I've taken stuff from people, too. You know though, if you steal from one person, you're just a thief. But if you steal from everyone, that's research.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Taking from one is theft but taking from many becomes research.
- In plain terms
- Stealing from everyone is called research not theft.
- What can you take from it?
- Context defines whether borrowing is crime or study.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When is borrowing okay?
- Where is the line between theft and study?
Another view
This joke risks normalizing copyright infringement.
Related quotes
In comparing various authors with one another, I have discovered that some of the gravest and latest writers have transcribed, word for word, from former works…
Pliny the ElderPliny the Elder quote #2 You study, you learn, but you guard the original naivete. It has to be within you, as desire for drink is within the drunkard or love is within the lover.
Henri MatisseHenri Matisse quote #4 Could we teach taste or genius by rules, they would be no longer taste and genius.
Joshua ReynoldsJoshua Reynolds quote #5