"Everyone steals from something or someone"
About this Quote
The intent is disarming in its simplicity: stop pretending originality is pure. Dickinson isn’t defending plagiarism so much as puncturing the myth of the untouched genius. Fashion runs on quotation marks - silhouettes return, faces are “the next” someone, trends are resurrected with a new price tag. In that world, stealing is not a crime; it’s a production method. The line also carries a wink of self-justification, a way to normalize the compromises you make when your currency is image and attention. If everyone’s doing it, then no one has to feel uniquely guilty.
The subtext bites harder: the boundary between inspiration and theft is policed unevenly. Models, stylists, and assistants “borrow” and get called derivative; brands “reference” and get called visionary. Dickinson’s phrasing flattens that hierarchy into one unsentimental truth: cultural capital is accumulated by taking, not by waiting to be granted permission.
Context matters here because Dickinson’s persona thrives on stripping varnish off polite narratives. In an era obsessed with authenticity, she offers a more cynical, arguably more accurate ethic: creativity is collage, and the only real question is who gets credit - and who gets paid.
Quote Details
| Topic | Ethics & Morality |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Dickinson, Janice. (2026, January 15). Everyone steals from something or someone. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/everyone-steals-from-something-or-someone-163921/
Chicago Style
Dickinson, Janice. "Everyone steals from something or someone." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/everyone-steals-from-something-or-someone-163921/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Everyone steals from something or someone." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/everyone-steals-from-something-or-someone-163921/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.






