Quote Investigator® – Tracing Quotations

Quote Origin: It Ain’t Bragging If You Can Do It

Dizzy Dean? Muhammad Ali? Sonny Liston? Reggie Jackson? Babe Ruth? Anonymous?

**Picture of a baseball stadium from Unsplash**

Question for Quote Investigator: Unfounded boasts are criticized, but an individual who sets and accomplishes an audacious goal can win praise. Here are three versions of a pertinent saying:

(1) It ain’t bragging if you can do it.
(2) It ain’t bragging when you can do it.
(3) It ain’t bragging if it’s true.

This saying has been attributed to three baseball players: Dizzy Dean. Reggie Jackson, and Babe Ruth. It has also been credited to two boxers: Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: U.S. professional baseball pitcher Jay Hanna Dean was known by his nickname Dizzy Dean. In 1934 he published an article in several newspapers which discussed bragging. Dean communicated the central idea of the saying, but he employed a different phrasing:¹

There’s one thing about us Deans. Some people think we do a lot of bragging, but we don’t figure it’s bragging. When we say we’re good we say it because we believe it down in our hearts and I—I kinda think you could get a pretty good argument out of Mickey Cochrane if you tried to tell him that we weren’t so hot as pitchers.

What I started to say, though, was that we don’t brag. Whenever we say we’re going to do something we go out and do it.

Dizzy Dean’s extraordinary pitching performance helped his team, the St. Louis Cardinals, win the National League pennant and the World Series in 1934. QI believes that Dean’s essay was condensed and paraphrased over time to yield the sayings attributed to Dean. Below is an overview showing the evolution of the phrase together with dates and attributions.

1934: We don’t brag. Whenever we say we’re going to do something we go out and do it. (Dizzy Dean)

1935: It’s not bragging when a fellow can back up anything he says. (Attributed to Dizzy Dean)

1943: If I can do what I say, it ain’t bragging, is it? (Attributed to Dizzy Dean)

1951: It ain’t bragging when you can back it up. (Attributed to Dizzy Dean)

1958: It ain’t bragging when you can do it. (Attributed to Dizzy Dean)

1959: It ain’t bragging if you can do it! (Attributed to Dizzy Dean)

1962: It ain’t bragging if you can do it. (Anonymous “old adage”)

1966: It ain’t bragging when you done done it. (Attributed to Dizzy Dean)

1968: If I tell the truth. It sounds like bragging. And if I don’t, I’m lying. (Sonny Liston)

1973: It ain’t bragging if you can do it. (Attributed to Muhammad Ali)

1974: It ain’t bragging if it’s true. (Attributed to Dizzy Dean)

1976: If you do it, it ain’t bragging. (A profound philosopher)

1990: It ain’t bragging when you can do it. (Attributed to Reggie Jackson)

1994: It ain’t bragging if you can do it. (Attributed to Babe Ruth)

2007: It’s not bragging if you can back it up. (Attributed to Muhammad Ali)

Below are details for selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: I Find Ecstasy in Living; the Mere Sense of Living Is Joy Enough

Emily Dickinson? Thomas Wentworth Higginson? Mabel Loomis Todd? M. Lincoln Schuster? Apocryphal?

**Photogravure of Emily Dickinson by artist Laura Coombs Hill**

Question for Quote Investigator: A prominent literary figure was asked about her life experiences, and she responded emphatically:

I find ecstasy in living; the mere sense of living is joy enough.

This remark has been attributed to nineteenth-century poet Emily Dickinson. Some sources claim that Dickinson wrote this statement in a letter, but I cannot find that letter, and I am skeptical. Would you please help me to find a citation?

Reply from Quote Investigator: Unitarian minister Thomas Wentworth Higginson was a literary mentor to Emily Dickinson. He visited her in August 1870, and he wrote about the event in “The Atlantic Monthly” in 1891. Dickinson’s comments to Higginson indicated that her experiences in life were invigorating. The word “ecstasy” was spelled as “ecstacy” in the following excerpt from the magazine text:¹

She went on talking constantly and saying, in the midst of narrative, things quaint and aphoristic. “Is it oblivion or absorption when things pass from our minds?” “Truth is such a rare thing, it is delightful to tell it.” “I find ecstacy in living; the mere sense of living is joy enough.”

Dickinson told Higginson about her method for recognizing poetry:

“If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know that is poetry. If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry. These are the only ways I know it. Is there any other way?”

