Quote Investigator® – Tracing Quotations

Quote Origin: Genius Is Hard Work, Stick-To-It-Iveness, and Common Sense

Thomas Edison? Julia Marlowe? Samuel Smiles? Anonymous?

**Portrait of Thomas Edison by Abraham Archibald Anderson from 1890**

Question for Quote Investigator: A famous entrepreneur once spoke about the ingredients needed for success. Here are two versions:

(1) I tell you genius is hard work, stick-to-it-iveness, and common sense.

(2) The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense.

These statements have been attributed to inventor and businessman Thomas Edison, but I have not seen solid citations. Would you please help?

Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1910 Frank Lewis Dyer and ‎Thomas Commerford Martin published the two-volume authorized biography “Edison: His Life and Inventions” which included the following remarks about genius. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

The idea of attributing great successes to “genius” has always been repudiated by Edison, as evidenced by his historic remark that “Genius is 1 per cent. inspiration and 99 per cent. perspiration.” Again, in a conversation many years ago at the laboratory between Edison, Batchelor, and E. H. Johnson, the latter made allusion to Edison’s genius as evidenced by some of his achievements, when Edison replied:

“Stuff! I tell you genius is hard work, stick-to-it-iveness, and common sense.”

“Yes,” said Johnson, “I admit there is all that to it, but there’s still more. Batch and I have those qualifications, but although we knew quite a lot about telephones, and worked hard, we couldn’t invent a brand-new non-infringing telephone receiver as you did when Gouraud cabled for one.”

The biography author Dyer was the general counsel of the Edison Laboratory and Martin was the former president of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers. Both authors were friends of Edison, and Edison participated in the creation of the book as discussed within an article printed in “The New York Times” in 1910:²

Not only has he read every word of it, testing the statements in it by original documents and a memory of stupendous retentiveness, but he has furnished to it several hundred pages of autobiography, nearly all of which is quoted in his own nervous and forceful language.

The crucial conversation containing the quotation was between Edison, Batchelor, and Johnson. QI does not know who described the conversation to the authors of the biography. In any case, Edison reviewed the text, and he endorsed the quotation; hence, QI believes that the quotation should be ascribed to Edison.

The variant statement containing the phrase “three great essentials” was attributed to Edison in 1917. The citation appears further below.

Here are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: A Cat Has Absolute Emotional Honesty. People Hide Their Feelings, But Cats Never Do

Ernest Hemingway? Leicester Hemingway? Elizabeth Hamilton? Lois L. Vine? Apocryphal?

**Picture of cats in a basket from Unsplash**

Question for Quote Investigator: The following statement appeared as a crossword puzzle clue in “The New York Times”:

Human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a ___ does not.

This statement was attributed to Ernest Hemingway, and the missing word was “cat”. But I am skeptical that Hemingway ever wrote or said this. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1961 Leicester Hemingway published “My Brother, Ernest Hemingway”. Ernest used the nickname “Baron” when referring to his brother Leicester. The remark about cats was ascribed to Ernest Hemingway by Leicester Hemingway. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

Much has been written about Ernest’s enormous fondness for cats. He claimed they were superior to people of unknown quality. “A cat has absolute emotional honesty, Baron,” he told me once. “Male or female, a cat will show you how it feels about you. People hide their feelings for various reasons, but cats never do.”

The accuracy of the quotation is dependent on the veracity of Leicester Hemingway. Ernest Hemingway died in 1961, the same year Leicester published the book about Ernest.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Anecdote Origin: I Hope Your Honor Will Have Mercy on a Poor Orphan

Artemus Ward? Charles Farrar Browne? Leo Rosten? Punch Magazine? Malakoff? Anonymous?

**Illustration of a wooden gavel and sounding block from Unsplash**

Question for Quote Investigator: A grotesque comical tale illustrates the notion of chutzpah. A young person was found guilty of murdering his father and mother. The judge asked, “Have you anything to say before I pass sentence?” The defendant replied, “I hope your Honor will show some consideration for the feelings of a poor orphan.”

The precise phrasing of the question and reply vary. This tale has been credited to the nineteenth-century U.S. humorist Artemus Ward, but I have not seen strong evidence, and I am skeptical. Would you please help me to find a citation?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest match known to QI appeared in April 1856 within the “New-York Daily Times”. The anecdote appeared in a section called “Paris Gossip”. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

French Sang Froid
A Frenchman was tried the other day in one of the Departments, for having killed his father and mother. The crime was committed under the most revolting circumstances; and at the end of the pleadings, when he was about to be condemned to death, the President of the Tribunal asked the usual question, if he had any thing to say in his defence?
“Mon Dieu, non, Monsieur le President,” he replied, “Only I hope you have pity on a poor orphan!”
MALAKOFF.

