The Trouble with Quotes

I happen to be fond of quotes and have used them over at Donkey Path. I was looking for a good quote the other day from Roosevelt and I stumbled on a quote that didn't feel right.

The quote was in the 2003 edition of And I Quote (by Applewhite, Evans and Frothingham). The book is divided into sub-sections with such names as: accountability, religion, government and dozens of others. In one of the sub-sections called 'liberals' is a quote from Franklin Roosevelt that goes:

"...one who has both feet planted firmly in the air..."

That seemed an odd quote to me and I wondered if it might have been from early in FDR's career because it was later obvious that he was proud to be a liberal. It turns out to be a misquote. And given the ellipses at the front and back of the quote, I should have been suspicious that the quote was not entirely in context. Nor does the book give the source for its quotations though I would expect such a book to be reliable.

I found what I believe to be a more reliable quote in The Oxford Dictionary of Modern Quotations by Tony Augarde (1991) which does give sources for its quote. Here's the full quote from the Oxford book:

I am reminded of four definitions: A Radical is a man with both feet firmly planted—in the air. A Conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned to walk forward. A Reactionary is a somnambulist walking backwards. A Liberal is a man who uses his legs and his hands at the behest—at the command—of his head." (from radio address, 1939)

Now that's the FDR I recognize.

I have no idea what the story is about the first quote. It's not only taken out of context, it's also slightly altered. I have no idea if the authors had an agenda when they made the error. Maybe one of them went to a country club and heard a speech using the misquoted version; maybe the event was a worthwhile charity for wayward billionaires. But the quote should have been checked. And the authors should have realized the quote was inconsistent with FDR.