[Ads-l] Request help verifying quotation of polar explorer Fridtjof Nansen

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Thank you Stephen. Inspired by your discovery I searched for similar
instances. In January 1943  U.S. Army Major General Henry S. Aurand
presented a motto with the phrase “the miraculous takes a little
longer”:

[ref] 1943 January 1, Chicago Tribune, Use More WAACS To Replace Men,
Aurand Orders by Harry M’Clain, Quote Page 7, Column 3, Chicago,
Illinois. (Newspapers_com) [/ref]

[Begin excerpt]
Gen. Aurand complimented officers of the command for their work in
1942, but warned them that much more will be required of them in 1943.
He also cautioned them not to forget that everything associated with
the war is urgent.
“The impossible we do immediately; the miraculous takes a little
longer” will be the motto of the service of supply in 1943, he said.
[End excerpt]

Several years ago Stephen helped with the original article by
verifying a citation. Now, the acknowledgement has been expanded.
Changes should be visible within 24 hours.

[Begin updated acknowledgement excerpt]
Many thanks to Stephen Goranson for verifying the 1925 Nansen citation
and finding a citation in 1943 with the phrase “the miraculous takes a
little longer”. In addition, thanks to Jonathan Lighter who found the
variant with the phrase “the miraculous we do immediately” in the 1948
film “Walk a Crooked Mile”.
[End updated acknowledgement excerpt]

Garson

On Wed, Jan 3, 2024 at 9:13 AM Stephen Goranson <goranson at duke.edu> wrote:
>
> Here's a slightly earlier version with "miraculous," in different sequence.  Durham Herald-Sun, [NC], Sunday, Nov. 28, 1943, 16/7,
> [America's Historical N.] Out of My Mind, Katharine Brush, Non-Sequiturs
>
> I've only lately learned (and I'm thrilled by) the motto of the Army Service Forces, i. e., "The impossible we do immediately--the miraculous takes a little longer."
>
> Stephen G.
> ________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Sent: Wednesday, January 3, 2024 12:46 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Subject: Re: Request help verifying quotation of polar explorer Fridtjof Nansen
>
> Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> >  1948 George Bruce & Bertram Millhauser _Walk a Crooked Mile_ (film): The
> > miraculous we do immediately. The impossible takes a few minutes longer."
>
> Interesting variant. Thanks for sharing it. Inspired by your discovery
> I found an instance with "miraculous" in 1943. This citation is now
> included in the Quote Investigator article which begins with a 1794
> citation. The update should be visible within 24 hours.
>
> Quote Origin: The Difficult We Do Immediately. The Impossible Takes a
> Little Longer
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://quoteinvestigator.com/2015/06/10/impossible-longer/__;!!OToaGQ!o8xVwarGsuSbIIOKi_CiCL7q_9WC_HwimRRGXEE0n1oz2QavcCNI3iJU6-L5llPZQ5xzdiLpnnahvZhWCy3MO5UZFg$
>
> In 1943 "The Christian Science Monitor" published an article about the
> successful large-scale production of aircraft engines at the Ranger
> Engine Division of the Fairchild Airplane & Engine Corporation:
>
> [ref] 1943 December 11, The Christian Science Monitor, Ranger Staffs
> Do 'Impossible' For Air Force: Mass Output of Aircraft Engines by
> Albert D. Hughes (Aviation Editor of The Christian Science Monitor),
> Quote Page 7, Column 1, Boston, Massachusetts. (ProQuest) [/ref]
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> By this feat, Ranger also is considered to be carrying out an Air
> Force maxim that spurs not only those in the service but also those
> who are supplying it -- "The miraculous we do immediately. The
> impossible takes only a little bit longer."
> [End excerpt]
>
> [Begin acknowledgement excerpt]
> In addition, thanks to Jonathan Lighter who found the variant with the
> word "miraculous" in the 1948 film "Walk a Crooked Mile".
> [End acknowledgement except]
>
> Garson
>
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>
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