"All right, I will read what's in my pocket"
About this Quote
Coming from Norton Simon, the businessman-collector whose name became a museum, the line lands as an emblem of elite governance: decisions and narratives carried around as portable property. It hints at the backstage mechanics of wealth and institutional life, where what gets shared is often what fits in a suit pocket - prepared, curated, and strategically incomplete. The pocket is also a metonym for capital itself: access, ownership, and discretion bundled together. Even the modesty of the wording is part of the craft. It performs reasonableness while maintaining a boundary: I'll read what I have, not necessarily what you want, not necessarily everything.
The phrase can easily sit in a boardroom, a deposition, or a press moment - any situation where a powerful figure is pushed toward transparency. Its genius is how it reduces accountability to a physical gesture, turning scrutiny into theater: watch me reach inside, watch me choose what counts as the record.
Quote Details
| Topic | Witty One-Liners |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Simon, Norton. (2026, January 16). All right, I will read what's in my pocket. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/all-right-i-will-read-whats-in-my-pocket-113094/
Chicago Style
Simon, Norton. "All right, I will read what's in my pocket." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/all-right-i-will-read-whats-in-my-pocket-113094/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"All right, I will read what's in my pocket." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/all-right-i-will-read-whats-in-my-pocket-113094/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.












