Wikiquote:Reference desk

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Questions and discussions about specific quotes.

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The Wikiquote Reference desk serves the same function as a library reference desk. Do you have a specific question about quotations that you want answered by volunteers at Wikiquote? Ask below!

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"For most men the pursuit of God means not running away quite as fast."

What is the correct quote and who is the author? I thought it was A. W. Tozer, but I can't find it any where. --anon —This unsigned comment is by Gayle (talkcontribs) 08:10, 3 February 2010.

Does anyone know who said, and the exact wording on the following?

Men who rule men rule men who rule machines and men who rule money rule them both.

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How many films do you list at WikiQuote please?

How many films do you list at WikiQuote please? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 80.218.213.159 (talk) 19:25, 28 March 2010

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M A S H quote

"ladies and gentlemen take my advice, take off your pants and slide on the ice.".....sydney freidman.

What episode is this from???? Why isn't it in your list of M A S H quotes? Can it be added please? —This unsigned comment is by Ded 96 (talkcontribs) 19:58, 28 March 2010.

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Wisdom from trees.

Anyone know a quote that runs broadly as follows:

There's more wisdom to be found in one hour spent looking at a tree than a hundred years reading books.


Many thanks,

--anon —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 86.142.238.110 (talk) 05:46, 15 April 2010

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Why would a site be black listed, and how do I get it off such a list

I wanted to add www.mansonquotes.com to Marilyn Mansons quote page but it said that it was black listed. why? How does that get removed? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 142.176.13.22 (talk) 05:27, 28 June 2010

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who said

which actress said? marvelous darling just marvelous? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.182.63.118 (talk) 18:03, 7 July 2010

Joanna Lumney regularily in her hit tv series "Absolutely Fabulous" —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 83.70.240.233 (talk) 01:59, 25 January 2012

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getting permission to use a quote. Also identifying where a quote is from

I want to use a quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes in my novel. How do I get permission? Also, where did this quote occur. "I don't give a fig for simplicity on this side of complexity, but I would die for simplicity on the other side of complexity." Thanks 254 932-6745 —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 67.79.250.25 (talk) 18:19, 6 March 2011

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Colonization, assimilation and civilizing missions

who coined the saying and is this the whole saying? 'You stay in your village and I will stay in mine, If your sheep eat our grass we may kill you, If our sheep have no grass we may kill you anyway. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 114.78.28.240 (talk) 03:53, 26 April 2011

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Name of movie

I am looking for a movie that is a few years old. I am collecting some dancing/cheerleading/gymnastics movies with great music and for the life of me I can't remember the title of one I want.

The girl is rebellious and sent to take gymnastics. She is a show off at first but then starts fitting in. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 99.187.187.127 (talk) 04:13, 28 April 2011

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Ceaser's wife without doubt

who said that "Ceaser's wife is without doubt". Which is the other quote to counter this qoute? —This unsigned comment is by Jagdishshah (talkcontribs) 08:24, 28 July 2011.

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Where is this line from? Do anyone know the whole quote?

"between good and evil stands a warrior" Does anyone: 1) know the whole quote; 2) know where it comes from radio, tv, movie? I know it was used in a tv ad recently but i am wondering about the original usage. --lsid—This unsigned comment is by Lsid (talkcontribs) 01:53, 31 July 2011.

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Ronald Reagan quote

When (where and in what context) did Ronald Reagan say: "What Energy Crisis?"? Thank you. My e-mail address is: rob@lordanglin.com—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.4.10.107 (talk) 17:26, 6 September 2011

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Quotes

Where did the quote ‘Do you wanna piece of me?” come from? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.159.168.204 (talk) 09:41, 8 September 2011

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Who said? Quote

Who said:  "Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes; it is a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results" —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 65.23.212.42 (talk) 14:38, 22 September 2011

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how did daniel and friedrich keep warm in the winter

how did fredrich keep warm in the winter what danger did rosa face afer being fired from her job how did the group of young people punish the man who was stealing his childrens bread —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 174.91.150.236 (talk) 23:27, 1 November 2011

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quote about aging and re-experiencing adolescence

Looking for a quote that was part of Andrew Zuckerman's photo exhibit "Wisdom". I saw it in Toronto this year. The theme of the quote was that as the speaker became older, he/she felt they were increasingly going into an adolescent period, rather than becoming older and wiser. —This unsigned comment is by Connected (talkcontribs) 15:39, 9 November 2011.

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A Question About a Denise Levertov Quotation

I cannot locate or identify the source of the following quote by Denise Levertov; can you help me, please?

Acknowledgement, and celebration, of mystery probably constitutes the most consistent theme of my poetry from its very beginnings. Because it is a matter of which I am conscious, it is possible, however imprecisely, to call it an intellectual position; but it is one which emphasizes the incapacity of reason alone (much though I delight in elegant logic) to comprehend experience, and considers Imagination the chief of human faculties. It must therefore be by the exercise of that faculty that one moves toward faith, and possibly by its failure that one rejects it as delusion. Poems present their testimony as circumstantial evidences, not as closing argument. Where Wallace Stevens says, "God and the imagination are one," I would say that the imagination, which synergizes intellect, emotion and instinct, is the perceptive organ through which it is possible, though not inevitable, to experience God. A Poets View (1984)

from Walter R. Dickhaut at walterrdickhaut@yahoo.com—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.145.145.42 (talk) 12:56, 10 January 2012

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That's the way it goes. . . . . First your money then your clothes.

Does anyone know the rest of this verse?

