WIST Quotations

Aldrich, Thomas Bailey -- Letter to Professor E.S. Morse (c. 1889)

Dave — Fri, 18 Nov 2022 16:59:29 +0000

It was pleasant to me to get a letter from you the other day. Perhaps I should have found it pleasanter if I had been able to decipher it. I don’t think that I mastered anything beyond the date (which I knew) and the signature (which I guessed at).

Thomas Bailey Aldrich (1836–1907) American writer, poet, critic, editor
Letter to Professor E.S. Morse (c. 1889)

Adams, John -- (Attributed)

Dave — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 06:04:57 +0000

The only thing most people do better than anyone else is read their own handwriting.

John Adams (1735–1826) American lawyer, Founder, statesman; US President (1797–1801)
(Attributed)

Widely attributed to Adams, but not found in his writings, not does it really sound like him. If authentic, the phrasing has probably been modernized from its original form.

Dunne, Finley Peter -- (Attributed)

Dave — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 16:47:05 +0000

I wonder why you can always read a doctor’s bill and you can never read his prescription.

Finley Peter Dunne (1867–1936) American humorist and journalist
(Attributed)