Talk:Eleanor Roosevelt

During my recent sourcing edits on this page, I removed this variant of "Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me" as I could find no indications of any published source for it: "If someone betrays you once, it’s their fault; if they betray you twice, it’s your fault." I did find a similarly unsourced variant ending with "if they betray you twice, it’s yours." I see no reason to believe either of them actually originated with Roosevelt. ~ Kalki 20:07, 11 October 2007 (UTC)

This is my story has no page references for the quotes used, would someone please post them? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 74.244.29.221 (talk)

Possible origin for the disputed quote

Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, small minds discuss people.

French writer/poet Louis Farigoule (1885-1972), better known as Jules Romains, is credited with saying, "Les esprits d’élite discutent des idées, les esprits moyens discutent des événements, les esprits médiocres discutent des personnes". Although I've not been able to find a source for this quote so far.

Note the following source where Eleanor Roosevelt cites having interaction with Jules Romains: http://www.whitehousehistory.org/presentations/eleanor-roosevelt-my-day/column-1939-05-12.html#romains_j

"I once had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: no good in a bed, but fine up against a wall."

Please confirm that this quote is misattributed to Eleanor Roosevelt. It does not sound like something she would say. It is far too crass.

It took a few minutes to confirm that it is a real quote, so added it with source. 202.81.248.41 03:19, 17 April 2016 (UTC)

"From a speech given at the White Shrine Club, Fresno, California, quoted in The Event Makers I’ve Known (2012) by Elvin C. Bell, p. 161. She is described as being in her late 70s, so c. 1960–1962"

That's not a proper source. It appears to be a self-published (iUniverse) work of fiction, at most semi-autobiographical, not fact-checked by any publisher. Bell claims it is from a speech but gives no citation as to where he actually read it?

The full passage on page 161 alleged Bell was there (his three books claim he's interacted with practically every famous person, while being as credible as the film Forrest Gump in that regard):

It brought down the house. The women screamed and shouted for what seemed forever.

After her address, the police escort got us to the airport by noon for her flight to Los Angeles. (The Bee photo spread of Mrs. Roosevelt included the two of us together.

At the moment, the only text I can find citing it pre-2000s is an odd book of humor, which does not relate it as fact:

Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt is reported to have remarked that although she was flattered to have a rose named after her, she was not so pleased to read in the catalogue: ‘Mrs Eleanor Roosevelt: no good in a bed, but fine up against a wall?

Dunn, John. John Dunn's Curious Collection. Wheathampstead, UK. Leonard Books, 1982. 72.

"reported to have remarked" (and no citation) does not a confirmed quote make. Шизомби (talk) 11:41, 9 October 2024 (UTC)

Possible origin of quote “today is the oldest you’be ever been and the youngest you’ll ever been” rightfully atttributted to Eleanor Roosevelt?

Is the quote “today is the oldest you’be ever been and the youngest you’ll ever been” rightfully atttributted to Eleanor Roosevelt? Mimibar (talk) 19:18, 30 March 2023 (UTC)