--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Anatole France frankly advised, \"When a…" description: "\"Anatole France frankly advised, \"When a thing has been said and said well, have no scruple. Take it and copy it.\" Yes, indeed, but do more. Copy many w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da4/gary-saul-morson-36779_anthology_anatole-france-frankly-advised-when-a-th_3030148.jpg" --- # Anatole France frankly advised, "When a thing has been… ![“Anatole France frankly advised, "When a thing has been said and said well, have no scruple. Take it and copy it." Yes, indeed, but do more. Copy many well-said things. Pierce them together. Assimilate them. Make the process of reading them a way to form the mind and shape the soul. As anthologies…” quote by Gary Saul Morson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da4/gary-saul-morson-36779_anthology_anatole-france-frankly-advised-when-a-th_3030148.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da4/gary-saul-morson-36779_anthology_anatole-france-frankly-advised-when-a-th_3030148.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da4/gary-saul-morson-36779_anthology_anatole-france-frankly-advised-when-a-th_3030148.jpg) > “Anatole France frankly advised, "When a thing has been said and said well, have no scruple. Take it and copy it." Yes, indeed, but do more. Copy many well-said things. Pierce them together. Assimilate them. Make the process of reading them a way to form the mind and shape the soul. As anthologies can never be complete, we will never exhaust the ways quotations can enrich our lives.” [Gary Saul Morson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-saul-morson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When a statement is well expressed, it's acceptable to copy it, but also to combine, adapt, and let it shape your mind and soul. **In simple terms:** Copy good ideas, then transform them. Key Takeaway Use existing wisdom as building blocks for personal growth. Themes learning creativity intellectual growth adaptation Mood inquisitive analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - writing essays - artistic projects - academic research Key Concepts intertextuality assimilation originality critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance imitation and innovation? - When does borrowing become plagiarism? A Different Perspective Over-reliance on copying can hinder originality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/france/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Scruples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scruples/) [Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Well said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/well-said/) ## Related quotes > [“M. Proust was more severe than M. de Caillavet on Anatole France: "He was selfish and supercilious. He had read so much that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-leste-albaret/m-proust-was-more-severe-than-m-de-caillavet-on-anatole-france-he-was/) Céleste Albaret > [“All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-carr/all-changes-even-the-most-longed-for-have-their-melancholy-for-what-2/) [Robyn Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-carr/) > [“And the non-reading of books, you will object, should be characteristic of all collectors? This is news to me, you may say. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/and-the-non-reading-of-books-you-will-object-should-be-characteristic/) [Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/) > [“Sexual reproduction is a lottery. (A famous – and probably apocryphal – anecdote tells of a meeting in 1923 between Nobel Prize laureate Anatole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/sexual-reproduction-is-a-lottery-a-famous-and-probably-apocryphal/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Man is so made that he can only find relaxation from one kind of labor by taking up another. —ANATOLE FRANCE, author of The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/man-is-so-made-that-he-can-only-find-relaxation-from-one-kind-of/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [“(Mind you, according to Walter Benjamin, the twentieth century’s great philosopher of collecting, browsing and what we’d now call vintage shopping, ‘the non-reading of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-reynolds/mind-you-according-to-walter-benjamin-the-twentieth-century-s-great/) [Simon Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-reynolds/) > [“For knowledge to be digested, it must be absorbed with relish," wrote Anatole France.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-knowledge-to-be-digested-it-must-be-absorbed-with-relish-wrote/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Remember what Anatole France said about the dog masturbating on your leg--'Sure, it's honest, but who needs it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/remember-what-anatole-france-said-about-the-dog-masturbating-on-your/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [A man thinks he is dying for his country," said Anatole France, "but he is dying for a few industrialists." But even that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/a-man-thinks-he-is-dying-for-his-country-said-anatole-france-but-he/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [“The average man does not know what to do with his life, yet wants another one which will last forever. —ANATOLE FRANCE”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-henry/the-average-man-does-not-know-what-to-do-with-his-life-yet-wants/) [Todd Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-henry/) > [“Aristotle, we are invariably told, was "antiquity's most brilliant intellect," and the explanation of this weird assertion, I believe, is best summarized in Anatole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petr-beckmann/aristotle-we-are-invariably-told-was-antiquity-s-most-brilliant/) [Petr Beckmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petr-beckmann/) > [Relius looked away. "He said that you...cried," he said softly. "But not that he cried as well," said the queen, amused at the memory.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-whalen-turner/relius-looked-away-he-said-that-you-cried-he-said-softly-but-not-that/) [Megan Whalen Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-whalen-turner/) > [I was very struck by the fact that Colin Powell said he would produce evidence of Osama bin Laden fault and then never produced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/i-was-very-struck-by-the-fact-that-colin-powell-said-he-would-produce/) [Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/) > [It is well said, in every sense, that a man's religion is the chief fact with regard to him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/it-is-well-said-in-every-sense-that-a-man-s-religion-is-the-chief/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [Just — just to be clear,” he said. “You want to leave Tonks at her parents’ house and come away with us?” “She’ll be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/just-just-to-be-clear-he-said-you-want-to-leave-tonks-at-her-parents/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Gary Saul Morson > [“Like a delicatessen owner who sells rancid meat and then blames his business failure on the vulgarization of customer taste, humanities professors account for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-saul-morson/like-a-delicatessen-owner-who-sells-rancid-meat-and-then-blames-his/) [Gary Saul Morson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-saul-morson/) > [A single gnomic line can come to resonate with centuries of subsequent wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-saul-morson/a-single-gnomic-line-can-come-to-resonate-with-centuries-of/) [Gary Saul Morson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-saul-morson/) > [People who rarely read long