“Give an inch, he'll take an ell.”
Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) English philosopher, born 1588
Liberty and Necessity (no. 111)
“Give an inch, he'll take an ell.”
Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) English philosopher, born 1588
Liberty and Necessity (no. 111)
“Give a critic an inch, he’ll write a play.”
John Steinbeck (1902–1968) American writer
On Critics
Writers at Work (1977)
“You ask what a nice girl will do? She won't give an inch, but she won't say no.”
Martial book Epigrammata
IV, 71.
Epigrams (c. 80 – 104 AD)
Miyamoto Musashi (1584–1645) Japanese martial artist, writer, artist
Go Rin No Sho (1645), The Wind Book
Context: Some other schools have a liking for extra-long swords. From the point of view of my strategy these must be seen as weak schools. This is because they do not appreciate the principle of cutting the enemy by any means. Their preference is for the extra-long sword and, relying on the virtue of its length, they think to defeat the enemy from a distance.
In this world it is said, "One inch gives the hand advantage", but these are the idle words of one who does not know strategy. It shows the inferior strategy of a weak spirit that men should be dependant on the length of their sword, fighting from a distance without the benefit of strategy.
John Prine (1946–2020) American country singer/songwriter
"It’s a Big Old Goofy World"
Song lyrics, The Missing Years (1991)
Isaac Asimov (1920–1992) American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, known for his works of science fiction …
“Not an inch of the land belongs to you, but every inch could easily imprison you.”
Ai Weiwei (1957) Chinese concept artist
Ai Weiwei Twitter feed: @AiWW (9:10 a.m. May 21, 2010)
2010-, Twitter feeds, 2010-12