Winston Churchill? Copywriter for Budweiser Beer? George F. Tilton? Sam Rayburn? Joe Paterno? John Wooden? Mike Ditka? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Here are two versions of stirring words that are often attributed to the well-known statesman Winston Churchill: Success is never final and failure never fatal. It’s courage that counts. Success is not final; …
Tag Archives: Winston Churchill
Quote Origin: Continuous Effort — Not Strength or Intelligence — Is the Key to Unlocking and Using Our Potential
Winston Churchill? Liane Cordes? Liane Cardes? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: On two popular websites with large collections of quotations I found an appealing statement ascribed to the famous statesman Winston Churchill: Continuous effort — not strength or intelligence — is the key to unlocking our potential. No citations were provided, and I have been …
Quote Origin: Attitude Is a Little Thing That Makes a Big Difference
Winston Churchill? Theodore Roosevelt? Zig Ziglar? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: I work in an office where they hang inspirational posters on the wall. The caption of one sign credits the following words to the master orator Winston Churchill: Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. I think that the person who …
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Quote Origin: I Have the Simplest Tastes; I Am Always Satisfied with the Best
Oscar Wilde? Edgar Saltus? Winston Churchill? Randolph Churchill? Lord Birkenhead? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: I have discovered two very similar quotations that are credited to two very different people. The first is ascribed to the legendary wit Oscar Wilde: I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best. The second saying …
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Quote Origin: Americans Will Always Do the Right Thing — After Exhausting All the Alternatives
Winston Churchill? Abba Eban? An Irishman? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: While watching a cable news channel I heard a commentator present a quotation that he credited to Winston Churchill. When I searched the web I found many different versions: (1) Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing…after they have exhausted …
Anecdote Origin: It Will Take Them Ten Years to Prove Me Wrong
Winston Churchill? Paul S. Nadler? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: I heard this story many years ago at an economics convention. I’ve contacted the Churchill Archive and a couple of renowned Churchill scholars, and so far the answer seems to be “apocryphal,” as with so many great quotes attributed to the Great Quote Magnet. But …
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Quote Origin: I Am Always Ready to Learn, Although I Do Not Always Like Being Taught
Winston Churchill? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: My question is about a quotation spotlighted in a recent news story. Two massive power companies merged and this caused a boardroom battle. The CEO, Bill Johnson, of the combined enterprise was abruptly ousted. Johnson reportedly alienated his new board members by using a saying attributed to Winston …
Quote Origin This Is the Sort of Nonsense Up With Which I Will Not Put
Winston Churchill? Rudy Vallee? Army Captain? High School Teacher? The Strand Magazine? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: My question concerns a memorable anecdote about the statesman Winston Churchill and the fine points of grammar. In the past many books offering grammatical advice told readers that they must never end a sentence with a preposition. Years …
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Quote Origin: Men Occasionally Stumble Over the Truth, But They Pick Themselves Up and Hurry Off
Winston Churchill? Simon Singh? Stanley Baldwin? The Reader’s Digest? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Simon Singh is a fine author who writes knowledgeably about mathematical and scientific topics. His book “Big Bang: The Origin of the Universe” credited the following words to the statesman Winston Churchill: Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of …
Quote Origin: Here are Two Tickets for the Opening of My Play. Bring a Friend—If You Have One
George Bernard Shaw? Winston Churchill? Randolph Churchill? Noel Coward? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The sharpest example of repartee that I have ever heard about was a famous exchange between George Bernard Shaw and Winston Churchill about a pair of tickets to a play. Shaw: I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of …