Poor Richard’s Almanac

Crazy mixed-up quotes. April 16, 2008

It’s me, Richard Saunders of Poor Richard’s Almanac fame, back today to get your brain cells working with a little quotation quiz. Below, I’ve listed ten memorable quotes. Do you know who said them? I’ve also listed the speakers’ names. But guess what, they’re all mixed up! (And to make things a little harder, I’ve added two “extra” speakers to the mix, but haven’t provided quotes from them.) See how many speakers you can match to their quotes. (And yes, of course I give you the answers. But no cheating, now!) Let’s get started:

1. If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to.

2. We have nothing to fear but fear itself.*

3. Though an old man, I am but a young gardener.

4. When you can do the common things of life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world.

5. We are not amused.

6. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

7. A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing.

8. Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.

9. We have guided missiles and misguided men.

10. Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.

a. George Washington Carver

b. George Washington

c. Albert Einstein

d. Queen Victoria

e. Confucius

f. Benjamin Franklin

g. Martin Luther King, Jr.

h. Mahatma Gandhi

i. Thomas Jefferson

j. Dorothy Parker

k. Oscar Wilde

l. Franklin Delano Roosevelt

* This is actually a misquote, though it’s the one we all know. The real quote is “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

And now, the answers: 1-j, 2-l, 3-i, 4-a, 5-d, 6-f, 7-k, 8-e, 9-g, 10-h.

The “bonus quotees” were Albert Einstein and George Washington.