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: When a Shoeshine Boy Knows as Much as I Do About the Stock Market It’s Time for Me to Get Out

Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.? Bernard Baruch? Joseph F. Dinneen? Apocryphal?

Question for Quote Investigator: Prescient investors pulled their money out of the U.S. stock market shortly before the crash of 1929. According to a Wall Street legend, a financier who received a stock tip from a shoeshine boy experienced the following epiphany:

When a shoeshine boy knows as much as I do about the stock market it’s time for me to get out.

I do not know the exact phrasing of this quotation, and this tale might be apocryphal. The story has been attributed to U.S. businessman Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and U.S. financier Bernard Baruch. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest match known to QI appeared in the 1959 book “The Kennedy Family” by journalist Joseph F. Dinneen. The book asserted that Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. started removing his money from the U.S. stock market in August 1929.

Kennedy did not fully explain his behavior at that time. The stock market catastrophically crashed in October 1929. Time passed, and a newsperson inquired about Kennedy’s foresight:¹

“How did that come about, Joe?” a reporter asked him years later.

“Very simply,” he said. “I dropped in at a shoeshine parlor on Wall Street. The boy who shined my shoes did not know me. He wasn’t fishing for information or looking for a market tip. He was the average wage earner or salaried employee playing the market like everybody else in that day. He looked up at me as he snapped the cloth over my shoes and told me what was going to happen to various stocks and offerings on the market that day.

“I listened as I looked down at him, and when I left the place I thought: ‘When a time comes that a shoeshine boy knows as much as I do about what is going on in the stock market, tells me so and is entirely correct, there is something the matter either with me or with the market and it’s time for me to get out,’ and I did.”

The author Joseph F. Dinneen was a long-time reporter for “The Boston Globe” of Massachusetts. Dinneen did not indicate when Kennedy delivered his explanation. Also, Dinneen did not specify the name of the reporter to whom Kennedy spoke. Perhaps it was Dinneen himself. The thirty-year delay between the crash and the publication of Dinneen’s book was substantial.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: When People Show You Who They Are, Believe Them, the First Time

Maya Angelou? Oprah Winfrey? Apocryphal?

**Theater masks depicting Comedy and Tragedy from Pixabay**

Question for Quote Investigator: The true character of a person cannot be hidden for a lengthy period behind a mask of deception. Here are two versions of a pertinent saying:

(1) When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.
(2) When someone shows you who they are the first time, believe them.

This notion has been attributed to writer Maya Angelou and entrepreneur Oprah Winfrey. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest match found by QI occurred in a commencement address delivered by Oprah Winfrey at Wellesley College in Massachusetts in May 1997. Winfrey credited the expression to Maya Angelou. Winfrey spoke about relationships in the following passage from her speech. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

One of the other great lessons I learned taught to me by my friend and mentor, Maya Angelou and if you can get this, you can save yourself a lot of time … Remember this because this will happen many times in your life.

When people show you who they are, believe them, the first time. Not the 29th time! That is particularly good when it comes to men situations because when he doesn’t call back the first time, when you are mistreated the first time, when you see someone who shows you a lack of integrity or dishonesty the first time, know that that will be followed by many, many, many other times that will at some point in life come back to haunt or hurt you. When people show you who they are, believe them, the first time. Live your life from truth and you will survive everything, everything, I believe even death.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: When the Bird and the Book Disagree, Always Believe the Bird

John James Audubon? Joseph Cornell? Patricia Holt? Jack Barclay? Birdwatcher’s Proverb? Jack Kornfield? Anonymous?

**Illustration of a Winter Hawk by John James Audubon**

Question for Quote Investigator: Much of our knowledge is obtained indirectly through reference books and instruction manuals. Yet, direct observation provides a more accurate guide. Here is pertinent saying from the domain of ornithology:

When the bird and the book disagree, always believe the bird.

This statement has been attributed to the prominent artist and naturalist John James Audubon, but I have not seen a solid citation, and I am skeptical. Would you please explore the provenance of this expression?

Reply from Quote Investigator: QI has not found any substantive evidence supporting the ascription to John James Audubon who died in 1851.