—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 72.161.56.91 (talk) 27 February 2012

In my memory, was:

That's the way it goes... first your money, then your clothes, next your wife and then your life... That's the way it goes. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.88.119.169 (talk) 18:01, 23 June 2012

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marvelous simply marvelous darling

marvelous simply marvelous darling —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 75.144.52.25 (talk) 19:00, 13 March 2012

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Unknown quote about Father

Need help finding a quote I read a long time ago. Can't remember the exact words, just the content. It said: when i was young, my father was smart and know everything; when i grow up, i see that my father didn't know much of anything; when i was old and he was gone, wish he was still around to give me advice. That's the content i recall from memory, most likely not the exact wording. Similar to Mark Twain quote but Twain's quote only have 2 parts about being at 14 and 21 years old. I'm fairly sure this quote has 3 parts about being very young, being teenage year and being old age; very sure about the old age part. It's what i remember the most from the quote. Thanks for helping me find it. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.242.233.42 (talk) 15:14, 27 March 2012

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Kipling Signature

How can I find out if I have an authentic signature of Mr. Kipling?--50.124.20.40 17:21, 7 May 2012

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Citation details for a Marshall McLuhan quote

Hello,

Could you please help with the citation details for the following quote:

“Politics will eventually be replaced by imagery. The politician will be only too happy to abdicate in favor of his image, because the image will be much more powerful than he could ever be.”

I believe this is Marshall McLuhan and thought it was from The Medium is the Massage (1971), but can't find it. Any help greatly appreciated. Thank you,

--anon —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 124.149.80.16 (talk) 04:24, 13 May 2012

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Poem by James Allen OR Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Can you clearly determine who wrote this poem? I suspect that Mr Allen quoted Ms Wilcox without credit. (As a Man Thinketh, end of chapter 2) I found contradictions between your site and theotherpages.org with the credit given to either James Allen or Ella Wheeler Wilcox.

YOU will be what you will to be; Let failure find its false content In that poor word "environment," But spirit scorns it, and is free, It masters time, it conquers space, It cows that boastful trickster Chance, And bids the tyrant Circumstance Uncrown and fill a servant's place. The human Will, that force unseen, The offspring of a deathless Soul, Can hew the way to any goal, Though walls of granite intervene. Be not impatient in delay, But wait as one who understands; When spirit rises and commands, The gods are ready to obey. The river seeking for the sea Confronts the dam and precipice, Yet knows it cannot fail or miss; You will be what you will to be!

http://www.theotherpages.org/poems/wilcox01.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ella_Wheeler_Wilcox

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/James_Allen

Thank you! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 74.111.197.26 (talk) 18:05, 8 June 2012

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Quotation

Who said, "Stupidity may get you into trouble, but it is pride that keeps you there."? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 75.51.164.131 (talk) 17:39, 19 June 2012

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Beckett / Dance

In the Dance topic, there's a quote in the unsourced section, attributed to Samuel Beckett, "Dance first. Think afterwards. It's the natural order."

This is actually a paraphrase of an exchange in Waiting for Godot, which goes as follows:

ESTRAGON: Perhaps he could dance first and think afterwards, if it isn't too much to ask him.
VLADIMIR: [to Pozzo] Would that be possible?
POZZO: By all means, nothing simpler. It's the natural order.

From reading the style guide, it's not clear how this should be addressed. It's widely found on the Internet, so it would be nice to provide the correct attribution, but I'm not sure how to format this. —This unsigned comment is by Rosspnelson (talkcontribs) 14:41, 10 July 2012.

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“Dogs and philosophers do the greatest good and get the fewest rewards.” Who said it?

“Dogs and philosophers do the greatest good and get the fewest rewards.”

I’ve seen it attributed to Diogenes but that doesn’t seem to be right.

Thanks! Alison Cummins —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 216.191.72.153 (talk) 13:17, 7 August 2012

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Leave Virginia

I would travel more..but I never found a reason to leave Virginia: Thomas Jefferson?Bold text

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Quote by Dale Carnegie

I saw the quote "Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday" attributed to Dale Carnegie from his book published in 1948. But this exact line was voiced in the film "That's Right--You're Wrong", released in 1939. Does this mean the quote was falsely attributed? Or maybe that Carnegie said it first, but the wrong book was listed as the source?--174.54.217.43 19:01, 18 March 2013 (UTC)

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churchills famous quotes

i am looking for his famous saying as regards the battle:

" it is not the beginning of the end, neither is it the end of the beginning, it is.................etc.

—This unsigned comment is by 46.194.142.99 (talkcontribs) .
  • Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.
    • Winston Churchill (on the Battle of Egypt), speech at the Mansion House, London, 10 November 1942, in The End of the Beginning (1943)
    • Source: The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations (1999), p. 215
See the Winston Churchill article for more details. ~ Daniel Tomé (talk) 12:21, 19 March 2013 (UTC)
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Bold Formatting of Quotations

Frequently, some quotations (or excerpts of quotations) are formatted in bold text. What does this indicate? --Jurisfiction (talk) 18:41, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

Hudson taylor did he have a list of the popes in order for the future and the last one before coming of the lord?

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Quote help

Was this quote " No problem can be solved with the same consciousness that created it. We must learn to see the world anew," created by Einstein. I can't find the source. Please help. --anon

Have a look here, starting at "Problems cannot be solved by the level of awareness that created them." That was something Einstein supposedly said in 1954, but all the sources for such a statement are modern (i.e. posthumous attributions). Regards, DanielTom (talk) 15:36, 8 April 2013 (UTC)
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Who was quoted saying "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten"?

Who was quoted saying "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten"?

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Last modified on 3 May 2013, at 06:15