An analagous process I shall call Churchillian Drift...Whereas quotations with an apothegmatic feel are normally ascribed to Shaw, those with a more grandiose or belligerent tone are, as if by osmosis, credited to Churchill. All humorous remarks obviously made by a female originated, of course, with Dorothy Parker. All quotations in translation, on the other hand, should be attributed to Goethe (with 'I think' obligatory).
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Rees notes that quotes are often attributed to specific authors based on tone or gender rather than fact.
- In plain terms
- Tone and gender dictate who gets credited with quotes.
- What can you take from it?
- Beware of attributing quotes based on stereotypes.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What stereotypes do you see in quotes?
- Why do we trust certain names?
Another view
Sometimes the tone really matches the author's style.
More from Nigel Rees
My toils in the quotation field have led me to formulate two or three laws about the way people use and abuse quotations. My first law is: When in doubt, ascri…
Permalink to quote #1 I am only too aware that I am open to Rees's Second Law of Quotation: 'However sure you are that you have attributed a quotation correctly, an earlier source w…
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