“If you still have to ask, shame on you”
Armstrong's response to the question what jazz is, cited by Max Jones et. al.: "Salute to Satchmo", I.P.C. Specialist & Professional Press Ltd 1970, page 25
Often misquoted as "Man, if you gotta ask you'll never know." Oxford Dictionary of Modern Quotations (third edition)
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Louis Armstrong12
American jazz trumpeter, composer and singer 1901–1971Related quotes
“To ask may be but a moment's shame, not to ask and remain ignorant is a lifelong shame.”
Kanō Jigorō (1860–1938) Japanese educator and judoka
This is quoted in several published books as a Japanese proverb, without any mention of Jigoro Kano as author.
Misattributed
“If they ask you to stand still, you should dance.”
Colum McCann book Let the Great World Spin
Source: Let the Great World Spin
Lalleshwari (1320–1392) Indian writer, mystic and saint
The Poems of Lal Ded, poem 59, p. 15
Poetry
Michael Moore (1954) American filmmaker, author, social critic, and liberal activist
a computer-generated Oliphaunt steps on Moore, crushing him
In a humorous sendup of Moore's previous acceptance speech for Best Documentary Feature at the 2003 Oscars. Moore himself delivered the lines in the opening act of the 2004 Oscars, while standing in front of a greenscreen which had the Battle of the Pelennor Fields scene from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King playing on it; a battle which was, itself, literally fictitious. (23 March 2004)
2004
Sherry Argov (1977) American writer
Source: Why Men Love Bitches: From Doormat to Dreamgirl-A Woman's Guide to Holding Her Own in a Relationship
“fool me once, shame on you. fool me twice, shame on me.”
Todd Strasser (1950) American author of young-adult and middle grade novels
Source: Count Your Blessings
Jennifer Beals (1963) American actress and a former teen model
Q&A at the L5 Convention, Blackpool, UK (16 November 2008) http://www.jennifer-beals.com/reports/L5.html