The Quote Verifier: Who Said What, Where, and WhenSt. Martin's Publishing Group, 2007 M04 1 - 416 pages Our language is full of hundreds of quotations that are often cited but seldom confirmed. Ralph Keyes's The Quote Verifier considers not only classic misquotes such as "Nice guys finish last," and "Play it again, Sam," but more surprising ones such as "Ain't I a woman?" and "Golf is a good walk spoiled," as well as the origins of popular sayings such as "The opera ain't over till the fat lady sings," "No one washes a rented car," and "Make my day." |
From inside the book
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... president most likely to quote others, routinely misquoted them. That is why so many contemporary misquotations can be traced back to a speech by JFK. The most notable example is “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that ...
... president, researchers at the Harry S. Truman Library can find no evidence that he ever said it. Patterns of misattribution change with time and circumstances. As the prestige of another era's celebrities wanes, so does the practice of ...
... president Lawrence Summers. Geography is another important factor when credit for quotations is assigned. Who we think said something can be a function of where we live. In America, “Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing” is ...
... president's time. A spurious Jefferson warning about the power of banks includes the word “deflation,” a term coined long after his death. Many so-called Jefferson quotations peddled on conservative talk shows support positions such as ...
... President Jack Garner had retired for the night, and asked through the curtains of his sleeper compartment if he'd come out for an interview, Garner responded, “Hell, no; I ain't agonna get out of bed for anybody.” The reporter so ...