Quotations and Literature Forum

Surely, not both Horace (65 BC) and Aristotle (384 BC) could have been the originator of the saying "Well begun is half done" as stated on the database?

Should the quote by Jack Paar not read: Imitation (in stead of immigration) is the sincerest form of flattery?

That reminds me of:

Imitation is the sincerest form of television.

--Fred Allen

_________________
Mr. Fussbudget

True wit is nature to advantage dressed,
What oft was thought, but ne'er so well expressed.

As for "begun is half done," I'm not sure. Both are in our Classic Quotes collection, which usually means we got them from a reliable source. Of course, all sources make mistakes sometimes. I'll have to flag that one for further checking.

As for the other, Jack Parr was undoubtedly making a play on the original, as was Fred Allen in the quote Mr. Fussbudget mentions. Of course, when we don't have the original, cases like this just make us look silly. I have added the original to our collection:

Here's another case where I got lots of questions like yours until we added the original quote to our database:

_________________
Michael Moncur
Owner and maintainer, The Quotations Page

"Well begun is half done" is a proverb. Even Aristotle refers to it as such.

The mistake lies in the beginning- as the proverb says- 'Well begun is half done'; so an error at the beginning, though quite small, bears the same ratio to the errors in the other parts.
~Aristotle
http://www.swan.ac.uk/poli/texts/aristotle/aripole.htm

Once begun is half done
~Mary Poppins
Beginning is the Most Important Part of the Work.
~ Plato

Well begun is half done. (proverb)
1. Meaning: If you start something off well, it will be easier to finish.
2. Origin: Not found

Noted in the database, thanks!

_________________
Michael Moncur
Owner and maintainer, The Quotations Page