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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 08/10/2026

(1) Even the most ingenious technologist cannot make a collection of wheels, shafts, magnets and wires think. (2) There will never be a robot schoolmaster or governess. Insights from 1927 and 1928 quoteinvestigator.com/2026/10/07/n...

Illustration of a golden robot from erik_and_so_on at Pixabay

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 08/10/2026

Update: Earlier instance of a very popular saying: "That man" people used to say in Paris when I was there, "wrote a long book because he did not have the leisure to write a short one" 1652, Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac in Socrate Chrestien quoteinvestigator.com/2012/04/28/s...

French text: Si nous — nous conseillions aueque le Temps, il reduiroit nos excés à la mediocrité, outre les autres bons offices qu'il nous rendroit. CET HOMME, disoit-on à Paris, lors que i'y estois, A FAIT UN GRAND LIVRE PARCE QU'IL N'A PAS EU LE LOISIR D'EN FAIRE UN PETIT.

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 04/10/2026

A famous banker said: Heaven help America when she loses faith in slogans What prompted this remark and who delivered it? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/10/03/f...

The word 'Slogan' written in ornate calligraphy.

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 01/10/2026

The Day Came When the Risk to Remain Tight in a Bud Was More Painful Than the Risk It Took to Blossom Who crafted this statement: Anaïs Nin? Lassie Benton? Elizabeth Appell? Anonymous? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/10/01/b...

Picture of a lotus bud at the Memphis Zoo by Joshua J. Cotten at Unsplash

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 29/09/2026

Art is born of constraint, lives by struggle, and dies of freedom Who composed this maxim: André Gide? Albert Camus? Leonardo da Vinci What does it mean? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/09/29/a...

Mosaic version of The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 25/09/2026

Blessed Are the Cracked For They Shall Let in the Light Who originated this type of wordplay joke: Groucho Marx? Spike Milligan? Lydia Augusta Arsens? John Stuart Blackie? Dr. Parr? Anonymous? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/09/24/c...

Public domain image of a dark sphere with illuminated cracks

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 21/09/2026

Quote Origin: Growing Old Is Mandatory. Growing Up Is Optional Who said this: Gary Wright? Maurice Lutkin? Herb Caen? Chili Davis? Bumper Sticker? Anonymous? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/09/21/g...

Silhouette image of an old person and a young person from Khysrow Akbari at Unsplash. The image has been cropped and resized.

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 19/09/2026

Did a management consulting firm make the following prediction? The world market for copiers will never exceed 5,000 units quoteinvestigator.com/2026/09/19/m...

Illustration of a cat sitting on photocopier from Copilot

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 17/09/2026

It Is Impossible To Make Anything Foolproof Because Fools Are So Ingenious Who created the first quip of this type: English novelist Douglas Adams? Canadian cartoonist J. R. Williams? U.S. columnist Bill Vaughan? Anonymous? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/09/17/f...

Public domain illustration of a jester's hat

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 14/09/2026

You Can’t Live With Them, and You Can't Live Without Them How old is this saying? What was the topic: Women? Men? Neighbors? Wicked people? Irish people? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/09/14/l...

Silhouette of a couple back-to-back based on an image from Sujal Patel at Unsplash. The image has been altered, cropped, and resized.

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 10/09/2026

Your discussion thread from Sep 7, 2026 inspired the creation of a Quote Investigator article Quacks are the greatest liars in the world, except their patients quoteinvestigator.com/2026/09/09/q... @clgood.bsky.social @briandunning.bsky.social

Items used to care for medical patients from Unsplash

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 10/09/2026

Quacks are the greatest liars in the world, except their patients Who coined this saying: U.S. statesman Benjamin Franklin? U.S. physician Benjamin Rush? Scottish physician David Pitcairn? Anonymous? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/09/09/q...

Picture of items used to care for medical patients from Kristine Wook at Unsplash. The picture has been cropped and resized.

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 06/09/2026

Your discussion thread from Aug 28, 2026 inspired the creation of a Quote Investigator article The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any quoteinvestigator.com/2026/09/06/g... @sanddorn.bsky.social @guynes.bsky.social @stephenshapiro.bsky.social

Picture of a group of people in silhouette from Chang Duong at Unsplash

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 06/09/2026

The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any Who said this: Alice Walker? Rhona Raskins? William Martin? Anonymous? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/09/06/g...

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 04/09/2026

The following Quote Investigator article has been updated with six new citations. Thanks to Pete Morris, Ralf Buelow, Allan Olley, and I. B. Cohen I think there is a world market for about five computers quoteinvestigator.com/2026/08/29/m...

Picture of a person changing a vacuum tube in the ENIAC
(Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer).
U.S. Army Photo which has been cropped and resized.

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 30/08/2026

Did the leader of IBM make the following prediction? I think there is a world market for about five computers quoteinvestigator.com/2026/08/29/m...

Picture of a person changing a vacuum tube in the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer).

