The Origins of Common Quotes and a Little on Etymology

Today I will be telling you something you didn't know you needed to know.  My family has so many quotes, if you know us you know that we practically talk in movie and book quotes.  Did you know that lots of old quotes such as: "Curiosity killed the cat," "Rome wasn't built in a day," etc. are actually quite old (we're talking hundreds of years old) and, like language in general, have been changed and altered over the years?  

Rome Wasn't Built in a Day but it Burned in One

This is the oldest quote of the bunch, and how old it is amazed me.  The earliest documentation of this quote was in a medieval French poem, not by a Roman or Italian citizen but by a 12th-century cleric in the court of Phillippe of Alsace.  Later in 1538, it was said by John Heywood, an English author, and playwright.  He was the first to make the quote more well known and popular and also extended.  First, it was said as "Rome wasn't built in a day,"  but John Heywood said, "Rome was not bylt on a daie and yet stood Tyll it was fynysht," or, "Rome Wasn't Built in a Day but it Burned in One."  

Curiosity Killed the Cat but Satisfaction Brought it Back 

I have to say that I like the longer version of this quote better.  This saying is a warning against unnecessary adventure or experimentation.  Originally an idiom proverb would be "Care killed the cat," with "care" here meaning worry.  The first known prints of this proverb were in a play in 1598 and also said by Shakspeare in 1599.  There are one to two other recorded times that the quote was published in newspapers and such but 1905 was the first time a version of "but satisfaction bought it back" was printed.  It read "Curiosity killed a cat, but it came back."  It's published again later in 1912 in a sort of poem, which is then when it starts to become more well know.  And in 1917, in the Harrisburg Patriot newspaper it's printed, "Curiosity killed a cat, but satisfaction brought it back."  

Blood is Thicker than Water OR The Blood of the Covenant is Thicker Than the Water of the Womb

I definitely haven't heard this quote as much as the others but I wanted to include it anyway.  There are many different ways this quote has been interpreted, as is bound to happen with a saying this old.  The first part ("blood is thicker than water"), can be traced back all the way to the 12th century as an English proverb that means family bonds will always be stronger than friendships.  But of course, there are lots of ways to interpret this especially when the other version of this comes into play.  The second version is mostly thought of as the bond with someone who shed blood together in battle.  There's more about this quote on the internet if you are interested, most of what I have found is just peoples opinions and how they believe the quote works best for the time period.  

Great Minds Think Alike but Fools Seldom Differ 

When people in my family agree or say "That's what I was thinking!"  we'll follow up with the first part ("great minds think alike").  But, I only recently learned about the last part of this saying.  Like all the others this saying is quite old.  It is thought to date back to 1618, it said, "good wits doe jumpe”, jumped meaning agree with.  There is not much more to say about this one, however, I do like the added part on the end.  

I hope you found this interesting as I did!  The name for it is etymology, the study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history.  

Thank you for reading!  

✰✰✰