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December 24, 2020
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“Thinking is hard! So just do what the government says”

"Thinking is hard! So just do what the government says" is an anti-government saying that has been printed on many images. The meme (showing a young man and a young woman both giving…

November 28, 2015
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“Thinking is one thing no one has ever been able to tax”

Charles F. Kettering (1876-1958), president of the General Motors Research Corporation, was cited in 1938: "Thinking is one thing in the world upon which no one has ever been able to put a tax…

October 3, 2012
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“Thinking isn’t to agree or disagree—that’s voting”

American poet Robert Frost (1874-1963) told WQED, as reported in Collier's Illustrated Weekly in 1956: "People have got to think. Thinking isn't to agree or disagree. That's…

March 3, 2024
Banking/Finance/InsuranceEducation/SchoolsGovernment/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“Thinking that printing banknotes ends poverty is like thinking that printing diplomas ends ignorance”

"Pensar que imprimiendo billetes se acaba con la pobreza es como pensar que imprimiendo diplomas se acaba con la ignorancia" ("Thinking that printing banknotes ends poverty is like…

February 6, 2023
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“This build back better thing must be waiting on the building permits”

The Build Back Better Plan was proposed by U.S. President Joe Biden in 2020 and 2021. In 2022 and 2023, some people complained that not much seemed to be built back. "This build back better…

December 11, 2021
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“This Christmas, give your children the gift of STANDING UP FOR THEIR FUCKING FUTURE”

"This Christmas give your children the gift of STANDING UP FOR THEIR FUCKING FUTURE" (shown on an image) was posted on Twitter by Stacey Large on December 8, 2021. "This Christmas,…

July 4, 2023
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“This holiday was made possible by citizens with guns”

Independence Day (July 4th) is a holiday that celebrates an armed insurrection against Great Britain. "This holiday was made possible by citizens with guns" is a saying that has been…

March 23, 2026
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“This is a bad time to be in touch with reality”

It's usually good to be in touch with reality, but real life can be depressing. This was posted on X/Twitter by Myrna Tellingheusen on March 22, 2026, and it received over 8,000 likes:…

June 28, 2020
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“This is a mind control device” (face mask message)

"This is a mind control device" is a face mask message that has been printed on many images. The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic made the wearing of face masks mandatory in many places.…

October 13, 2022
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“THIS IS CAPITALISM. this is lowercaseism”

Sometimes "capitalism" just means capital letters. "lowercaseism: antonym of capitalism....the practice of not using any capital letters" was posted on Twitter by Jim Gleeson on…

November 8, 2022
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“This is it, Charlie Brown, if you vote one more time, there will be real change!”

"This is it, Charlie Brown, if you vote one more time, there will be real change!" (a Peanuts comic strip) is printed on many images. Lucy holds a football for Charlie Brown to kick it.…

October 22, 2021
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“This is the government our founders warned us about”

"This is the government the/our founders warned us about" is a saying that has been printed on many images. Both versions of the saying probably originated on images. "Political…

October 22, 2021
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“This is the government the founders warned us about”

"This is the government the/our founders warned us about" is a saying that has been printed on many images. Both versions of the saying probably originated on images. "Political…

October 21, 2011
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“This is what democracy looks like”

"This is what democracy looks like" was a chant at the protests of the World Trade Center Ministerial Conference in Seattle, Washington in December 1999. The protests have been called the…

October 27, 2020
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“This mask is as useless as our governor” (face mask saying)

The 2020 coronavirus pandemic resulted in many requirements to wear face masks, but many people disagreed with requiring all people (both sick and healthy) to wear masks. "This mask is as…

October 27, 2020
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“This mask is as useless as our politicians” (face mask saying)

The 2020 coronavirus pandemic resulted in many requirements to wear face masks, but many people disagreed with requiring all people (both sick and healthy) to wear masks. "This mask is as…

October 23, 2020
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“This mask is as useless as the government” (face mask saying)

The 2020 coronavirus pandemic resulted in many requirements to wear face masks, but many people disagreed with requiring all people (both sick and healthy) to wear masks. "This mask is as…

April 4, 2020
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“This Quarantine is getting old. So old, in fact, that is it starting to become a Quaranadult”

The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic resulted in many quarantines. There is no "teen" in the word "quarantine," but some have used "quaranadult" (quarantine + adult). A…

July 19, 2022
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“This republic was not established by cowards; and cowards will not preserve it”

"This republic was not established by cowards; and cowards will not preserve it" is a saying that has been printed in many images. American news reporter and author Elmer Davis…

June 6, 2020
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“This system got y’all thinking ‘legal’ means ‘right.’ Reminder: Slavery was ‘legal’”

Many laws are bad, written by rich and powerful interests. "The system got y'all thinking 'legal' means 'right.' Reminder: Slavery was 'legal'" is a…

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BARRY POPIK is a contributor to the Oxford English Dictionary, Dictionary of American Regional English, Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Yale Book of Quotations and Dictionary of Modern Proverbs. Since 1990 he has also been a regular contributor to Gerald Cohen's Comments on Etymology.

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