--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Defoe was level and anyone who says…" description: "\"Defoe was level and anyone who says otherwise is picking hairs\" — John Motson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/416/john-motson-16090_english_defoe-was-level-and-anyone-who-says-othe_1615702.png" --- # Defoe was level and anyone who says otherwise is picking… ![“Defoe was level and anyone who says otherwise is picking hairs” quote by John Motson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/416/john-motson-16090_english_defoe-was-level-and-anyone-who-says-othe_1615702.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/416/john-motson-16090_english_defoe-was-level-and-anyone-who-says-othe_1615702.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/416/john-motson-16090_english_defoe-was-level-and-anyone-who-says-othe_1615702.png) > “Defoe was level and anyone who says otherwise is picking hairs” [John Motson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-motson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Defoe's character is straightforward; denying that is nitpicking. **In simple terms:** Defoe is simple; arguing otherwise is pedantic. Key Takeaway Accept simple truths without over‑analysis. Themes simplicity character assessment critical thinking Mood analytical neutral Type critical observational When to use this quote - reading reviews - debating literature - media analysis Key Concepts Literary criticism communication Questions to Reflect On - Is simplicity always accurate? - When does nitpicking help? A Different Perspective Over‑simplifying can ignore nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defoe-710616/) [Defoe Level](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defoe-level-6161788/) [English](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english/) [Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hair/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Level](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/level/) [Level Says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/level-says-6161789/) [Levels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/levels/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Says Picking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/says-picking-6161790/) ## Related quotes > [Robbie Keane's not the second choice, he's my first choice. But Jermain Defoe is as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jol/robbie-keane-s-not-the-second-choice-he-s-my-first-choice-but-jermain/) [Martin Jol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jol/) > [“shook hands very cordially; and yet I always feel him shrinking sensitively from me, as a woman, a clever woman, an up to date…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/shook-hands-very-cordially-and-yet-i-always-feel-him-shrinking/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“She is a character in a novel, he says. The product of a male author’s imagination. This Defoe, is he French? No, I believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-leine/she-is-a-character-in-a-novel-he-says-the-product-of-a-male-author-s/) [Kim Leine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-leine/) > [“Daniel Defoe was an English writer, journalist and spy, who gained enduring fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/daniel-defoe-was-an-english-writer-journalist-and-spy-who-gained/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [“The novels of Daniel Defoe are fundamental to eighteenth-century ways of thinking. They range from the quasi-factual A Journal of the Plague Year, an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-carter/the-novels-of-daniel-defoe-are-fundamental-to-eighteenth-century-ways/) [Ronald Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-carter/) > [Jermaine Defoe was from my area. Rio Ferdinand used to come into my barbershop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kano/jermaine-defoe-was-from-my-area-rio-ferdinand-used-to-come-into-my/) [Kano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kano/) > [Defoe says that there were a hundred thousand country fellows in his time ready to fight to the death against popery, without knowing whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/defoe-says-that-there-were-a-hundred-thousand-country-fellows-in-his/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [“Wherever God erects a house of prayer the Devil always builds a chapel there; And t’will be found, upon examination, the latter has the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/wherever-god-erects-a-house-of-prayer-the-devil-always-builds-a-2/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [Des Bulpin discovered me and, along with my dad, would be the biggest influence on my career. I remember him telling me when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-crouch/des-bulpin-discovered-me-and-along-with-my-dad-would-be-the-biggest/) [Peter Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-crouch/) > [What's always a challenge for me is that my Spanish is not the level of my English. Nor do I read in Spanish the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/what-s-always-a-challenge-for-me-is-that-my-spanish-is-not-the-level/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [Although I don't have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the British identity disappears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/although-i-don-t-have-anything-against-people-from-other-countries/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Nineteenth-century English literature I know; 19th-century sewage systems, not so much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-duncan/nineteenth-century-english-literature-i-know-19th-century-sewage/) [Glen Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-duncan/) > [“evening, they began to think that although he could never hope to be an Englishman, still it would be hard to visit that affliction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/evening-they-began-to-think-that-although-he-could-never-hope-to-be/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Nothing teaches great writing like the very best books do. Yet, good teachers often help students cross that bridge, and I have to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/nothing-teaches-great-writing-like-the-very-best-books-do-yet-good/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [English teachers tend to put more thought in the books than the author did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/english-teachers-tend-to-put-more-thought-in-the-books-than-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by John Motson > [Brazil - they're so good it's like they are running round the pitch playing with themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-motson/brazil-they-re-so-good-it-s-like-they-are-running-round-the-pitch/) [John Motson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-motson/) > [And Seaman, just like a falling oak, manages to change direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-motson/and-seaman-just-like-a-falling-oak-manages-to-change-direction/) [John Motson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-motson/) > [I do remember once going to Salzburg in Austria. Liverpool were playing a European game there, and they put me in a box behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-motson/i-do-remember-once-going-to-salzburg-in-austria-liverpool-were/) [John Motson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-motson/) > [In a sense it's a one-man show... except there are two men involved, Hartson and Berkovic, and a third man, the