Chapter & Verse

Correspondence on not-so-famous lost words

H. John Rogers writes: “The Onala Club in Pittsburgh has a placemat on its wall that reads, ‘Fai bene—Do good /Scordate—Forget about it / Fai male—Do bad / Pensaci—Think about it.’ ” He wonders if this is an old Italian saying, or if someone can provide a specific source.

“something wrong with the experiment” (May-June). Robert Kantowicz supplied a sidelight on this topic from Walter Isaacson’s Einstein: His Life and Universe (2007), which states on page 252 that when a student asked Einstein how he would have reacted had eclipse observations contradicted the general theory of relativity, the physicist replied, “Then I would have been sorry for the dear Lord; the theory is correct.”

Send inquiries and answers to “Chapter and Verse,” Harvard Magazine, 7 Ware Street, Cambridge 02138, or via e-mail to chapterandverse@harvardmag.com.

Click here for the September-October 2016 issue table of contents

You might also like

An Original Magna Carta, Hidden in Plain Sight

A rare original surfaces at Harvard at an “almost providential” moment. 

The 2025 Pulitzer Prizes Announced

Winners across five categories, from commentary on Gaza to criticism on public architecture

A New Voice

Ann Kim Ha’s poignant children’s books

Most popular

This is How Universities Die

Higher ed thrived in Berlin and Beijing. Then government stepped in. 

Trump Announces Travel Ban for Harvard International Students

In late night order, federal judge issues temporary pause

The New Gender Gaps

What to do as men and boys fall behind

Explore More From Current Issue

Restaurant Recommendations Cambridge 2025

Tastes from Cambridge’s eclectic restaurants

Brief Harvard News Spring 2025

Physician-authors address Commencement and Alumni Day, new School of Education Dean, and more

Children's Books from Ann Kim Ha

Ann Kim Ha’s poignant children’s books