The earliest match found by QI appeared in the 1987 book “Listening to Nature: How to Deepen Your Awareness of Nature” by Joseph Cornell. The saying appeared as an epigram for section fifteen. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

“When the bird and the book disagree, always believe the bird.”
—Birdwatcher’s Proverb

Thus, Joseph Cornell helped to popularize this saying, but the originator remains anonymous.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: Don’t Just Do Something; Sit There

Thich Nhat Hanh? Sylvia Boorstein? Peg Bracken? Ollie Crawford? George D. Ludcke? Anonymous?

**Mary Cassatt’s painting of “Little Girl in a Blue Armchair”**

Question for Quote Investigator: Humorous sayings can be created by ingeniously transforming mundane expressions. Most people are familiar with the entreaty:

Don’t just sit there, do something.

However, the following reordered sentence indicates that inaction is often desirable:

Don’t just do something, sit there.

This saying has been attributed to Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, U.S. psychotherapist Sylvia Boorstein, and others. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest close match found by QI appeared in August 1954 within a news article by Ollie Crawford in “The Philadelphia Inquirer” of Pennsylvania. Crawford discussed a proposal to build radar warning platforms at sea. The platforms would be up to 125 miles away from land, and anyone stationed on such a distant platform would be lonely. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

Their orders will be: “Don’t just do something. Sit there.”

The statement above is a variant of an older quip using the word “stand” instead of “sit”. The first close match for this older expression appeared in the popular syndicated gossip column of Leonard Lyons in 1945. The quip was used by an actor and producer named Martin Gabel:²

At the first rehearsal of Irwin Shaw’s play, “The Assassin,” Producer Martin Gabel noticed a young actress gesticulating wildly instead of remaining motionless. Gabel shouted: “Don’t just do something; stand there.”

A separate Quote Investigator article about the phrase using the word “stand” is available here.

Here are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: No Individual Raindrop Ever Considers Itself Responsible for the Flood

John Ruskin? Douglas Adams? Sydney J. Harris? Paul Harvey? Stanisław Jerzy Lec? Anonymous?

**Raindrops striking a water surface from Unsplash**

Question for Quote Investigator: A group that acts in unison can cause enormous positive or negative changes. Each member of a group typically celebrates favorable developments but disavows adverse events. Here are three versions of a pertinent metaphorical adage:

(1) No single raindrop believes it is to blame for the flood.
(2) A single raindrop never feels responsible for the flood.
(3) No individual raindrop ever considers itself responsible for the flood.

This saying has been attributed to English writer John Ruskin, English humorist Douglas Adams, and U.S. journalist Sydney J. Harris. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest match found by QI appeared in the syndicated newspaper column of Sydney J. Harris in 1977. The article consisted of a series of miscellaneous thoughts such as these three items:¹

One of the dozen most frequently misspelled words (even in learned works) is “minuscule,” usually spelled “miniscule.”

No individual raindrop ever considers itself to be responsible for the flood.

What science smugly calls “natural laws” are really only partial observations: No doubt the house fly thinks of the swatter as a natural law.

Based on this citation, Sydney J. Harris is the leading candidate for creator of this saying; however, the central idea appeared more than a decade earlier embodied in a different metaphorical framework.

In September 1963 “Holiday” magazine of Pennsylvania printed a collection of sayings from the Polish satirist Stanisław Jerzy Lec. The sayings had been translated by Jacek M. Galazka. This item was included:²

No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible.

A separate QI article about the snowflake saying is available here.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: If I Wanted to Write, I Had To Be Willing To Develop a Kind of Concentration Found Mostly in People Awaiting Execution

Maya Angelou? Samuel Johnson? Sheree Crute? Salman Rushdie? Apocryphal?

**Illustration of a Royal brand typewriter**

Question for Quote Investigator: A writer, now celebrated, faced harsh criticism in the early days of her career. She responded by acknowledging that she required greater mental focus to succeed:

If I wanted to write, I had to be willing to develop a kind of concentration found mostly in people awaiting execution.

This statement has been credited to the memoirist and poet Maya Angelou. She was alluding to a remark made in the eighteenth century. Would you please explore this topic.

Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1981 Maya Angelou published the autobiography “The Heart of a Woman”. She described attending a meeting of the Harlem Writers Guild where she read from her work in progress, a play titled “One Life, One Love”. When she finished, she faced cruel comments such as:¹

“I found no life and very little love in the play from the opening of the act to its unfortunate end.”