The setting was France, and the defendant and judge were anonymous. The correspondent who shared the tale was only identified with the single name “Malakoff”.

Another version of this tale with an Arkansas setting was presented by Artemus Ward in 1858, but the story was already in circulation. See the citations further below. Artemus Ward was the pseudonym of Charles Farrar Browne.

Here are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: The Young Man Knows the Rules, But the Old Man Knows the Exceptions

Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.? Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.? Clinton Cushing? Anonymous?

Question for Quote Investigator: Young people emerging from rigorous training are familiar with the rules of their professions, but it takes time and practical experience to recognize and adapt to the exceptions to these rules. A sage once said the following:

The young man knows the rules, but the old man knows the exceptions.

This remark has been credited to the influential U.S. physician Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. and the prominent U.S. Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Would you please help me to find a citation to resolve this ambiguity?

Reply from Quote Investigator: In March 1871 Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. delivered the valedictory address to the graduating class of the Bellevue Hospital Medical College in New York. The text of his speech was printed in “The New York Medical Journal” in April 1871. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

The young man knows the rules, but the old man knows the exceptions. The young man knows his patient, but the old man knows also his patient’s family, dead and alive, up and down for generations.

Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. deserves credit for the expression under examination. During subsequent years the attribution specified was often ambiguous. In 1981 the statement was incorrectly credited to the famous jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

Below are selected citations in chronological order.

Proverb Origin: If You Don’t Know Where You Are Going, Any Road Will Take You There

Lewis Carroll? Cheshire Cat? Caterpillar? Harry S. Albert? R. Elizabeth Jones? Manmatha Nath Chatterjee? Henry Miller? Theodore Levitt? Anonymous?

**Illustration of the Cheshire Cat by John Tenniel**

Question for Quote Investigator: Choosing goals in life is difficult but essential. The following absurdist proverb is pertinent:

If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.

This statement has been credited to the famous English author Lewis Carroll, but I do not think this precise phrase appears in any of his works. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1865 Lewis Carroll published “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” which contained a scene with Alice and the Cheshire cat. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

“Cheshire Puss,” she began, rather timidly, as she did not at all know whether it would like the name: however, it only grinned a little wider. “Come, it’s pleased so far,” thought Alice, and she went on, “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where—” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you walk,” said the Cat.
“—so long as I get somewhere,” Alice added as an explanation.
“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.”

QI believes that the proverb evolved from this scene in Lewis Carroll’s book. Here is an overview with dates showing a sampling of the variety of expressions and attributions:

1865: “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to” “I don’t much care where — ” “Then it doesn’t matter which way you walk” (Lewis Carroll)

1900 Jul: “That depends a good deal where you want to get to” “I don’t much care — ” “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go” (Attributed to Lewis Carroll)

1910 Dec: If you don’t care where you are going, it can not matter much which way you go (Attributed to a Caterpillar character)

1913 Dec: It doesn’t matter which way you go, if you don’t much care where you are going to (Attributed to the Cheshire cat of Lewis Carroll)

1941 Oct: When a man does not know where he is going, any road will take him to his destination (Harry S. Albert)

1941 Dec: When a man does not know where he is going, any road will take him to his destination (Attributed to Algo Henderson)

1942 Apr: If one does not know where he is going, any road will take him there (Manmatha Nath Chatterjee)

1942 Jun: If you don’t know where you are headed, any road will lead to your destination (Attributed to Anonymous)

1944 Oct: If you do not know where you are going, any road will get you there (Labeled an Oriental Proverb by R. Elizabeth Jones)

1945 Jun: If you do not know where you are going any road will take you there (Labeled an Ancient Saying by Manmatha Nath Chatterjee)

1958 Apr: If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there (Attributed to the Talmud by Daniel Bell)

1960 Jul: Unless he knows where he is going, any road will take him there (Theodore Levitt)

1969: If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will do (Attributed to Anonymous by John Argenti)

1977: Unless you know where you are going, any road will take you there (Attributed to Theodore Levitt)

1980: If you don’t know where you are going, every road will get you there (Attributed to Chips Bohlen by Henry Kissinger)

1990: If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there (Attributed to the Talmud by Martin Gardner)

2002: If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there (George Harrison)

A separate Quote Investigator article about an inverted saying is also available. The following title is a clickable link: Proverb Origin: If You’re Not Sure Where You’re Going, You’re Liable to End Up Someplace Else

Below are details for selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: If Your Idea Is Original, You Will Have to Ram It Down People’s Throats

Howard H. Aiken? Kenneth E. Iverson? Gregory W. Welch? Robert Slater? Apocryphal?