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 25/08/2026

All true stories end in death Did Ernest Hemingway write this? Is it apocryphal? Did Ernest Hemingway write something similar? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/08/25/s...

Image of “Sleep and His Half Brother Death” by English painter John William Waterhouse circa 1874.

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 22/08/2026

It ain't bragging if you can do it Who said this: Dizzy Dean? Muhammad Ali? Babe Ruth? Sonny Liston? Reggie Jackson? Anonymous? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/08/22/n...

Picture of a baseball stadium from Joshua Peacock at Unsplash. The image has been cropped and resized

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 18/08/2026

A prolific nineteenth-century poet who became famous posthumously said the following: I find ecstasy in living; the mere sense of living is joy enough Who was it? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/08/18/e...

Woman on the beach at sunset. Image from Jill Wellington on Pixabay.

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 16/08/2026

Wall Street Legend: A financier who received a stock tip from a shoeshine boy experienced this epiphany shortly before the crash of 1929: When a shoeshine boy knows as much as I do about the stock market it's time for me to get out. T or F? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/08/16/s...

Public domain picture of stock ticker by photographer Jaclyn Nash of the Smithsonian Institution

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 14/08/2026

The true character of a person cannot be hidden for a lengthy period behind a mask of deception. Was the following said by Maya Angelou, Oprah Winfrey, or someone else? When people show you who they are, believe them, the first time quoteinvestigator.com/2026/08/13/s...

Theater masks depicting Comedy and Tragedy from Pixabay

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 11/08/2026

This acerbic saying has been attributed to speculative fiction writer Harlan Ellison and musician Frank Zappa: Stupidity is like hydrogen; it’s everywhere, it’s the basic building block of the universe. Who was the first to say this? (updated article) quoteinvestigator.com/2014/01/09/h...

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 10/08/2026

Your request of June 8, 2026, inspired the creation of a Quote Investigator article: When the bird and the book disagree, always believe the bird @scarequotes.com

Illustration of a Winter Hawk from John James Audubon

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 10/08/2026

Direct observation supersedes indirect knowledge. John James Audubon often receives credit for the following saying: When the bird and the book disagree, always believe the bird Is this attribution correct? Let's gather some data: quoteinvestigator.com/2026/08/09/b...

Illustration of a Winter Hawk from John James Audubon. Plate 71 in the series Birds of America 1827-1838.

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 07/08/2026

Don't just do something, sit there Who crafted this quip: Thich Nhat Hanh? Sylvia Boorstein? Peg Bracken? Ollie Crawford? Anonymous? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/08/06/s...

Mary Cassatt's painting of "Little Girl in a Blue Armchair"

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 04/08/2026

No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible Who deserves credit for this saying: French wit Voltaire? Polish aphorist Stanisław Jerzy Lec? U.S. comedian George Burns? Anonymous? quoteinvestigator.com/2022/04/26/s... (Updated article)

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 03/08/2026

No individual raindrop ever considers itself responsible for the flood Who deserves credit for the saying above: John Ruskin? Douglas Adams? Sydney J. Harris? Anonymous? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/08/02/r...

A picture of raindrops striking a water surface from Alex Dukhanov at Unsplash.

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 31/07/2026

A writer faced harsh criticism at a meeting of the Harlem Writers Guild. She vowed to improve: If I wanted to write, I had to be willing to develop a kind of concentration found mostly in people awaiting execution. Who was this writer? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/07/30/w...

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 29/07/2026

The following was spoken by lexicographer Samuel Johnson: Depend upon it, Sir, when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully. Johnson's goal was to mislead! Why was Johnson engaging in deception? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/07/29/c...

Illustration of tangled rope from Milada Vigerova at Unsplash. The image has been retouched, resized, and cropped.

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 24/07/2026

Two influential scientists considered multilayer perceptron networks (i.e., digital neural networks) in 1969 and wrote: "Our intuitive judgment that the extension Is sterile". This was the greatest misjudgment in the history of modern technology. Who wrote it? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/07/24/p...

Illustration depicting an abstract network of connections from geralt at Pixabay. Image has been cropped and resized.

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 21/07/2026

An unhappy politician delivered the following legendary concession speech: The people have spoken—the bastards. Was this legend true or false? Who was the politician? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/07/21/p...

Picture of stickers stating “I Voted” from Unsplash.

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 19/07/2026

In the 1950s the host of a popular TV show about religion spoke the following line while accepting an award: It is time that I also pay tribute to my four writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Did this really happen? Who was the host? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/07/19/f...

A book page displaying the Gospel of John from Unsplash

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 16/07/2026

People don’t really read your books; they only say they do to keep you from feeling bad Is this a genuine Mark Twain quotation? Is this the melancholy coda of an AI generated novel? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/07/16/r...

Detail from the painting The Librarian by Giuseppe Arcimboldo circa 1566. The image has been cropped and resized.

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 14/07/2026

Common Sense Is That Which Tells Us the World Is Flat Who crafted this saying: Albert Einstein? George Bernard Shaw? Stuart Chase? Robert Anton Wilson? Minot Judson Savage? Anonymous? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/07/14/f...

