---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No earnest thinker is a plagiarist pure…"
description: "\"No earnest thinker is a plagiarist pure and simple. He will never borrow from others that which he has not already, more or less, thought out for himse..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d93/charles-kingsley-1896_earnest_no-earnest-thinker-is-a-plagiarist-pure_1461676.png"
---

#  No earnest thinker is a plagiarist pure and simple. He…

![“No earnest thinker is a plagiarist pure and simple. He will never borrow from others that which he has not already, more or less, thought out for himself.” quote by Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d93/charles-kingsley-1896_earnest_no-earnest-thinker-is-a-plagiarist-pure_1461676.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d93/charles-kingsley-1896_earnest_no-earnest-thinker-is-a-plagiarist-pure_1461676.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d93/charles-kingsley-1896_earnest_no-earnest-thinker-is-a-plagiarist-pure_1461676.png)

> “No earnest thinker is a plagiarist pure and simple. He will never borrow from others that which he has not already, more or less, thought out for himself.”

[Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Original thinking requires personal development; copying without true understanding is plagiarism.

**In simple terms:** Think for yourself.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate genuine ideas.

Themes

originality intellectual honesty creativity

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

philosophical ethical

When to use this quote

- writing
- research
- artistic creation
- academic work

Key Concepts

plagiarism authorship critical thinking

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you differentiate inspiration from copying?
- When is borrowing acceptable?

A Different Perspective

Ideas can be influenced by others; pure originality is rare.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Plagiarism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plagiarism/) [Thinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinker/)

## Related quotes

> [“A plagiarist steals from one person. A true artist steals from everybody”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/a-plagiarist-steals-from-one-person-a-true-artist-steals-from/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

> [“Forgive plagiarism, copy one person's thoughts, you are a plagiarist… if it is by more than one, it's a council! (may have "borrowed this,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-armstrong/forgive-plagiarism-copy-one-person-s-thoughts-you-are-a-plagiarist-if/)

[Robert Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-armstrong/)

> [A plagiarist should be made to copy the author a hundred times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/a-plagiarist-should-be-made-to-copy-the-author-a-hundred-times/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [Is the painter a plagiarist because he sets his palette to nature?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-west/is-the-painter-a-plagiarist-because-he-sets-his-palette-to-nature/)

Benjamin West

> [If I did what has already been done, I would be a plagiarist and would consider myself unworthy; so I do something different and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gauguin/if-i-did-what-has-already-been-done-i-would-be-a-plagiarist-and-would/)

[Paul Gauguin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gauguin/)

> [I'm a plagiarist - I always look back at other movies, and I steal, but I steal well, and I reinvent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-scott/i-m-a-plagiarist-i-always-look-back-at-other-movies-and-i-steal-but-i/)

[Tony Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-scott/)

> [I am an emotional plagiarist, stealing other people's pain, subsuming it into my own until I can't remember whose it is any more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kane/i-am-an-emotional-plagiarist-stealing-other-people-s-pain-subsuming/)

[Sarah Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kane/)

> [“If you steal from one book you are condemned as a plagiarist, but if you steal from ten books you are considered a scholar,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/if-you-steal-from-one-book-you-are-condemned-as-a-plagiarist-but-if/)

[Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/)

> [There was a time that I was only known for being a plagiarist. It used to hurt at times because there was so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pritam-chakraborty/there-was-a-time-that-i-was-only-known-for-being-a-plagiarist-it-used/)

[Pritam Chakraborty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pritam-chakraborty/)

> [Art is either a plagiarist or a revolutionist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gauguin/art-is-either-a-plagiarist-or-a-revolutionist/)

[Paul Gauguin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gauguin/)

> [By nature, a storyteller is a plagiarist. Everything one comes across--each incident, book, novel, life episode, story, person, news clip--is a coffee bean that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabih-alameddine/by-nature-a-storyteller-is-a-plagiarist-everything-one-comes-across/)

[Rabih Alameddine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabih-alameddine/)