**Picture representing creativity from Unsplash**

Question for Quote Investigator: A cynical comment about innovation states that it is not necessary to fear the theft of your ideas because people obstinately resist imaginative ideas. If your idea is original, you will have to ram it down people’s throats. This notion has been attributed to Howard H. Aiken who was the main designer of IBM’s Harvard Mark I, the first programmable computer in the U.S. Would you please help me to find a citation?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The Spring 1985 issue of “The Computer Museum Report” of Boston, Massachusetts contained an article titled “Howard Hathaway Aiken: The Life of a Computer Pioneer” by Gregory W. Welch which included a version of the quotation:¹

… a comment that Aiken made to a student once betrays the attitude which earned him the enmity of some, and caused him to become disillusioned in later years: “Don’t worry about people stealing your idea,” he said. “If it’s original you will have to ram it down their throats.” This attitude represented what his critics claimed was Aiken’s condescending and superior air.

The footnote accompanying the quotation named “Iverson” as the source. This corresponded to computer scientist Kenneth E. Iverson who was Aiken’s student. The notes of the article listed the following document by Iverson which QI has not examined:

Kenneth E. Iverson, “Howard Aiken, Friend and Mentor,” April, 1973, Aiken Files, Folder: “Harry Mimno,” AOF.

The initialism AOF referred to the following archive:

AOF—Active files of Dr. Anthony Oettinger, Chairman, Program on Information Resources Policy, Harvard University, Aiken Computation Laboratories, 33 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Aiken died in March 1973. Hence, the document above was created by Iverson in the month after Aiken’s death. QI believes that the quotation is probably in this 1973 document. Alternatively, Gregory W. Welch heard the quotation directly from Iverson who credited Aiken.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Proverb Origin: If You’re Not Sure Where You’re Going, You’re Liable to End Up Someplace Else

Yogi Berra? Abigail Van Buren? Joe Garagiola? Laurence J. Peter? Robert F. Mager? Anonymous?

**Picture of a map with a compass from Unsplash**

Question for Quote Investigator: Selecting goals and targets is helpful. A collection of humorous sayings highlights the disadvantages of aimlessness. Here are three examples:

(1) If you don’t know where you are going you will never arrive.

(2) If you don’t know where you’re going, you’re going to wind up someplace else.

(3) You’ve got to be careful if you don’t know where you’re going because you might not get there.

Instances from this family have been credited to baseball player Yogi Berra, Canadian educator Laurence J. Peter, psychologist Robert F. Mager, and advice columnist Abigail Van Buren. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: Here is an overview with dates showing the variety of expressions and attributions in this family:

65 AD Precursor: When a man does not know what harbour he is making for, no wind is the right wind (Seneca the Younger)

1907 Nov 25: If you don’t know where you are going you will never arrive (Attributed to Anonymous)

1962: If you’re not sure where you’re going, you’re liable to end up someplace else—and not even know it (Robert F. Mager)

1969: If you don’t know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else. (Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull)

1969 Jun 06: If you don’t know where you’re going, you’re going to wind up someplace else (Attributed to Yogi Berra)

1969 Jul 22: If you don’t know where you’re going, you’re gonna wind up somewhere else (Attributed to Yogi Berra)

1969 Aug 09: People who don’t know where they’re going usually wind up somewhere else (Abigail Van Buren)

1972 Jan 31: If you don’t know where you’re going, you might wind up some place else (Attributed to Yogi Berra)

1979 Nov: If you don’t know where you’re going, you won’t know when you get there (Attributed to Yogi Berra)

1980 Nov 14: If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there? (Attributed to Yogi Berra)

1982 Aug 17: You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there (Attributed to Yogi Berra)

1983 Dec 29: You’ve got to be careful because if you don’t know where you’re going, you might never get there (Attributed to Yogi Berra)

1998: You’ve got to be careful if you don’t know where you’re going ’cause you might not get there! (Yogi Berra)

A separate Quote Investigator article about an inverted saying is also available. The following title is a clickable link: Proverb Origin: If You Don’t Know Where You Are Going, Any Road Will Take You There

Below are details for selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: The Individual Has Always Had to Struggle to Keep from Being Overwhelmed by the Tribe

Rudyard Kipling? Friedrich Nietzsche? Arthur Gordon? Anonymous?

