• superbozo said on May 21, 2009....

  Been there done that. I've even had people do it to me. I'll say something funny one on one and hear that person repeat it in a group and crack everyone up with their witty line. It's just part of life. Most of the time though I think of that really witty line after the fact and wish that I could turn back time to impress everyone with how funny or clever I am :)

• queenparanoia said on May 21, 2009....

  1.yes

  2.give them credit.

  3. i always mention it wasnt from me. it's not a really big deal.

• secretlife said on May 21, 2009....

  lol........yes, i've stolen expressions or heard them pop out of my mouth and then chuckled later on ....
  never really stopped talking to give anyone credit but did realize "hey, i  just used so&so's expression!"

• scipio said on May 21, 2009....

  Happens all the times at parties.
   
  Each one trying to outdo the other by quoting or misquoting instances and sentences and passing off as their own.

• Twylarants said on May 21, 2009....

  No, I can't do it although I wish I could.  I'll hear a great line and try to commit it to memory so I can use it in a situation that calls for it only to forget it completely.
  But if I could repeat it I'd at least say I heard it somewhere, although I wouldn't remember where.
  

• Dauntless said on May 21, 2009....

  I've done this with jokes but never really with conversation pieces.
  I think part of your individuality is being able to talk yourself without quoting other people in conversation.
  

• Hegemone said on May 21, 2009....

  Bozo - Right, sometimes it stinks to have your thunder taken away, but then at the same time, how "at peace" can you be to know that at least it's getting spread even if you're not receiving credit.
  
  Secret - Ha, yeah, I get curious as to how aware of that we are.  I know I've done it plenty of times, and sometimes I try to give credit by saying something like "Yeah, just like so-and-so said yesterday ... blah great line blah blah."  It's interesting when we're aware of it.
  
  Scipio - Yes, I think the more important the conversation is the more ruthless people get with this sort of thing too.
  
  Twy - Ha, well at least you're honest, no worries of you taking credit for something you shouldn't.  Doesn't it drive you batty to forget the most perfect come back, quip or whatever?
  
  Daunt - I agree that your individuality has a lot to do with being able to speak for yourself and not needing to use other people's thoughts.  However, if you're trying to really persuade a person it's pretty common to use some sort of quote to get them to do it.  Whether people actually show the quotes (credit the originator) or hide the quotes (take it as their own) is the interesting part.  I mean, sure, you need to be able to speak for yourself and think for yourself, but showing that you listen and put importance to other people's words helps as well.  Further, it forms bonds and so the cycle spins on, lol.
  

• Hegemone said on May 21, 2009....

  ARGH!  Queenie, sorry I missed you in the first round, I thought something was amiss.  Well bless you for making sure to give credit.  You get the best of both worlds, you get to borrow the lines and still you give credit so nobody's getting mad at ya either!

• Dauntless said on May 21, 2009....

  Yeah, I can see this actually. I've thought about this since posting and think some of it may be down to our own innate spongeness, in other words we pick things up, character traits too, from friends and family so I don't necessarily think it's whether we give credit or hide the fact it's from someone else moreso that it's something we do without thinking sometimes as it's just how we pick up our dialogue.

• Hegemone said on May 21, 2009....

  Daunt - Very good point, sometimes we do it without even knowing it.  I know a few people that are like that, completely oblivious that they've picked this or that up from another person.

• uniquely-ironic said on May 21, 2009....

  1. Do you ever find yourself using another person's quote, quip or whatever when in a conversation with a different person?  sure! some things are worth passing along.
  2. Do you give them credit for it or take it as your own?  yes
  3. If you take it as your own, do you feel guilty, not guilty or are you completely oblivious that you got the line from somebody else?  no, I don't feel guilty as long as it's not part of that persons line of work. (comedian, public speaker, etc)

• Hegemone said on May 21, 2009....

  Uni, well hey at least the knowledge is getting spread right?  I mean if it was that good, it deserves to be shared!

• diabolicdame said on May 21, 2009....

  1. Do you ever find yourself using another person's quote, quip or whatever when in a conversation with a different person? Yes when its really memorable.
  2. Do you give them credit for it or take it as your own? Always give credit.
  3. If you take it as your own, do you feel guilty, not guilty or are you completely oblivious that you got the line from somebody else? Well I never do it intentionally.. if I fail to give credit then it has to be that I truly think I came up with it.. in that case I would have no knowledge that I flicked it and didnt give credit.. so no guilt.

   

  I'm very talketive actually.. so rarely do I even have to use other people's words.. and then I always say 'So and so said that day..'

• Hegemone said on May 21, 2009....

  Right, it seems like it's sort of one way or the other over all ... either people don't use another person's thoughts ... or they do but they're conscientious enough to say that the idea belongs to somebody else.  It's understandable when you sort of absorb something and forget where it came from.

• fragglesrock said on May 21, 2009....

  shoot yes! i've now found myself saying "anyhoo" from you,  "turd burglar" from owk, and "craptastic" from uni....sorry but i don't stop and say "this has been a fricking craptastic day...i got that saying from this one friend of mine ... " :)

• uniquely-ironic said on May 21, 2009....

  come to think of it, I stole ass hat from E T.  Well, I think some words should be public domain!

Comment on "Conversation Etiquette"

Currently tagged	Conversations question etiquette (Click to add tags below)
Tag this post	(Separate tags using commas, for example: New York, dating, vegetarian)
Your comment