After the period of criticism ended, the group transitioned to friendly conversation over drinks. Maya Angelou summed up her experience as follows:²

They had stripped me, flayed me, utterly and completely undone me, and now they were as cheery as Christmas cards.

I sipped the cool wine and thought about the evening’s instruction. Because I had a fairly large vocabulary and had been reading constantly since childhood, I had taken words and the art of arranging them too lightly. The writers assaulted my casual approach and made me confront my intention. If I wanted to write, I had to be willing to develop a kind of concentration found mostly in people awaiting execution. I had to learn technique and surrender my ignorance.

Angelou’s comment alluded to a popular quotation from lexicographer Samuel Johnson which appeared in “The Life of Samuel Johnson” by James Boswell in 1791:³

“Depend upon it, Sir, when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.”

A separate Quote Investigator article about Johnson’s quotation is available here.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: When a Man Knows He Is To Be Hanged in a Fortnight, It Concentrates His Mind Wonderfully

Samuel Johnson? James Boswell? William Dodd? Maya Angelou? Arthur C. Clarke? Vermont Royster? Apocryphal?

**Illustration of tangled rope from Unsplash**

Question for Quote Investigator: A prominent literary figure crafted a fascinating statement about concentration. Here are two versions:

(1) When a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.

(2) Nothing so wonderfully concentrates the mind as knowing you are going to be hanged in the morning.

This is a striking remark; however, I have heard that the underlying intent was deception. The literary figure was hiding a secret. Would you please help me determine the creator and the circumstance?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The first statement above was spoken by lexicographer Samuel Johnson, and it was recorded in 1777 by James Boswell in his famous 2-volume biographical work “The Life of Samuel Johnson” which was published in 1791. Interestingly, Johnson’s goal was to mislead.

James Boswell presented the backstory. The man confronting his impending death was William Dodd, an Anglican clergyman who had been convicted of forgery and sentenced to die by hanging. Boswell described Dodd:¹

And here is a proper place to give an account of Johnson’s humane and zealous interference in behalf of the Reverend Dr. William Dodd, formerly Prebendary of Brecon and chaplain in ordinary to his Majesty; celebrated as a very popular preacher, an encourager of charitable institutions, and author of a variety of works, chiefly theological. Having unhappily contracted expensive habits of living, partly occasioned by licentiousness of manners, he in an evil hour, when pressed by want of money, and dreading an exposure of his circumstances, forged a bond …

After William Dodd was imprisoned, he contacted Samuel Jonson through an intermediary and requested Johnson’s support to avoid execution. Johnson wrote several pieces which were subsequently ascribed to Dodd. For example, Johnson wrote “Speech to the Recorder of London”. Johnson also wrote “The Convict’s Address to His Unhappy Brethren”, a sermon delivered by Dodd while in prison.

The high quality of the material penned by Johnson led some to doubt that the ascription to Dodd was accurate. When Johnson was asked about Dodd’s authorship he replied in a misleading manner:²

“Depend upon it, Sir, when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.”

The above remark implied that Dodd was the author of the material that was written by Johnson. After William Dodd died, Johnson changed his stance. Johnson felt no obligation to keep his authorship secret because Dodd could no longer be helped. Hence, Johnson shared the truth with his biographer James Boswell.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: If You Understood What Communism Was, You Would Hope, You Would Pray on Your Knees That We Would Someday Become Communist

Jane Fonda? Lee Winfrey? David Bassett? Apocryphal?

Question for Quote Investigator: U.S. actress and activist Jane Fonda spoke on college campuses during the 1970s about the Vietnam War. I have seen claims that Fonda said something like the following:

If you understood what communism was … you would pray on your knees that we would someday become communist.

I am skeptical because I have not seen a solid citation. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest match known to QI appeared in the “Detroit Free Press” of Michigan on November 22, 1970, in an article by staff journalist Lee Winfrey. The newspaper article commented on Jane Fonda’s speaking tour:¹

Miss Fonda swept through Detroit and East Lansing this weekend near the end of a 25-day speaking tour to raise money to defend American soldiers who get in trouble with the Army.

The article presented the following remarks spoken by Jane Fonda to local students:²

“I would think that if you understood what communism was, you would hope, you would pray on your knees that we would someday become communist,” she told about 2,000 students at Michigan State University.

The peace proposal of the Vietcong, she told them, “is the only honorable, just, possible way to achieve peace in Vietnam.”

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.