top railroad tycoons in the 1800s. His business skills helped to build the first transcontinental railroad in the United States and many other rail links. But his detractors considered him ruthless and greedy. These negative traits are …