I would like to find out:
1. Who wrote the quote below
2. When it first appeared
3. Biographical info on the author of the quote
4. The reference sources you used to get the answers.
Quote:
"Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention,
sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents
the wise choice of many alternatives."
What is known so far:
* Many Internet sources attribute the quote to either William A.
Foster, William Foster, or Willa A. Foster.
* According to The Quotations Page (www.quotationspage.com), the quote
comes from Poor Man's College (This is the collection of 2000 quotes
that Aapex software was giving away as a promotion for their
quotations CD. Unfortunately, Aapex Software has vanished and this is
pretty much all that's left.)
* There is also a very similar following quote by John Ruskin (English
Writer and Critic of art, architecture, and society, 1819-1900)
"Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of intelligent effort."
* Already checked resources: Wikipedia and various quotation websites
Thanks. |
Request for Question Clarification by
pafalafa-ga
on
16 Jan 2006 17:17 PST
Ha Ha. This is a good one. At least it's not attributed to Plato!
My work as a Google Answers Researcher has impressed upon me the great
number of catchy quotes -- usually attributed to Aristotle, or Mark
Twain, or Winston Churchill -- that simply have no clear-cut origins.
This particular one is especially cute, because from all appearances,
Willa A. Foster never actually existed -- at least not notably enough
that anyone appears to know who she is -- and though there are
numerous Will Foster's, there aren't any who originated this quote,
best I can tell.
The closest I've come is this:
--a 1993 book uses the quote, and cites the source as the Hadley
School for the Blind
--There is, in fact, such a school, and their website contains the
quote, and attributes it to one Dr. Ted Estabrooke, who was apparently
an educator affiliated with the school:
http://www.hadley-school.org/Downloads/txt/AR%20text%20for%20braille%202005%20sans%20captions.txt
?Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of high
intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful
execution.?
? DR. TED ESTABROOKE
But they don't, alas, cite an actual document or reference from which
the quote originated.
I'd be happy to contact the school to see if there is any additional
information, if you think that would be a worthwhile way to answer
your question. However, I can't assure you that it will result in
definitive information.
Let me know what you think.
pafalafa-ga
|
Request for Question Clarification by
pafalafa-ga
on
16 Jan 2006 20:00 PST
Well I'll be...
Looks like Estabrooke might have filched the quote. From Madison Avenue, no less.
The quote appears verbatim in the June 10, 1939 NY Times, in an ad for
and advertising agency. Look at the images named [ quality ] at this
link:
http://esnips.com/web/GoogleAnswers
and you'll see the tall man holding either a football or a flying
saucer espousing the exact same philosophy.
Of course, as to where *he* got the phrase from still remains a mystery...
paf
|
Request for Question Clarification by
pafalafa-ga
on
27 Jan 2006 15:44 PST
drewdaman-ga,
So....? Any thoughts on the information I provided on the NY Times ad.
The more I think about it (and the more I *don't* see any other
sources for this), the more I think that the advertising agency itself
is the source of the quote. Won't be the first time that advertisers
have come up with a catchy turn of a phrase.
Let me know what you think about all this.
paf
|
Clarification of Question by
drewdaman-ga
on
28 Jan 2006 09:46 PST
Pafalafa-ga:
It appears that you have satisfactorily provided answers to the
question #2 and #4, given the lack of information on the quote. I
appreciate your clarifications for the question. And, I'd like to
compensate you appropriately for the research you'd done for the
question. Would you suggest what the appropriate amount should be?
Thanks,
Drew
|
Request for Question Clarification by
pafalafa-ga
on
28 Jan 2006 17:26 PST
Drew,
Thanks for your note, and your kind offer.
The first thing that comes to mind is, Hey 2 out of 4 is 50%! So
maybe half-price is the way to go.
But the simple truth is that your question hasn't been fully answered,
and you're under no obligation to pay anything at all. If the spirit
moves you otherwise, than any amount offered would be more than fair.
It's entirely up to you, 'cause you daman, Drew.
paf
|
Clarification of Question by
drewdaman-ga
on
15 Feb 2006 08:59 PST
Hi pafalafa-ga:
Please put in what you've as the answer to the question so that I can
make the payment to you.
Thanks,
Drew
|
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