If you steal from one author, it is plagiarism; if you steal from many, it is research (Wilson Mizner (1876–1933), American writer and entrepreneur)
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Borrowing from multiple sources is considered acceptable
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Vay mượn từ nhiều nguồn được coi là chấp nhận được
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Sources & notes
Listed on Wikipedia “List of proverbial phrases” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “If you steal from one author, it is plagiarism; if you steal from many, it is research (Wilson Mizner (1876–1933), American writer and entrepreneur)” mean?
Borrowing from multiple sources is considered acceptable
Is “If you steal from one author, it is plagiarism; if you steal from many, it is research (Wilson Mizner (1876–1933), American writer and entrepreneur)” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.