Remember the theme song of Mr. Ed -- the TV comedy about the talking horse? "Go right to the source, and ask the horse ..."

Sometimes, "go right to the source" can be good advice for speechwriters. If we go to the source of a cliche or a familiar quotation, we can sometimes breathe new life into it.

Recently, I wrote a speech for a software company executive to deliver at a conference in London. I wanted to open with Dr. Samuel Johnson's famous saying, "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life," but I was afraid it might sound hackneyed. So I went to the source and found the full version and context of Johnson's remark.

When I had that, I was able to give the familiar quote a new twist in the opening of the speech:

"Dr. Samuel Johnson once famously remarked that when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life. At least, that is the popular version of what he said.

"On this occasion, I’m going to dust off James Boswell’s monumental biography of the great man and give you the complete version of Johnson’s remark. He said:

"'Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.' [emphasis added].

"In other words, when Johnson talked about the endless variety of London’s attractions, he was thinking first about the intellectual stimulation that the city offered – and still offers today.

"We intend to add to that intellectual stimulation through this conference."

In this case, going right to the source made for a better opening.