Misattributed

[ljplicease]

I thought this misattributed quote was appropriate for today:

The only two certainties in life are death and taxes Benjamin Disraeli (often incorrectly attributed to Mark Twain, who was himself quoting it)

I got into the subject of the misattributed when I was reading the Wikipedia article on Andrew Jackson which says that he never actually said "John Marshall has made his decision, now let him enforce it!" The gist of the quote (as I understand it) more or less does express Jackson's actual position. The supreme court sided with the Caerokee and against the state of Georgia, but with deliberate non-intervention by the federal government the Cherokees were eventually removed in the embarrassment which is the Trail of Tears.

I first heard the quote in an episode of This American Life in which Sarah Vowell retraces the Trail of Tears with her sister. It's just disappointing when I find out that a historian that I respect is recycling inaccuracies. In her defense, it is only Wikipedia, so who knows? It might be an accurate quote after all. It's hard to say for sure. "He who controls the present, controls the past." I looked that one up on-line just now. I am sure that isn't quoted correctly either.

Other things misattributed:

"Al Gore said he 'invented the Internet'."

"George Washington said 'I cannot tell a lie. It was I who chopped down the cherry tree.'"

"George Bush said 'The problem with the French is that they don't have a word for entrepreneur.'"

Comments

music nerd alert

[hijinks-ensue.livejournal.com]

i am so pleased you posted that quote! i was thinking about it just last night. my music history teacher in high school was also a composer, and he wrote a piece called death, taxes, and tristan. this probably means nothing to you, but it's a little joke, a one-up on the quote, because in the music world, the "tristan chord" is alllll over the place... pretty much unavoidable after wagner put it down. or, maybe it's incorrectly attributed to him! maybe someone else used it, but in a less popular piece, and wagner gets all the credit! nevertheless, it's such a beautiful chord that i find it to be the one of the three that's actually not an unpleasant, unavoidable thing.



(grammar nerd: i debated putting a comma after "because" and before "in." it was a difficult decision, but i figured i should leave it out since i was commenting in a minimalist's post.)

Re: music nerd alert

[plicease]

Horary for variety. I love the tangential topics and conversation which LJ seems to afford us. I had never heard about the “Tristan Chord”, but please do not tell my little sister about it, I think it would make her jealous that her younger older brother has a chord and she doesn’t.

I am glad that you did not put that extra comma in, because I hate it when people post comments which clash with my entry. I am so vain!!

Re: music nerd alert

[plicease]

Although here is a startling admission, I actually just re-read what I wrote and saw at least one place where I wish I had put another comma in, despite my minimalism and my aversion to any more typing than necessary. Also: in the last couple of days I have typed okay instead of ok several times. That is something that I never do. wtf?

Re: music nerd alert

[hijinks-ensue.livejournal.com]

this (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6c/Tristan_und_Isolde_beginning_clip.ogg) is the tristan chord (hey look it is an OGG). you may recognize it. it opens tristan und isolde (too bad your sister's name isn't isolde - wouldn't that be cheesy and fun? oh wait, it would be creepy because they were lovers, nevermind) and then continues as one of the leitmotifs for the entire 987345987 hours of the opera. anyway, if memory serves me correctly it is called a chromatic 9th chord... something like that. i should review my music history/theory so that my degree is not a complete waste and i can pull out intelligent sounding things in instances like this.

Re: music nerd alert

[hijinks-ensue.livejournal.com]

maybe you are unconsciously rebelling against your minimalist ways. i have noticed that i often type out both words instead of using contractions. is that weird?

also: i like how you shook things up and used a colon there instead of a comma...

Re: music nerd alert

[plicease]

Also: I am a rebel. If used with moderation, I find the abruptness (in this case) of a colon gets your attention.

Re: music nerd alert

[hijinks-ensue.livejournal.com]

why am i such a dork that discussions about colon usage amuse me?!

Re: music nerd alert

[plicease]

I am way dorkier because I was pleased that you noticed it :)

Re: music nerd alert

[hijinks-ensue.livejournal.com]

man, we have issues.