---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Dr. Barlow, it is, of course, customary…"
description: "\"“Dr. Barlow, it is, of course, customary to check with the caption before, uh, giving away his ship.\" -Deryn Sharp”\" — Scott Westerfeld"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df6/scott-westerfeld-928_caption_dr-barlow-it-is-of-course-customary-to-c_1251877.png"
---

#  Dr. Barlow, it is, of course, customary to check with the…

![“Dr. Barlow, it is, of course, customary to check with the caption before, uh, giving away his ship.&quot; -Deryn Sharp” quote by Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df6/scott-westerfeld-928_caption_dr-barlow-it-is-of-course-customary-to-c_1251877.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df6/scott-westerfeld-928_caption_dr-barlow-it-is-of-course-customary-to-c_1251877.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df6/scott-westerfeld-928_caption_dr-barlow-it-is-of-course-customary-to-c_1251877.png)

> ““Dr. Barlow, it is, of course, customary to check with the caption before, uh, giving away his ship." -Deryn Sharp””

[Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/)

## About This Quote

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

A character jokes about checking a ship’s caption before revealing it, highlighting bureaucratic caution.

**In simple terms:** Check details before sharing information.

Key Takeaway

Verify before you disclose.

Themes

humor bureaucracy communication

Mood

witty lighthearted

Type

satirical conversational

When to use this quote

- team meetings
- media releases
- online posting

Key Concepts

Captioning information control comic relief

Questions to Reflect On

- Why is it important to confirm sources?
- What risks arise from premature disclosure?

A Different Perspective

May be too niche for some readers.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Caption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caption/) [Check Caption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/check-caption-3948638/) [Customary Check](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customary-check-3948639/) [Deryn Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deryn-sharp-2948093/) [Deryn-sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deryn-sharp-45376/) [Ship Deryn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ship-deryn-3948637/)

## Related quotes

> [“If you threaten Deryn Sharp again, Volger – in any way at all – I’m done with you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/if-you-threaten-deryn-sharp-again-volger-in-any-way-at-all-i-m-done/)

[Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/)

> [“Even bloody and bruised, he had an odd sort of swagger, as if he crash-landed in giant air ships every day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/even-bloody-and-bruised-he-had-an-odd-sort-of-swagger-as-if-he-crash/)

[Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/)

> [All alone - shorn of context, without captions - a photograph is neither true nor false… For truth, properly considered, is about the relationship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/all-alone-shorn-of-context-without-captions-a-photograph-is-neither/)

[Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/)

> [Today, I'm very careful not to mention very specific locations when I write or give captions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galen-rowell/today-i-m-very-careful-not-to-mention-very-specific-locations-when-i/)

[Galen Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galen-rowell/)

> [You know how misleading an image is. You see an image in the newspaper, if they left the caption off, good luck knowing what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-katchor/you-know-how-misleading-an-image-is-you-see-an-image-in-the-newspaper/)

[Ben Katchor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-katchor/)

> [If you want to trick someone with a photograph, there are lots of easy ways to do it. You don't need Photoshop. You don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/if-you-want-to-trick-someone-with-a-photograph-there-are-lots-of-easy/)

[Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/)

> [The bottom half of the page had descended into a doodle of a tiny man giving the middle finger to a giant, angry eagle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-grahame-smith/the-bottom-half-of-the-page-had-descended-into-a-doodle-of-a-tiny-man/)

[Seth Grahame-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-grahame-smith/)

> [If you are deaf, you need captions for spoken elements. If you are blind, you need voiced descriptions of Web contents and spoken renderings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinton-cerf/if-you-are-deaf-you-need-captions-for-spoken-elements-if-you-are/)

[Vinton Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinton-cerf/)

> [Despite his reputation as one of America's foremost "serious" filmmakers, Oliver Stone's name under the "director" caption does not guarantee a good movie. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-berardinelli/despite-his-reputation-as-one-of-america-s-foremost-serious/)

[James Berardinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-berardinelli/)

> [All these years I've sat in airports and kind of drawn people and put like Far Side captions on them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-foxworthy/all-these-years-i-ve-sat-in-airports-and-kind-of-drawn-people-and-put/)

[Jeff Foxworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-foxworthy/)

