Chapter and verse quotation-citation correspondence site

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.

Related topics

You might also like

Being Undocumented in America

Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s writing aims to challenge assumptions. 

Shakespeare’s Greatest Rival

Without Christopher Marlowe, there might not have been a Bard.

David Leo Rice on 'The Berlin Wall'

David Leo Rice explores the strange, unseen forces shaping our world.

Most popular

How MAGA Went Mainstream at Harvard

Trump, TikTok, and the pandemic are reshaping Gen Z politics.

Harvard Panel Debunks the Population Implosion Myth

Public health professors parse the evidence surrounding falling U.S. birth rates.

Harvard’s New Online Orientation Emphasizes Intellectual Paths

A summer course for first-years focuses on academic success, diverse viewpoints.

Explore More From Current Issue

Nineteenth-century prison ruins with brick guardhouse surrounded by forest.

This Connecticut Mine Was Once a Prison

The underground Old New-Gate Prison quickly became “a school for crime.”

Student walking under bright stage lights shaped like smartphones displaying social media apps.

Two Years of Doxxing at Harvard

What happens when students are publicly named and shamed for their views?

Colorful illustration of woman multitasking with laptop, baby bottle, toy, and checklist.

Motherhood and Ambition in a Pronatalist World

Gen Z is confronting the age-old question of balance—with a new twist.