Talk:Doris Lessing

Wondering about attribution to an empire quote
Saw this quote on the web (eg: brainyquote) but don't see it here, or in misattributed. Is there a better source?

“You know, when I was a girl, the idea that the British Empire could ever end was absolutely inconceivable. And it just disappeared, like all the other empires.” — Doris Lessing Recognitor (talk) 04:13, 14 November 2022 (UTC)


 * @Recognitor: Thanks for this great quote. I found it on Sue Gardner's blog. There are also lots of google hits for the term “You know, when I was a girl, the idea that the British Empire could ever end was absolutely inconceivable. And it just disappeared, like all the other empires" all attributing it to Lessing. Ottawahitech (talk) 20:16, 26 December 2022 (UTC)

Think Wrongly
"Think wrongly, if you please, but in all cases think for yourself."

This is absolutely a quotation from Gotthold Lessing (as quoted here in 1847 and here in an 1878 biography. The source London Times article is behind a firewall, so I can't confirm if Doris Lessing quoted Gotthold, or if the interview author incorrectly attributed the quotation to her, but it's seems dubious to include here.

The quotation is also attributed to the Egyptian philosopher Hypatia. Dave Hill (talk) 01:50, 24 January 2024 (UTC)
 * I think that this information should be added as a comment below the quote. Robin Loup (talk) 02:38, 24 January 2024 (UTC)
 * I have moved the statement and the above links to the "Misattributed" section where many others misattributions (most that were actually Gotthold Ephraim Lessing) have arisen on the internet. I have not displayed the citation it had previously used, as that too could be wrong. ~ ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 04:57, 24 January 2024 (UTC) + tweak


 * In The Times of London article from 20 years ago, the quote isn't attributed. It reads as follows: "Perhaps it is her unremitting productivity that has kept her so vital, so vigorous. Her motto is: 'Think wrongly, if you please, but in all cases think for yourself.' By the time I leave ..." It is also quoted as her personal motto as "She says", again otherwise unattributed, at the end of the Natasha Walter interview for The Independent (London) in 2001. Philip Cross (talk) 09:58, 24 January 2024 (UTC)