“They will not let my play run; and yet they steal my thunder.”
Alternately reported as: "That is my thunder, by God; the villains will play my thunder, but not my play." Reported in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919).
Note: Dennis had written a tragedy, Appius and Virginia, for which he had invented a new technique for creating the sound of thunder, which the actors favored and which remained in use for centuries thereafter. The play itself was poorly received despite this innovation, and the management of the Drury Lane Theatre withdrew it. A few nights later, Dennis was in the pit at a performance of Macbeth, and heard his own thunder used; upon which he rose in a violent passion, and exclaimed with an oath, that it was his thunder. In Biographia Britannica, vol. v. p. 103. Conflicting reports exist as to whether Dennis actually used the phrase "steal my thunder", although it is undisputed that his experience is the origin of the idiom.
Context: See how the rascals use me! They will not let my play run; and yet they steal my thunder.
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John Dennis 2
British dramatist 1658–1734Related quotes
No. 58.
Spiritual Exercises (1548)
WSJ "Gillian Anderson: Reviving Blanche DuBois in Brooklyn" http://www.wsj.com/articles/gillian-anderson-reviving-blanche-dubois-in-brooklyn-1461975005 (April 29, 2016)
2010s
“I wanted you to thank you for being my friend and letting me play a part in your story.”
Source: The Last Vampire
“Let the sky rain potatoes," said a musing voice. "Let it thunder to the tune of Greensleeves.”
Source: Clockwork Princess
The Race of My Life: An Autobiography Milkha Singh (2013)
As quoted in Iran’s Royal Opposition http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2010/02/10/iran-s-royal-opposition.html, The Daily Beast, Feb 10, 2010.
Interviews, 2010