> [Whether he be an original or a plagiarist, man is the novelist of himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/whether-he-be-an-original-or-a-plagiarist-man-is-the-novelist-of/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [Perhaps no poet is a conscious plagiarist, but there seems to be warrant for suspecting that there is no poet who is not at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/perhaps-no-poet-is-a-conscious-plagiarist-but-there-seems-to-be/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [“All religions worthy of the name are now making great efforts to purify their doctrines and return to their original standpoint, — all except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virchand-gandhi/all-religions-worthy-of-the-name-are-now-making-great-efforts-to/)

[Virchand Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virchand-gandhi/)

> [Plagiarize, plagiarize, / Let no man's work evade your eyes, / Remember why the good Lord made your eyes, / Don't shade your eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/plagiarize-plagiarize-let-no-man-s-work-evade-your-eyes-remember-why/)

[Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/)

## More by Charles Kingsley

> [A fine lady; by which term I wish to express the result of that perfect education in taste and manner, down to every gesture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/a-fine-lady-by-which-term-i-wish-to-express-the-result-of-that/)

[Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/)

> [If I am ever obscure in my expressions, do not fancy that therefore I am deep. If I were really deep, all the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/if-i-am-ever-obscure-in-my-expressions-do-not-fancy-that-therefore-i/)

[Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/)

> [Those clouds are angels' robes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/those-clouds-are-angels-robes/)

[Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/)

> [He was one of those men who possess almost every gift, except the gift of the power to use them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/he-was-one-of-those-men-who-possess-almost-every-gift-except-the-gift/)

[Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/)

> [Do you feel that you have lost your way in life? Then God Himself will show you your way. Are you utterly helpless, worn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/do-you-feel-that-you-have-lost-your-way-in-life-then-god-himself-will/)

[Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/)

> [My friends, let us try to follow the Saviour's steps; let us remember all day long what it is to be men; that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/my-friends-let-us-try-to-follow-the-saviour-s-steps-let-us-remember/)

[Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/)

> [We have used the Bible as if it was a mere special constable's handbook — an opium-dose for keeping beasts of burden patient while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/we-have-used-the-bible-as-if-it-was-a-mere-special-constable-s/)

[Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/)

> [He was not only, I soon discovered, a water drinker, but a strict vegetarian, to which, perhaps, he owed a great deal of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/he-was-not-only-i-soon-discovered-a-water-drinker-but-a-strict/)

[Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/)

> [Look at the bow in the cloud, in the very rain itself. That is a sign that the sun, though you cannot see it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/look-at-the-bow-in-the-cloud-in-the-very-rain-itself-that-is-a-sign/)

[Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/)

> [Beauty is God's handwriting — a wayside sacrament; welcome it in every fair face, every fair sky, every fair flower, and thank for it Him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/beauty-is-god-s-handwriting-a-wayside-sacrament-welcome-it-in-every/)

[Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/)

> [Men must work, and women must weep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/men-must-work-and-women-must-weep/)

[Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/)

> [... the heroism of the average mother. Ah! When I think of that broad fact, I gather hope again for poor humanity; and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/the-heroism-of-the-average-mother-ah-when-i-think-of-that-broad-fact/)

[Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/)

> [“Except a living man there is nothing more wonderful than a book. A message to us from the dead - from human souls we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/except-a-living-man-there-is-nothing-more-wonderful-than-a-book-a/)

[Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/)

> [Be good, sweet maid, and let who will be clever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/be-good-sweet-maid-and-let-who-will-be-clever/)

[Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/)

> [Music has been called the speech of the angels; I will go farther and call it the speech of God Himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/music-has-been-called-the-speech-of-the-angels-i-will-go-farther-and/)

[Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/)

[Explore all 199 Charles Kingsley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/)

## More Earnest quotes

> [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/)

[Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/)

> [Lord, send Your life throughout the entire church. Visit Your church; restore sound doctrine and holy, earnest living. Take away from professing Christians their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/lord-send-your-life-throughout-the-entire-church-visit-your-church/)

[Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/)

