Re: quote sources

[Jone Johnson <jj@pbat.com>]

At 11:21 AM 7/4/99 -0400, you wrote:
>Hi everybody!
>The famous quote that begins "to laugh often and much" and ends "this is to
>have succeeded" (I hope you know what I mean) is often attributed to Ralph
>Waldo Emerson, but I have heard that this is inauthentic (ie, the quote
>cannot be located in any of his copious writings, journals, letters, etc).
>Anyone know if it is authentic or if not, where it really came from?  Just
>curious...
How convenient you asked this question!  I was about to write about this 
infamous one.
My page at http://www.wisdomquotes.com/success.html has a text of the quote 
as it usually is used, plus a pointer to one source with a possible 
explanation about the actual origin.
An online history acquaintance has recently written with more of the story 
-- I hope to get that online later this month, at that same address.
Basically, it is NOT Emerson, it is a much-revised version of a quote from 
the turn-of-the-century from a woman named Bessie Stanley.  (That 
allegation is already well-documented elsewhere online -- you'll find the 
link at the above web page.)
The FURTHER information is that a quote next to that Stanley quote in the 
collection in which it was published, WAS by Emerson.  Probably someone 
erred in taking notes on the quotations, and mis-attributed it to Emerson.
What's still not documented is the first appearance of the quotation in its 
current form, since the Stanley quote was quite different and the current 
quote seems to be fairly stable in its many appearances.
So .. still work to do for anyone who wants to be a quote detective.
(Because I also maintain a site about Emerson, I get an average of 3-4 
inquiries a week about the Success quote.  Which is why it's been important 
to me to document the origin online, where others can find it.)
The quote is still wonderful (I think), so I urge you not to take the quote 
off your sites if you've got it there -- but to correct the attribution 
and, if possible, link to either my page or the other online that clarifies 
the origin.  That way the many people who look up the quote will not be 
confused.
Just last week I got an email from someone who was arguing with my page 
about its misattribution, saying that because it was attributed to Emerson 
on so many other quotation pages, I must be wrong!
I wish it were Emerson.  I love the quote, anyway.  I certainly will 
continue to drink my morning coffee from the mug that has the quote, even 
with the attribution to Emerson!
-----
Jone Johnson   jj@pbat.com  ICQ# 160142
* Women's History: http://womenshistory.about.com
* Recommended reading: http://jjsbooks.com/books/featured.htm
* Links: my home page and sites: http://jjnet.com/sites
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