books, or even short stories, still appreciate the greatest examples of the shortest literary genres. I have long been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-saul-morson/people-who-rarely-read-long-books-or-even-short-stories-still/) [Gary Saul Morson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-saul-morson/) > [Reframing an extract as a quotation constitutes a kind of coauthorship. With no change in wording, the cited passage becomes different. I imagine that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-saul-morson/reframing-an-extract-as-a-quotation-constitutes-a-kind-of/) [Gary Saul Morson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-saul-morson/) > [The attribution of a speaker is in fact a part of the quotation. Some statements simply are better if a certain famous person said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-saul-morson/the-attribution-of-a-speaker-is-in-fact-a-part-of-the-quotation-some/) [Gary Saul Morson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-saul-morson/) > [Unless created as freestanding works, quotations resemble "found" art. They are analogous, say, to a piece of driftwood identified as formally interesting enough to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-saul-morson/unless-created-as-freestanding-works-quotations-resemble-found-art/) [Gary Saul Morson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-saul-morson/) > [We sometimes think of quotations as extracts from larger texts, but some quotations originated complete unto themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-saul-morson/we-sometimes-think-of-quotations-as-extracts-from-larger-texts-but/) [Gary Saul Morson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-saul-morson/) > [Not everything that can be extracted appears in anthologies of quotations, in commonplace books, or on the back of Celestial Seasonings boxes. Only certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-saul-morson/not-everything-that-can-be-extracted-appears-in-anthologies-of/) [Gary Saul Morson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-saul-morson/) > [An anthology of quotations is a museum of utterances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-saul-morson/an-anthology-of-quotations-is-a-museum-of-utterances/) [Gary Saul Morson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-saul-morson/) > [I wonder if "an" ever occurs before "haughty" except in a quotation, or whether you can make anything sound like a quotation by adding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-saul-morson/i-wonder-if-an-ever-occurs-before-haughty-except-in-a-quotation-or/) [Gary Saul Morson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-saul-morson/) > [Some lines are born quotations, some are made quotations, and some have "quotation" thrust upon them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-saul-morson/some-lines-are-born-quotations-some-are-made-quotations-and-some-have/) [Gary Saul Morson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-saul-morson/) [Explore all 12 Gary Saul Morson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-saul-morson/) ## More Anthology quotes > [It's nice when you've done enough movies that you can do your own anthology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/it-s-nice-when-you-ve-done-enough-movies-that-you-can-do-your-own/) [John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/) > [I had the idea to do an anthology about instrument-making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-toop/i-had-the-idea-to-do-an-anthology-about-instrument-making/) [David Toop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-toop/) > [I regret that there aren't more short stories in other magazines. But in a certain way, I think the disappearance of the short-story template…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorin-stein/i-regret-that-there-aren-t-more-short-stories-in-other-magazines-but/) [Lorin Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorin-stein/) > [Way back in 1989, I got lucky with my first published story when it was selected for the Journey Prize anthology. Then I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bergen/way-back-in-1989-i-got-lucky-with-my-first-published-story-when-it/) [David Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bergen/) > [I once was asked to contribute to a mushroom poem anthology. I didn't have anything, and so instead ended up writing the introduction. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hirshfield/i-once-was-asked-to-contribute-to-a-mushroom-poem-anthology-i-didn-t/) [Jane Hirshfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hirshfield/) > [I am also working on a couple of short stories for anthologies. This is new to me and Im enjoying it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-guest/i-am-also-working-on-a-couple-of-short-stories-for-anthologies-this/) [Judith Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-guest/) > [No matter what, I'm never going to get an anthology from an actual publisher, though I could always score another music anthology. But if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-meltzer/no-matter-what-i-m-never-going-to-get-an-anthology-from-an-actual/) [Richard Meltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-meltzer/) > [You apply the skills you use to produce your own book to make an anthology. Shaping. Rhythm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-apply-the-skills-you-use-to-produce-your-own-book-to-make-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [After my grandfather died I went down to the basement of my family house where my family kept books, anthologies and things and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/after-my-grandfather-died-i-went-down-to-the-basement-of-my-family/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [Cross-pollination and "contamination" is really important to the health of fiction, and sometimes it's a literal conversation, too, in that writers who might never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/cross-pollination-and-contamination-is-really-important-to-the-health/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [When I stand in a library where is all the recorded wit of the world, but none of the recording, a mere accumulated, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/when-i-stand-in-a-library-where-is-all-the-recorded-wit-of-the-world/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I think as long as the standard of quality, the story-telling, film-making, acting etc. etc. remains consistent, then you've got a good change of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-marshall/i-think-as-long-as-the-standard-of-quality-the-story-telling-film/) [Neil Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-marshall/) > [ I've never heard of that anthology \[Vance Randolph, Pissing in the Snow\], but you can be sure I'll buy it now. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-ray-pollock/i-ve-never-heard-of-that-anthology-vance-randolph-pissing-in-the-snow/) [Donald Ray Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-ray-pollock/) > [The original Greek meaning of the word anthology is a collection or gathering of flowers in bloom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-garmey/the-original-greek-meaning-of-the-word-anthology-is-a-collection-or/) Jane Garmey > [The Psalms, the anthology of the hymns of Israel, are still used by Christians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-scott-latourette/the-psalms-the-anthology-of-the-hymns-of-israel-are-still-used-by/) [Kenneth Scott Latourette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-scott-latourette/) Browse all 129 Anthology quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Anatole France frankly advised, \"When a thing has been said and said well, have no scruple. 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