> [In the formation of such a government, it is not only the right, but the indispensable duty of every citizen to examine the principles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-webster/in-the-formation-of-such-a-government-it-is-not-only-the-right-but/)

[Noah Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-webster/)

> [Those who love their dream of a Christian community more than the Christian community itself become destroyers of that Christian community even though their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/those-who-love-their-dream-of-a-christian-community-more-than-the/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [The family circle has widened. The worldpool of information fathered by the electric media--movies, Telstar, flight--far surpassesany possible influence mom and dad can now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-family-circle-has-widened-the-worldpool-of-information-fathered/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [Earnest men never think in vain, though their thoughts may be errors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/earnest-men-never-think-in-vain-though-their-thoughts-may-be-errors/)

[Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/)

> [As if goaded by a kind of frantic despair, I sketched these dirty, ragged little victims of the war with their bruised, lacerated minds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-keane/as-if-goaded-by-a-kind-of-frantic-despair-i-sketched-these-dirty/)

[Walter Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-keane/)

> [My most earnest wish is to see the republican element of popular control pushed to the maximum of its practicable exercise. I shall then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/my-most-earnest-wish-is-to-see-the-republican-element-of-popular/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sends forth to you an earnest appeal. Open your doors to the missionaries. Open your minds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-monson/the-church-of-jesus-christ-of-latter-day-saints-sends-forth-to-you-an/)

[Thomas S. Monson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-s-monson/)

> [Extension work is not exhortation. Nor is it exploitation of the people, or advertising of an institution, or publicity work for securing students. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liberty-hyde-bailey/extension-work-is-not-exhortation-nor-is-it-exploitation-of-the/)

[Liberty Hyde Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liberty-hyde-bailey/)

> [If we with earnest effort could succeed To make our life one long, connected prayer, As lives of some, perhaps, have been and are;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-chenevix-trench/if-we-with-earnest-effort-could-succeed-to-make-our-life-one-long/)

[Richard Chenevix Trench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-chenevix-trench/)

> [Deemest thou laborOnly is earnest?Grave is all beauty,Solemn is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-watson/deemest-thou-laboronly-is-earnest-grave-is-all-beauty-solemn-is-joy/)

[William Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-watson/)

> [He who says he hates all kinds of flattery, and says so in earnest, has undoubtedly not as yet become acquainted with all kinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/he-who-says-he-hates-all-kinds-of-flattery-and-says-so-in-earnest-has/)

[Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/)

> [Insurance companies, whether private or government owned, must be compelled to pay for health-promoting measures. In turn, this will encourage physicians to offer such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-weil/insurance-companies-whether-private-or-government-owned-must-be/)

[Andrew Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-weil/)

> [This world is given as a prize for the men in earnest; and that which is true of this world is truer still of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-william-robertson/this-world-is-given-as-a-prize-for-the-men-in-earnest-and-that-which/)

[Frederick William Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-william-robertson/)

Browse all 537 Earnest quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "No earnest thinker is a plagiarist pure and simple. He will never borrow from others that which he has not already, more or less, thought out for himself.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles Kingsley"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/no-earnest-thinker-is-a-plagiarist-pure-and-simple-he-will-never/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Earnest"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/no-earnest-thinker-is-a-plagiarist-pure-and-simple-he-will-never/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d93/charles-kingsley-1896_earnest_no-earnest-thinker-is-a-plagiarist-pure_1461676.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d93/charles-kingsley-1896_earnest_no-earnest-thinker-is-a-plagiarist-pure_1461676.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d93/charles-kingsley-1896_earnest_no-earnest-thinker-is-a-plagiarist-pure_1461676.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“No earnest thinker is a plagiarist pure and simple. He will never borrow from others that which he has not…” — Charles Kingsley",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Charles Kingsley",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "No earnest thinker is a plagiarist...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/no-earnest-thinker-is-a-plagiarist-pure-and-simple-he-will-never/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/no-earnest-thinker-is-a-plagiarist-pure-and-simple-he-will-never/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
