Search the Site

Posts Tagged ‘fred shapiro’

Quotes Uncovered: Who Wanted the Least Government?

Quotes Uncovered Here are more quote authors and origins Shapiro’s tracked down recently. Did Emerson Define Success? Why Go To Hell Via Handbasket? Your Quote Authors Uncovered Ten weeks ago, I invited readers to submit quotations for which they wanted me to try to trace the origins, using The Yale Book of Quotations and more recent research by me. Scores . . .



Quotes Uncovered: Did Emerson Define Success?

Nine weeks ago, I invited readers to submit quotations for which they wanted me to try to trace the origins, using The Yale Book of Quotations and more recent research by me. Scores of people have responded via comments or e-mails. I am responding as best I can, one or two per week. Debi asked: I have the following quote . . .



Quotes Uncovered: Why Go to Hell Via Handbasket?

Eight weeks ago, I invited readers to submit quotations for which they wanted me to try to trace the origins, using The Yale Book of Quotations and more recent research by me. Scores of people have responded via comments or e-mails. I am responding as best I can, a couple per week. Quotes Uncovered Here are more quote authors and . . .



Our Daily Bleg: Uncovering More Quote Authors

Seven weeks ago, I invited readers to submit quotations for which they wanted me to try to trace the origins, using The Yale Book of Quotations and more recent research by me. Dozens responded via comments or e-mails. I am responding as best I can, a couple per week. Authors Uncovered Here are more quote authors Shapiro’s tracked down recently. . . .



Our Daily Bleg: Your Quote Authors Uncovered

Six weeks ago, I invited readers to submit quotations for which they wanted me to try to trace the origins, using The Yale Book of Quotations and more recent research by me. Dozens responded via comments or e-mails. I am responding as best I can, a couple per week. Jeffrey asked: How about “It is better to be thought a . . .



Our Daily Bleg: More Quotation Authors Uncovered

Five weeks ago, I invited readers to submit quotations for which they wanted me to try to trace the origins, using The Yale Book of Quotations and more recent research by me. Dozens responded via comments or e-mails. I am responding as best I can, a couple per week. Authors Uncovered Here are more quote authors Shapiro’s tracked down recently. . . .



Our Daily Bleg: More Quote Authors Uncovered

Four weeks ago I invited readers to submit quotations for which they wanted me to try to trace the origins, using The Yale Book of Quotations and more recent research by me. Dozens responded via comments or e-mails. I am responding as best I can, a couple per week. Bill asks: I think that this is from Ambrose Bierce, but . . .



Our Daily Bleg: More Quote Authors Uncovered

Three weeks ago, I invited readers to submit quotations for which they wanted me to try to trace the origins, using The Yale Book of Quotations and more recent research by me. Dozens responded via comments or e-mails. I am responding as best I can, a couple per week. Mark C asks: I’d love to see a definitive attribution to . . .



Our Daily Bleg: Let Me Trace Your Quotes

Two weeks ago, I invited readers to submit quotations for which they wanted me to try to trace the origins, using The Yale Book of Quotations and more recent research by me. Dozens responded via comments or e-mails. I am responding as best I can, a couple per week.



Answering Your Blegs for a Change

Our resident quote bleggar Fred Shapiro, editor of The Yale Book of Quotations, is back, but this time he answers your quotation blegs. If you have a bleg of your own — it needn’t have anything to do with quotations — send it along here. Last week I invited readers to submit quotations for which they wanted me to try . . .



Our Daily Bleg: What Quotes Do You Want Me to Trace?

Our resident quote bleggar Fred Shapiro, editor of The Yale Book of Quotations, is back with another request. If you have a bleg of your own — it needn’t have anything to do with quotations — send it along here. Reader Jeff Ritter poses the following question: So I have been using this quote that supposedly came from Alexander Fraser . . .




Our Daily Bleg: Got Any Quotes From the Courtroom?

Our resident quote bleggar Fred Shapiro, editor of The Yale Book of Quotations, is back with another request. If you have a bleg of your own — it needn’t have anything to do with quotations — send it along here. Turning from comic strips to a weightier arena, I would welcome suggestions of notable quotations from United States Supreme Court . . .



Our Daily Bleg: What’s the Best From the Funny Pages?

Our resident quote bleggar Fred Shapiro, editor of The Yale Book of Quotations, is back with another request. If you have a bleg of your own — it needn’t have anything to do with quotations — send it along here. In my last bleg, I asked for the most famous quotations of all time from comic books or graphic novels. . . .



Our Daily Bleg: Holy Comic Quotations, Batman!

Our resident quote bleggar Fred Shapiro, editor of The Yale Book of Quotations, is back with another request. If you have a bleg of your own — it needn’t have anything to do with quotations — send it along here. I would welcome suggestions of what are the most famous quotations of all time from comic books or graphic novels. . . .



Our Daily Bleg: Can You Translate From Spanish?

