Do I contradict myself? Very well, then, I contradict myself; I am large -- I contain multitudes.

Walt Whitman
Do I contradict myself? Very well, then, I contradict myself;...
Do I contradict myself? Very well, then, I contradict myself;...
Do I contradict myself? Very well, then, I contradict myself;...
Do I contradict myself? Very well, then, I contradict myself;...
About This Quote

The great philosopher, Mark Twain, said “Do I contradict myself? Very well, then, I contradict myself; I am large -- I contain multitudes.” In this quote from his essay on style, he is echoing a famous line from the play Hamlet by the same name. In that play, as in most of Shakespeare’s plays, Shakespeare uses a number of very famous lines. This one is no exception. It has been used as an example of contradictory statements and of self-contradiction for over three hundred years.

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