Earth as seen by the Apollo 17 crew. Image obtained from the official website nasa.gov.

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 11/07/2026

Did Winston Churchill make the following cynical remark about the electorate? The best argument against Democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter quoteinvestigator.com/2026/07/10/d...

Illustration of a ballot box from Element5 Digital at Unsplash. The image has been cropped and retouched.

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 07/07/2026

As I looked out into the night sky, across all those infinite stars it made me realise how insignificant they are Who crafted this quip: Peter Cook? Russell Brand? George Weiss? Anonymous? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/07/07/n...

Photo of a starry sky from Jeremy Perkins at Unsplash. The image has been cropped and resized.

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 04/07/2026

Did German naturalist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt craft the following warning: The most dangerous worldview is the worldview of those who have not viewed the world quoteinvestigator.com/2026/07/04/n...

Public domain map of a fantasy world with dragons and serpents. The image has been resized

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 02/07/2026

Your blogpost of Feb 12, 2015 helped inspire creation of Quote Investigator article @glennbranch.bsky.social Everything is what it is because it got that way Biologist D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson? Economist Kenneth E. Boulding? Philosopher Daniel Dennett? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/07/01/g...

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 01/07/2026

Your message from June 29 inspired the creation of Quote Investigator article: @bjkeefe.bsky.social Everything is what it is because it got that way Biologist D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson? Economist Kenneth E. Boulding? Philosopher Daniel Dennett? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/07/01/g...

Illustration from the 1917 book "On Growth and Form" by D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson.

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 01/07/2026

Who said this: Everything is what it is because it got that way Biologist D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson? Economist Kenneth E. Boulding? Philosopher John Hospers? Philosopher Daniel Dennett? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/07/01/g...

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 30/06/2026

I took a course in (speed reading), learning to read straight down the middle of the page, and was able to go through 'War and Peace' in 20 minutes. ... It’s about Russia. Attributed to Woody Allen by Herb Caen in 1967 quoteinvestigator.com/2015/12/08/s...

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 29/06/2026

Did a famous mathematician say the following? Mathematics is the simple bit. It’s the stuff we can understand. It’s cats that are complicated quoteinvestigator.com/2026/06/29/m...

Picture of a kitten with a flower from Dimhou at Pixabay

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 27/06/2026

Your inquiry from June 26 inspired the creation of a Quote Investigator article: @moochie6us.bsky.social Did Jack London say his? Keep a notebook. Travel with it, eat with it, sleep with it. Slap into it every stray thought that flutters up into your brain. quoteinvestigator.com/2026/06/27/k...

Public domain image of a collection of notebooks

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 27/06/2026

Did novelist Jack London offer this advice? Keep a notebook. Travel with it, eat with it, sleep with it. Slap into it every stray thought that flutters up into your brain quoteinvestigator.com/2026/06/27/k...

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 24/06/2026

Your messages from Mar 30 and Jun 22 inspired the creation of a Quote Investigator article: @shlead.bsky.social If you hear a voice within you say, ‘You cannot paint,’ then paint all the more, and that voice will be silenced quoteinvestigator.com/2026/06/24/v...

Public domain image of the painting "The Starry Night" by Vincent van Gogh.

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 24/06/2026

Did a famous artist craft the following inspiring message? Is the popular attribution a hoax? If you hear a voice within you say, ‘You cannot paint,’ then paint all the more, and that voice will be silenced quoteinvestigator.com/2026/06/24/v...

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 22/06/2026

Providing help to a person sometimes masks a desire for domination. Here is a pertinent saying: Help is the sunny side of control Who crafted this? Anne Lamott? Robin Norwood? Linda Ann Loschiavo? Brené Brown? Anonymous? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/06/22/s...

Public domain illustration of a marionette.

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 21/06/2026

Your inquiry from June 12 inspired a Quote Investigator article: @vils.bsky.social ‬ Russia is never as strong as she looks; Russia is never as weak as she looks. Who crafted this: Churchill? Bismarck? Talleyrand? Metternich? Pilsudski? Anonymous? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/06/20/r...

Picture of Moscow at night from Serge Kutuzov at Unsplash.
The image has been cropped and resized.

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 21/06/2026

Russia is never as strong as she looks; Russia is never as weak as she looks. Who crafted this statement: Winston Churchill? Otto von Bismarck? Charles de Talleyrand? Klemens von Metternich? Jozef Pilsudski? Anonymous? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/06/20/r...

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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 18/06/2026

Quote Origin: Punks Are Basically Nice People Pretending To Be Mean, Whereas Hippies Are Mean People Pretending To Be Nice How old is this saying? Who created it? Gordon Edgar? John Ross Bowie? Anonymous? quoteinvestigator.com/2026/06/18/p...

Image Notes: Painted hippie-style van from Vasilios M and Unsplash.
The image has been cropped and resized.

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