One of my pet peeves involves the way that many writers, bloggers, and others use quotations in their work. Quotations are great, but so is taking the time to track down the real source of the quote. “Martin Luther King once said” is somewhat helpful, but too often the quote has been altered since its creation, and taking the time to find a source (or at least clarify that the real source can’t be found) strikes me as an essential part of the process of creating content, both to honor the source of the quotation and to honor the time and attention of the reader. Even in cases where identifying the first use of a phrase is problematic, helping the reader to understand the context of the quote (the identity of the source, the overall context of their work, etc.) is very helpful in grasping the full meaning and, perhaps, to begin to understand the fullness of the intent of the words.
So, as I do my work of writing and creating content, I sometimes come across a helpful quote that has been included in something that I am using as a source or inspiration. Generally, I try to track down the original source; when I find it, I include it here so that others might not need to duplicate my efforts. In some cases (i.e. Kevin Watson’s work on John Wesley quotes), I am simply directing you to others who have spent time on this kind of thing as well.
Enjoy, and I hope that this is helpful to someone out there. If you have corrections to any of this, please let me know!
George Erasmus: Where common memory is lacking…
George Erasmus, former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (in what we now refer to as Canada) and a member of the Dene Nation, offers this deeply insightful quote: Where common memory is lacking, where people do not share in the same past, there can be no...
Shakespeare: “Grace” in an ungracious mouth…
...that word "grace." In an ungracious mouth is but profane. This first came across my radar as: The word "grace," in an ungracious mouth, is profane... The quote comes from Richard II, Act 2, Scene 3. It's a nice quote, but in context it doesn't really mean what one...
Thoreau: …lives of quiet desperation.
Credited to Henry David Thoreau, the full quote is: The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. I've seen this attributed to a couple of his writings, including Civil Disobedience. The correct source for the quote is from his classic Walden, and it is found in...
C.S. Lewis: Love is never wasted, for its value does not rest upon reciprocity.
This quote pops up from time to time on social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest), as well as various sites that offer quotations, and the general attribution suggests that the great C.S. Lewis gave it to us: Love is never wasted, for its value does not...
Money is the Root of All Evil
This one comes up more often than you might think, and I've even heard it from seminary students: Money is the root of all evil. It's never a good idea to toss out quotes from the Bible (or, really, any other sacred writings - or perhaps any writings at all) without...
John Wesley: …starched and ironed before they were washed…
I recently heard a quote which was attributed to John Wesley; it has a nice ring to it, but... Well, first, here's the quote: The Church recruited people who had been starched and ironed before they were washed. Searching Wesley's Works (and additiona searches of his...
Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery…
The common quote goes as follows: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. This is actually a portion of a longer quote that is attributed to Oscar Wilde: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness. There are some helpful...
John Wesley: You have nothing to do but save souls…
One key quotation from John Wesley that comes up in various contexts is: You have nothing to do but to save souls. Therefore spend and be spent in this work. This is a valid quote, but the original source is rarely cited. It is found in the document Minutes of Several...
Julian of Norwich: All shall be well…
Some variants of this quote show up from time to time, often as memes, correctly attributed to Julian of Norwich: All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well... This is taken from Revelations of Divine Love, written circa 1373....
John Wesley: I set myself on fire…
There are several variants of this: I set myself on fire and people come to watch me burn... Kevin Watson has done work on this and other Wesley quotes, so I refer the reader to his blog - click here.
