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7 Famous Quotes You Definitely Didn't Know Were From

Women

Maseena Ziegler, WOMEN@FORBES

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Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

“Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration,” said Thomas Edison.

The quote immaculately and succinctly captures the ingredients to success, and appears to
be – at least to those who still believe he invented the light bulb - classic Edison: genius.

Except for one minor detail.

Edison never actually wrote or said those words. What’s more – experts now say that a
woman you’ve never heard of should get the credit.

And she's not the only one, though we'll never know all their names.

How Edison’s quote evolved hints at a tendency of prevailing culture to put words in the
mouths of famous men - in a way that amplifies their greatness. A "courtesy" perhaps, that
has never quite been extended in much the same way to women, many remaining largely
unknown or forgotten.

So how did seven famously inspiring quotes come to be attributed to Edison and the likes
of Emerson, Twain, Voltaire, Vonnegut and Kafka when these were originally conceived,
or written by, women?

1. “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.”

Attributed to: Thomas Edison

Credit due to: Kate Sanborn

In the early 1890’s an academic named Kate Sanborn delivered a series of lectures on the
topic “What is Genius?” She defined genius as a mix of “inspiration” and “perspiration”.
“Talent is perspiration,” she said, explaining that genius required more perspiration than
inspiration. If she provided a ratio, it was never recorded.

Sanborn was ridiculed in a newspaper editorial column that said she was “getting a lot of
attention” for stating something so obvious.

Nevertheless, her definition may have found its way into the consciousness of a famous

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and influential contemporary: Thomas Edison.

Edison, later asked for his definition of genius is said to have answered, “2% is genius and
98% is hard work.”

When probed on whether genius was inspired, he replied, “Bah! Genius is not inspired.
Inspiration is perspiration.”

Within a month of Edison’s comments being published, several writers and speakers re-
jigged his statements – and after clever re-writes (without his further input), this
eventually culminated in the quote as we now know it.

Edison may have provided a ratio, but who deserves the credit?

“In my opinion Kate Sanborn's lectures were very important in the evolution and
construction of the quotation that is now popularly attributed to Thomas Edison,” writes
“Garson O’Toole” in an email to me.

He’s the Quote Investigator (QI) – a Magnum P.I for the quote world if you will, that is, if
Magnum also had a PhD.

I also checked in with Fred Shapiro, the renowned expert and editor of the Yale Book Of
Quotations - considered the most authoritative and complete quotation book in the world.

Shapiro also happened to write “Anonymous Was a Woman” – a piece published several
years ago in Yale’s Alumni Magazine.

“If I was writing my ‘Anonymous Was a Woman’ article now,” he tells me, “I would
include Sanborn and Edison as another example of a woman not being given credit for a
famous saying.”

Coming from a quotes legend like Shapiro, that’s all the confirmation needed: Kate
Sanborn was a precursor of Edison’s famous quote and deserves major points.

Then again, this game called life isn’t really about keeping scores against others, is it?

2. “Sometimes you’re ahead; sometimes you’re behind. The race is long and,
in the end, it’s only with yourself.”

Misattributed to: Kurt Vonnegut / Baz Luhrmann

Credit due to: Mary Schmich

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Wise words indeed from Mary Schmich, often misattributed to Kurt Vonnegut or even Baz
Luhrmann (via 1998’s Sunscreen Song.)

Schmich, a journalist, had written a column for the Chicago Times about what she’d say to
the class of ’97 if she were to be asked to give a commencement speech.

If the quote seems unfamiliar, her opening line to that column is sure to jog the memory
of any kid from the 90’s:

“Ladies and gentlemen of the class of ’97: Wear sunscreen.”

The essay became the subject of a fake e-mail chain claiming to be a MIT commencement
address given by counterculture hero Vonnegut.

The e-mail went viral and the association with Vonnegut became so widespread that his
lawyer was flooded with requests to reprint, prompting Vonnegut to reply: “What
[Schmich] wrote was funny, wise and charming, so I would have been proud had the
words been mine.”

“Poor man,” responded Schmich. “He didn’t deserve to have his reputation sullied in this
way.”

So it goes.

Schmich went on to win a Pulitzer in 2012 – the ultimate symbol of success for a
journalist. But, success doesn’t always necessarily mean winning. Consider this still-
refreshing definition:

3. “To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of
children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false
friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better,
whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To know even
one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”

Misattributed to: Ralph Waldo Emerson

Credit due to: Bessie Anderson Stanley

In 1904 a Boston firm, in conjunction with a woman’s magazine, ran a competition in

which people were asked to answer the question “What Constitutes Success?” in 100
words or less.

The winner was a woman from Kansas named Bessie A. Stanley. Her submission,

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presented in its entirety below, earned her the prize money of $250.

“ He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much;
Who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, the respect of intelligent men and the love
of little children;

Who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;

Who has never lacked appreciation of Earth's beauty or failed to express it;

Who has left the world better than he found it,

Whether an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;

Who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had;

Whose life was an inspiration;

Whose memory a benediction.