> [What we must demand from the photographer is the ability to put such a caption beneath his picture as will rescue it from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/what-we-must-demand-from-the-photographer-is-the-ability-to-put-such/)

[Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/)

> [I don't like captions. I prefer people to look at my pictures and invent their own stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-koudelka/i-don-t-like-captions-i-prefer-people-to-look-at-my-pictures-and/)

[Josef Koudelka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-koudelka/)

> [You can talk about a caption underneath a photograph being true or false, because there is a linguistic element. You can claim that a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/you-can-talk-about-a-caption-underneath-a-photograph-being-true-or/)

[Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/)

> [I have lived my life very openly and have never hidden the fact that I am gay. Apparently the prerequisite to being a gay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-knight/i-have-lived-my-life-very-openly-and-have-never-hidden-the-fact-that/)

[Jonathan Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-knight/)

> [When people caption their photos as 'I'm fine without you' or along the lines of that, you know that they really aren't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-people-caption-their-photos-as-i-m-fine-without-you-or-along-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Scott Westerfeld

> [“She thought of the orchids spreading across the plains below, choking the life out of the other plants, out of the soil itself, selfish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/she-thought-of-the-orchids-spreading-across-the-plains-below-choking/)

[Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/)

> [But it's always taking a risk, when you ... kiss someone new.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/but-it-s-always-taking-a-risk-when-you-kiss-someone-new/)

[Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/)

> [The Rusty Ruins were the remains of an old city, a hulking reminder of back when there'd been way too many people, and everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/the-rusty-ruins-were-the-remains-of-an-old-city-a-hulking-reminder-of/)

[Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/)

> [High school wasn't a trial by fire or some ordeal that had to be survived. It was all a big joke. You just had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/high-school-wasn-t-a-trial-by-fire-or-some-ordeal-that-had-to-be/)

[Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/)

> [And you've actually watched it yourself?' I asked. 'Willingly?' Sure. I had to see it, you know? Besides we should be safe. Only one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/and-you-ve-actually-watched-it-yourself-i-asked-willingly-sure-i-had/)

[Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/)

> [Sometimes, the hardest thing was doing nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/sometimes-the-hardest-thing-was-doing-nothing/)

[Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/)

> [“Sure, zombies can “be a metaphor.” They can represent the oppressed, as in Land of the Dead, or humanity’s feral nature, as in 28…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/sure-zombies-can-be-a-metaphor-they-can-represent-the-oppressed-as-in/)

[Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/)

> [“You don't look very happy." Tally tried to smile. David had shared his biggest secret with her; she should tell him hers. But she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/you-don-t-look-very-happy-tally-tried-to-smile-david-had-shared-his/)

[Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/)

> [Dude, I just watched you climb up a f\*cking building!-Lace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/dude-i-just-watched-you-climb-up-a-f-cking-building-lace/)

[Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/)

> [“Weird, even for one of us. Or maybe she's worse." "Worse how?" "Normal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/weird-even-for-one-of-us-or-maybe-she-s-worse-worse-how-normal/)

[Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/)

> [Tally smiled. At least she was causing trouble to the end. "I'm Tally Youngblood," she said. "make me pretty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/tally-smiled-at-least-she-was-causing-trouble-to-the-end-i-m-tally/)

[Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/)

> [Out here, you find out that the city fools you about how things really work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/out-here-you-find-out-that-the-city-fools-you-about-how-things-really/)

[Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/)

> [“Growing up like rewriting is simply admitting how clueless you were not so long ago.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/growing-up-like-rewriting-is-simply-admitting-how-clueless-you-were/)

[Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/)

> [“The beauty of the world…has two edges, one of laughter, one of anguish, cutting the heart asunder. —Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/the-beauty-of-the-world-has-two-edges-one-of-laughter-one-of-anguish/)

[Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/)

> [Cure for writer's block: blow something up(in the story)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/cure-for-writer-s-block-blow-something-up-in-the-story/)

[Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/)

[Explore all 321 Scott Westerfeld quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/)

## More Caption quotes

> [When people caption their photos as 'I'm fine without you' or along the lines of that, you know that they really aren't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-people-caption-their-photos-as-i-m-fine-without-you-or-along-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I have lived my life very openly and have never hidden the fact that I am gay. Apparently the prerequisite to being a gay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-knight/i-have-lived-my-life-very-openly-and-have-never-hidden-the-fact-that/)