Our resident quote bleggar Fred Shapiro, editor of The Yale Book of Quotations, is back with another request. If you have a bleg of your own — it needn’t have anything to do with quotations — send it along here. I would welcome suggestions of famous quotations from Spanish or Latin American literature, history, or culture, particularly if they are . . .



Our Daily Bleg: What’s Been Said About Math?

Our resident quote bleggar Fred Shapiro, editor of the Yale Book of Quotations, is back with another request. If you have a bleg of your own — it needn’t have anything to do with quotations — send it along here. Photo: foundphotoslj Recently, after a Wall Street Journal article named The Yale Book of Quotations as the second-most-essential reference book . . .



Our Daily Bleg: Is Modern Literature Out of Compelling Quotations?

Our resident quote bleggar Fred Shapiro, editor of the Yale Book of Quotations, is back with another request. If you have a bleg of your own, send it along here. Thanks to all who posted recent advertising slogans for my last bleg. Let me belatedly acknowledge the comments of some by agreeing that, yes, television is probably the one among . . .




Our Daily Bleg: 21st Century Movie Lines Only

Our resident quote bleggar Fred Shapiro, editor of the Yale Book of Quotations, is back with another request. If you have a bleg of your own, send it along here. Thanks to all for the hundreds of responses to the movie lines bleg. I was looking for 21st-century quotes, but there was some confusion on the issue. My sense is . . .



Our Daily Bleg: British TV Only, Please

Our resident quote bleggar Fred Shapiro, editor of the Yale Book of Quotations, is back with another request. If you have a bleg of your own — it needn’t have anything to do with famous quotations — send it along here. Now, before you consider Fred’s latest request below, just ask yourself: Are you having a laugh? Thanks to the . . .



Our Daily Bleg: What TV Catchphrase Do You Abuse?

Here’s the latest guest bleg from Fred Shapiro, editor of the Yale Book of Quotations. His past blegs can be found here; send us your own bleg requests here. The Yale Book of Quotations has a large section of the most famous television catchphrases. The list is stronger on pre-1980 catchphrases than post-1980 catchphrases, perhaps reflecting the fact that my . . .



Our Daily Bleg: Wall Street Proverbs, Please

Here’s the latest guest bleg from Fred Shapiro, editor of the Yale Book of Quotations. His past blegs can be found here; send us your own bleg requests here. The Motley Fool used my blegging for modern proverbs as an inspiration to write about “investing proverbs.” Wall Street is indeed a rich source of memorable quotations, including: “Buy on the . . .



Our Daily Bleg: If You Don’t Bargain With Chips, Why Say It?

Here’s the most recent guest bleg from Fred Shapiro, editor of the Yale Book of Quotations. His past blegs can be found here. Send us your own bleg requests here. For years I have been posing a question about the term “bargaining chip” that no one has yet answered. This is widely assumed to be a poker metaphor, but I . . .



Our Daily Bleg: What’s the Best From 2008?

Here’s the most recent guest bleg from Fred Shapiro, editor of the Yale Book of Quotations. His past blegs can be found here. Send us your own bleg requests here. Thanks to the hundreds of people who have responded to my blegging for contributions of modern proverbs over the past two weeks. Now I turn to something that may have . . .



Our Daily Bleg: One More Call for Wit and Wisdom

Here’s the most recent guest bleg from Fred Shapiro, editor of the Yale Book of Quotations. His past blegs can be found here. Last week I blegged for examples of modern proverbs, like “Sh*t happens,” “It takes a village to raise a child,” “Different strokes for different folks,” “The opera ain’t over until the fat lady sings,” “There ain’t no . . .



Our Daily Bleg: Got Anything Else Like “Sh*t Happens”?

Here’s the most recent guest bleg from Fred Shapiro, editor of the Yale Book of Quotations. His past blegs can be found here. Last week about 100 people responded to my blegging for examples of famous computer proverbs. In general, proverb dictionaries are filled with traditional sayings like “A stitch in time saves nine,” ignoring modern proverbs. Yet modern proverbs . . .



Our Daily Bleg: What’s Your Favorite Computer Proverb?

Here’s the most recent guest bleg from Fred Shapiro, editor of the Yale Book of Quotations. In recent weeks I have blegged for information about the origins of famous computer sayings, including proverbs such as “Garbage in, garbage out,” and, “Information wants to be free.” Computer culture seems to be a rich source of new proverbs such as these. For . . .



Our Daily Bleg: Where Did “Garbage” and “Bugs” Come From?

Here’s the latest bleg request from Fred Shapiro, editor of the Yale Book of Quotations. You can find his past blegs here and you can send blegs of your own here. The past few weeks I have been blegging for information about famous computer quotations to help with future editions of the recently published Yale Book of Quotations. Can anyone . . .



Our Daily Bleg: Did Olsen Really See “No Reason” to Own a P.C.?

Here’s the latest bleg request from Fred Shapiro, editor of the Yale Book of Quotations. You can find his past blegs here and you can send blegs of your own here. The past few weeks I have been blegging for information about famous computer quotations to help with future editions of the recently published Yale Book of Quotations. Another questionable . . .