Sound familiar?

In 1951, in a piece titled “What Is Success?” a writer quoted the words he claimed to be
from Ralph Waldo Emerson (the quote at the start of #3.)

According to QI, what the writer presented as an Emerson quote was “clearly derived”
from Stanley’s essay.

However, the attribution to Emerson stuck (the writer’s column was syndicated) and the
quote firmly entered popular culture when Ann Landers featured it in her famous column
in 1966 and then again in 1980.

4. "Don’t bend; don’t water it down, don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit
your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense
obsessions mercilessly."

Misattributed to: Franz Kafka

Credit due to: Anne Rice

In 1995, a collection of short stories by Kafka was published, including a foreword by the
author Anne Rice. Here’s an excerpt:

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Kafka became a model for me, a continuing inspiration. Not only did he exhibit an
irrepressible originality—who else would think of things like this!—he seemed to say
that only in one’s most personal language can the crucial tales of a writer be told.
Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit
your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense
obsessions mercilessly. Only if you do that can you hope to make the reader feel a
particle of what you, the writer, have known and feel compelled to share.

According to QI, Anne Rice did not use quotation marks in the passage above because she
was not quoting Kafka. “She was presenting her conjectural thoughts about Kafka’s
attitude toward writing.”

Proving this one is a slam dunk: Anne Rice deserves full attribution for her quote.

Memo To Russell Brand: You may want to correct the misattribution in your Booky
Wook.

5. “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path
and leave a trail.”

Misattributed to: Ralph Waldo Emerson

Credit due to: Muriel Strode

In August 1903, Muriel Strode published a poem titled “Wind-Wafted Wild Flowers.”

Here’s the relevant excerpt:

“ “Iwillwillleave
not follow where the path may lead, but I will go where there is no path, and I
a trail.”

In 1992, an academic periodical printed Strode’s slightly revised quote (replacing just the
I’s) with an attribution to Ralph Waldo Emerson. Not long after, it appeared as a sign at a
school once again incorrectly credited – and from there you could say it took off,
becoming widely accepted by the general public as an Emerson quote.

“It is clear that the linkage of the saying to Ralph Waldo Emerson occurred many years
after his death and is not substantive,” concludes QI.

In terms of misquotes Emerson ranks up there with another great writer – Mark Twain.

6. “The secret to getting ahead is getting started.”

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Misattributed to: Mark Twain

Credit due to: Agatha Christie

According to Cindy Lovell, Executive Director of the Mark Twain House and Museum, this
is not a Mark Twain quote. Several other Twain experts agree. “Mark Twain remains the
most frequently quoted American author,” Lovell writes, “which means he is also the most
frequently misquoted author.”

Here comes the plot twist.

In a surprising email to me, Agatha Christie Limited (a private company set up by Agatha
Christie prior to her death) confirms that this is indeed one of hers. They say the quote
originated during an old press interview – but are unable to locate the source.

John Curran, an expert on Agatha Christie with whom I share this bit of news, tells me he
shall “remain dubious” until he sees the original citation.

With Twain definitively out of the running for this quote though, and unless it can be
proven otherwise, Agatha Christie deserves at least a tentative full-credit for now.

7. “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to
say it.”

Misattributed to: Voltaire

Credit due to: Evelyn Beatrice Hall

In her 1907 book Friends of Voltaire, Hall wrote:

“ Voltaire forgave him all injuries, intentional or unintentional. 'What a fuss about an
omelette!' he had exclaimed when he heard of the burning. How abominably unjust to
persecute a man for such an airy trifle as that! 'I disapprove of what you say, but I will
defend to the death your right to say it,' was his attitude now.

With the quote marks, it's easy to see how the words eventually came to be attributed to
Voltaire. But, Hall was not actually quoting Voltaire - she was describing his attitude.

In 1934, the quote entered popular culture when it was misattributed to Voltaire in the
“Quotable Quotes” section of the Readers Digest.

Later, in an interview with a newspaper, Hall tried to correct the misattribution. “I did not
mean to imply that Voltaire used these words verbatim and should be surprised if they are

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found in any of his works. They are rather a paraphrase of Voltaire's words in the Essay on
Tolerance — ‘Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so too.’”

Still though, decades later, the quote still seems to stick to Voltaire.

So, what’s the big deal if quotes are misattributed or not attributed at all? If some of these
women were around now, would they really have minded at all?

It might have mattered.

In this day and age, an uncredited quote could amount to millions of dollars in lost
royalties – well, at least to Vivian Greene.

You may know her as she is more commonly known – Anonymous.

Greene has been struggling for years to get credit for her work.

Even copyrighted, her quotes still appear unattributed on various products sold in
household-name stores around the world - denying her not just recognition, but a
substantial amount of income from royalties.

Despite this, and several other setbacks she’s faced along the way, she still maintains a
tremendously positive spirit.

You could say she’s figured out one of life’s secrets:

"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass … it’s about learning to dance in the
rain."

After all, she came up with that quote back in the 70’s.

Let’s give this woman, at least, credit in her time.

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