[Jonathan Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-knight/)

> [You can talk about a caption underneath a photograph being true or false, because there is a linguistic element. You can claim that a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/you-can-talk-about-a-caption-underneath-a-photograph-being-true-or/)

[Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/)

> [I don't like captions. I prefer people to look at my pictures and invent their own stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-koudelka/i-don-t-like-captions-i-prefer-people-to-look-at-my-pictures-and/)

[Josef Koudelka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-koudelka/)

> [What we must demand from the photographer is the ability to put such a caption beneath his picture as will rescue it from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/what-we-must-demand-from-the-photographer-is-the-ability-to-put-such/)

[Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/)

> [All these years I've sat in airports and kind of drawn people and put like Far Side captions on them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-foxworthy/all-these-years-i-ve-sat-in-airports-and-kind-of-drawn-people-and-put/)

[Jeff Foxworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-foxworthy/)

> [Despite his reputation as one of America's foremost "serious" filmmakers, Oliver Stone's name under the "director" caption does not guarantee a good movie. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-berardinelli/despite-his-reputation-as-one-of-america-s-foremost-serious/)

[James Berardinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-berardinelli/)

> [If you are deaf, you need captions for spoken elements. If you are blind, you need voiced descriptions of Web contents and spoken renderings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinton-cerf/if-you-are-deaf-you-need-captions-for-spoken-elements-if-you-are/)

[Vinton Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinton-cerf/)

> [The bottom half of the page had descended into a doodle of a tiny man giving the middle finger to a giant, angry eagle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-grahame-smith/the-bottom-half-of-the-page-had-descended-into-a-doodle-of-a-tiny-man/)

[Seth Grahame-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-grahame-smith/)

> [If you want to trick someone with a photograph, there are lots of easy ways to do it. You don't need Photoshop. You don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/if-you-want-to-trick-someone-with-a-photograph-there-are-lots-of-easy/)

[Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/)

> [You know how misleading an image is. You see an image in the newspaper, if they left the caption off, good luck knowing what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-katchor/you-know-how-misleading-an-image-is-you-see-an-image-in-the-newspaper/)

[Ben Katchor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-katchor/)

> [Today, I'm very careful not to mention very specific locations when I write or give captions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galen-rowell/today-i-m-very-careful-not-to-mention-very-specific-locations-when-i/)

[Galen Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galen-rowell/)

> [All alone - shorn of context, without captions - a photograph is neither true nor false… For truth, properly considered, is about the relationship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/all-alone-shorn-of-context-without-captions-a-photograph-is-neither/)

[Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/)

> [He gave me the brochure. It was about the Hunters of Artemis. The front read, A WISE CHOICE FOR YOUR FUTURE! Inside were pictures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/he-gave-me-the-brochure-it-was-about-the-hunters-of-artemis-the-front/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

> [Runes, runes, runes... Runes. An inverted Algiz rune. The caption next to it said “Chernobog.” The Black God. Right. Of course, it wouldn’t be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/runes-runes-runes-runes-an-inverted-algiz-rune-the-caption-next-to-it/)

[Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/)

[Browse all 43 Caption quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caption/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Dr. Barlow, it is, of course, customary to check with the caption before, uh, giving away his ship.\" -Deryn Sharp”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Scott Westerfeld"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/dr-barlow-it-is-of-course-customary-to-check-with-the-caption-before/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Caption"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/dr-barlow-it-is-of-course-customary-to-check-with-the-caption-before/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df6/scott-westerfeld-928_caption_dr-barlow-it-is-of-course-customary-to-c_1251877.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df6/scott-westerfeld-928_caption_dr-barlow-it-is-of-course-customary-to-c_1251877.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df6/scott-westerfeld-928_caption_dr-barlow-it-is-of-course-customary-to-c_1251877.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Dr. Barlow, it is, of course, customary to check with the caption before, uh, giving away his ship.\" -Deryn…” — Scott Westerfeld",
                "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": "Scott Westerfeld",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Dr. Barlow, it is, of course,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/dr-barlow-it-is-of-course-customary-to-check-with-the-caption-before/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/dr-barlow-it-is-of-course-customary-to-check-with-the-caption-before/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
