“Above all things -- read. Read the great stylists who cannot be copied rather than the successful writers who must not be copied.”

—  Ngaio Marsh

Source: Death on the Air and Other Stories

Last update June 3, 2021. History

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Ngaio Marsh photo
Ngaio Marsh 2
New Zealand writer 1895–1982

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Context: Copying is not theft
Stealing a thing leaves one less left
Copying it makes one thing more
That's what copying's for.
Copying isn't theft
If I copy yours, you have it too
One for me and one for you
That's what copies can do.
If I steal your bicycle,
You have to take the bus
But if I just copy it,
There's one for each of us!
Making more of a thing
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... Is fun!

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