goalkeeper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-motson/in-a-sense-it-s-a-one-man-show-except-there-are-two-men-involved/) [John Motson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-motson/) > [The game is balanced in Arsenal's favour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-motson/the-game-is-balanced-in-arsenal-s-favour/) [John Motson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-motson/) > [I just thought my 50th year in the BBC is 2018, and it has to end sometime, and I thought that would be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-motson/i-just-thought-my-50th-year-in-the-bbc-is-2018-and-it-has-to-end/) [John Motson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-motson/) > [It is now a pleasure to go to any of the Premier League grounds. They are so welcoming, not just to me but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-motson/it-is-now-a-pleasure-to-go-to-any-of-the-premier-league-grounds-they/) [John Motson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-motson/) > [I'm not a celebrity whose face is recognised everywhere I go, like Gary Lineker, but my voice does make people sit up and pay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-motson/i-m-not-a-celebrity-whose-face-is-recognised-everywhere-i-go-like/) [John Motson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-motson/) > [I have had a wonderful time. I don't think things could have gone any better for me because I was football-mad as a boy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-motson/i-have-had-a-wonderful-time-i-don-t-think-things-could-have-gone-any/) [John Motson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-motson/) > [Northern Ireland are ten minutes away from their finest victory. There's 15 minutes to go here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-motson/northern-ireland-are-ten-minutes-away-from-their-finest-victory-there/) [John Motson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-motson/) > [The whole London football scene is now financially more powerful and ambitious than ever before. That reflects the city's economic might and its multiculturalism.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-motson/the-whole-london-football-scene-is-now-financially-more-powerful-and/) [John Motson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-motson/) > [The Czech Republic are coming from behind in more than one way now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-motson/the-czech-republic-are-coming-from-behind-in-more-than-one-way-now/) [John Motson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-motson/) > [I've watched us go out on penalties so often. I really thought we'd make it at Euro '96, especially after Gazza's goal against Scotland.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-motson/i-ve-watched-us-go-out-on-penalties-so-often-i-really-thought-we-d/) [John Motson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-motson/) > [It looks like a one man show here, although there are two men involved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-motson/it-looks-like-a-one-man-show-here-although-there-are-two-men-involved/) [John Motson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-motson/) > [That shot might not have been as good as it might have been](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-motson/that-shot-might-not-have-been-as-good-as-it-might-have-been/) [John Motson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-motson/) [Explore all 41 John Motson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-motson/) ## More English quotes > [English teachers tend to put more thought in the books than the author did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/english-teachers-tend-to-put-more-thought-in-the-books-than-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Nothing teaches great writing like the very best books do. Yet, good teachers often help students cross that bridge, and I have to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/nothing-teaches-great-writing-like-the-very-best-books-do-yet-good/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [“evening, they began to think that although he could never hope to be an Englishman, still it would be hard to visit that affliction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/evening-they-began-to-think-that-although-he-could-never-hope-to-be/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Nineteenth-century English literature I know; 19th-century sewage systems, not so much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-duncan/nineteenth-century-english-literature-i-know-19th-century-sewage/) [Glen Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-duncan/) > [Although I don't have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the British identity disappears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/although-i-don-t-have-anything-against-people-from-other-countries/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not very good at standard English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nesbitt/i-m-not-very-good-at-standard-english/) [James Nesbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nesbitt/) > [While we like to think queueing is unique to British culture, the truth is that we are mere amateurs. The old Soviet Union turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartley-brewer/while-we-like-to-think-queueing-is-unique-to-british-culture-the/) [Julia Hartley-Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartley-brewer/) > [I was brought up by the English side of my family, who are very repressed and working class. Absolutely lovely, but very English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bat-for-lashes/i-was-brought-up-by-the-english-side-of-my-family-who-are-very/) [Bat for Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/) > [No, I didn't forget Samoan - I understand it when you talk to me but, you know, to put phrases together I sound like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junior-seau/no-i-didn-t-forget-samoan-i-understand-it-when-you-talk-to-me-but-you/) [Junior Seau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junior-seau/) > [The larger an English industry was, the more likely it was to go bankrupt, because the English were not naturally corporate people; they disliked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-larger-an-english-industry-was-the-more-likely-it-was-to-go/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [“New Englanders could be so brusque.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherise-sinclair/new-englanders-could-be-so-brusque/) [Cherise Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherise-sinclair/) > [Oh, I think country has changed tremendously. I think country has totally changed. Country music when I was a kid was Hank Williams. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/oh-i-think-country-has-changed-tremendously-i-think-country-has/) [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) > [I'm fully English, but Portugal is my home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-dier/i-m-fully-english-but-portugal-is-my-home/) [Eric Dier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-dier/) > [I think as English people, we don't want to be reminded that at one point we ruled three-quarters of the globe, and now we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-bell/i-think-as-english-people-we-don-t-want-to-be-reminded-that-at-one/) [Jamie Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-bell/) > [When I saw what a mess everything was in I asked for my money back on the ticket. 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