**Picture of a blue peacock amongst yellow rubber ducks from Unsplash**

Question for Quote Investigator: The peer group exerts enormous pressure on the individual. Achieving and maintaining an independent viewpoint is arduous. An influential thinker stated the following:

The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.

The thinker believed that pursuing a personal path was worthwhile and said this:

No price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.

These statements have been attributed to the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and the English author Rudyard Kipling. I have never seen a solid citation. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: Rudyard Kipling died in 1936. In July 1959 “Reader’s Digest” magazine published an article by journalist Arthur Gordon titled “Interview With an Immortal”. Gordon stated that he interviewed Kipling at his home in June 1935. Gordon presented a quotation from Kipling about maintaining one’s identity. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

Looking back, I think he knew that in my innocence I was eager to love everything and please everybody, and he was trying to warn me not to lose my own identity in the process. Time after time he came back to this theme.

“The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you’ll be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.”

The accuracy of this quotation is dependent on Arthur Gordon’s veracity. Gordon became a respected editor who worked at “Good Housekeeping” and “Cosmopolitan” magazines. Gordon also authored fourteen books, and contributed pieces to “Reader’s Digest”, “Esquire”, “Collier’s”, “Saturday Evening Post”, and other periodicals.²

QI has found no substantive support for the attribution to Friedrich Nietzsche who died in 1900. Nietzsche implausibly received credit in 1996.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: Everything Beeps Now

George Carlin? Jeremy Clarkson? Carol Mueller? Larry Tobin? Bill Hall? Cheryl Saban? Ben Rubin? Apocryphal?

Question for Quote Investigator: Electronic devices beep when reporting notifications. Trucks beep when they are backing up. Microwave ovens beep when food is ready. A wit commented on our modern soundscape. Here are three versions:

(1) Everything beeps now.
(2) Now everything goes beep
(3) Everything beeps in this society.

U.S. comedian George Carlin has received credit for this quip, but he is a quotation magnet. Many jokes have been erroneously attributed to him. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: George Carlin did employ this quip in his 2001 book “Napalm & Silly Putty” which included a section called “Short Takes” with the following item. Boldface added to excepts by QI:¹

Everything beeps now.

Thus, George Carlin helped to popularize this quip, yet it was already in circulation. For example, in 1984 columnist by Larry Tobin of “The Tomahawk Leader” in Wisconsin wrote the following:²

Remember how it used to be that people made such a big deal over the fear of “things that go bump in the night?” …

Well that must have happened so often with no gruesome result that people finally ignored it. Nothing goes “bump” anymore, so somebody decided to change the format. Now everything goes “BEEP!”

Here are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Phrase Origin: A Solution in Search of a Problem

Author: Jerrold R. Zacharias? Abigail Johnson? S. Paul Johnson? Theodore Maiman? Anonymous?

**Exhibit at the ArtScience Museum of Singapore from Unsplash**

Technology: Laser? Nuclear Energy? Electronic Computer? Meteorological Satellite? Artificial Intelligence? Bitcoin? Blockchain?

Question for Quote Investigator: When the first laser was built it received high praise, but the applications of the invention were unclear. A clever phrase described the situation. Here are two versions:

(1) A solution in search of a problem
(2) A solution looking for a problem

Ultimately, many applications emerged. For example, lasers transmit data down optical fibers, and laser diodes read the data recorded on optical disks.

The phrase above has been applied to nuclear energy, computers, AI, bitcoin, and other technological developments. Would you please explore when this phrase emerged? Also, which technology originally inspired the coinage of this phrase?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest strong match found by QI appeared in March 1951 within the “Journal of the Electrochemical Society”. Jerrold R. Zacharias published a review of a book which discussed the economics of nuclear power. The title of the review contained the phrase under examination:¹

Nuclear Power — a solution in search of a problem

This title reflected Zacharias’s contention that the authors of the book had failed to find an economically advantageous use for nuclear power. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:

If this work were called “Economic Aspects of Cheap Heat,” it would be rightly named and beyond reproach. It seems to a nuclear physicist to be a fine work on industrial engineering, but it does not find the problem for which nuclear power is the solution.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.