Since I wrote the following, back in April 2011, the hits on ["Enjoy the little things" "Vonnegut"] have exploded from 10,000 to 142,000, while the hits on ["Enjoy the little things" "Brault"] have increased only from 425,000 to 459,000. So, as I predicted, the hand of Kurt Vonnegut continues to reach from the grave to grab credit for words he never wrote, and which his official biographer confirms he never wrote (See comments section, below.) All I can do is hope that you, the reader, go away from here knowing who really did write those words.
I received an email this week asking if I am really the author of “Enjoy the little things….” -- the quote at the top of this page. The writer said she had seen the quote attributed to Kurt Vonnegut.
Before I go further, let me point out that “Enjoy the little things…” is one of the most quoted lines of the past 25 years. In several slight variations, it appears over a million times on the internet. It is quoted on more internet sites than any of the Ten Commandments and almost as many times as The Golden Rule. It has been used on calendars, greeting cards, stationery, t-shirts and novelty items of every sort. It has been the motto of at least two high school graduating classes.
I did a Google on “Enjoy the little things…, Vonnegut” and, sure enough, came up with over 10,000 hits. I then did a Google on “Enjoy the little things…, Brault” and came up with 425,000 hits.
I suppose I could count this as 42 to 1 confirmation that I am the acknowledged author of the quote, and put the thing out of my mind -- but experience tells me otherwise. Now that my words have been attributed to a famous person, that person will inevitably become the recognized author of the quote. Eventually, if I am remembered at all for “Enjoy the little things…,” it will be as the fellow who stole it from Kurt Vonnegut.
For the record, I wrote the quote for National Enquirer in 1985. It was reprinted by Reader’s Digest in its September 1986 issue, page 139 (Quotable Quotes). It has since been quoted in many anthologies, most visibly in the popular “Book of Positive Quotations”, Fairview Press, 1997. It is attributed to me in all instances.
I would say to those who are crediting this quote to Kurt Vonnegut, “Please state your source.” If you can locate this quote in Kurt Vonnegut’s writings prior to 1985-6, then by all means attribute the quote to him. But if you cannot reference the quote in Kurt Vonnegut’s writings, or if it appears in his writings after 1985-86, then please attribute properly.
Robert Brault
(Below, Reader's Digest, September 1986 issue)
48 comments:
I totally get your frustration. Maybe this will spawn a few "integrity" quotes for you... ;)
That must be so annoying to have your work attributed to someone else. It's the pits.
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Foreign Quang says it's Robert Brault and Foreign Quang never lies. :)
Hi Robert!
Stopping by here, as I often do to read some wonderful, original thoughts!
I'm thinking of this quote today:
"Sometimes, I believe, we are allowed to get lost that we may find the right person to ask directions of." {R.B.}
It's always great to have someone point in the right direction.
...and this quote...
"What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God."
The last quote on the "Quotable Quotes" page by Eleanor Powell is also perfect for today. Thank you for becoming a gift to many.
Happy Easter!
*Maria
It pains me greatly to read these words. As someone who loves to write, I can only imagine your dismay and disappointment at this development. I will not urge you to continue your blog (though in my heart I urge you stay), but I will encourage you to not abandon your desire to write, to continue sharing those wonderful thoughts of yours with others. Man has no patent on integrity, integrity makes the man, from the inside out. I believe your integrity can stand alone beyond the shadow of any doubt. Your words will always be yours. It is those little things, those little words you offer, that has brought each of your readers laughter, gentle thought, and often moments of self-examination. Thank you, Mr. Brault.
Blessings,
M.
I'm Kurt Vonnegut's biographer. During the five years I spent researching and writing his life, I never came across a remark by him remotely similar to Mr. Brault's.
Charles J. Shields
And So It Goes: Kurt Vonnegut, A Life (Henry Holt & Co., November 2011)
www.writingkurtvonnegut.com
I'm glad you set the record straight.
But as someone who recently 'discovered' you, and just presuming you would be here forever, I am saddened to hear of your taking leave.
Sir, Do continue...you inspire many with your writings..
Taking leave?? Did I miss something?
RB rocks, rules and surely must remain.
Oh, my goodness! I've just re-visited the final few to savour the quotes I whisked through yesterday, and see confirmation of retirement.
One has to respect a heartfelt decision, but it doesn't stop it being a body-blow. I'm saddened.
All,
Thanks so much, and, Charles, thanks especially for your informed corroboration. I am a junkie for literary bios and will look forward to your fall release.
I do want to post a final, individual response to many of you and will do so next week.
smiles all,
rb
Glad you set the record straight, Robert. Continue inspiring many of us. :)
Enjoy the irony. Went to make a post this morning....wanted to use that quote...came to your site cause I knew it was yours and wanted to make sure I quoted it correctly...and 'oila! There it was...main topic of conversation. Don't leave us...
I receive your posts on Reader, so I had not yet read of your farewell before I commented on this post the first time. But now that I am aware, please allow me to comment again.
I have not been a follower very long, so I feel like I'm losing a brand new friend. And while I wish you a very happy retirement, I want you to know how much you will be missed. You are brilliant. Thank you for all the wisdom you have so beautifully shared.
I have posted many of your quotes on facebook. I always cite my source :) I think you write the most amazing stuff! Also as a 29 year old first time college student..hehehe, I am scraping by in English Composition and the citations are killing me! But I know just how important it is! Sorry you are having to deal with this, but you deserve credit where credit is due and nothing is wrong with that!
Sorry for the disappointment, but glad you were willing to set the record straight. It looks as if Vonnegut's biographer confirmed what you and your readers already knew. Wish Vonnegut himself had been able to state the fact.
Robert, I really hope you change your mind. I haven't read anyone who comes even close to you in your ability to compress wisdom and humor so skillfully and so humorously and seriously. Speaking as just one member of an audience who appreciates and enjoys your work, I m
ake a motion that we refuse to accept your resignation. There's still the book(s) which need to be written! ~donkimrey
dear sir,
you are too enormous granary to be exhausted ... too many wits and wisdoms yet to be reached to us.... to enlighten our days..
Kurt Vonnegut's biographer's affidavit is not even necessary to admit you as a genuine writer.. but indeed it proves the truth...
and we kindly rebuke your offer of retirement.
rgrds
salu
I get so much pleasure from your writing and am so glad you've set the record straight.
With so many well wishers Robert, am sure you have so much going for you. Deeply appreciative of your fine notes all along. Am sure in case you pencil a few more, many eager ones are waiting to read. Warmly
I really enjoy reading your thoughts and quotes especially on family and dogs. Its brought me many smiles and laughs. My mother has Alzheimer's which is sad in itself; but I find your words of aging inspiring. Enjoy your well-deserved retirement.jane
Robert,
I have been following you for close to a year now. You have kept me company many a sleepless night with your wit, insight and inspiration. I will be honest, I find this news to be disheartening. To the point where I actually had tears in my eyes. I look forward to your quotes everyday. In fact, I post a quote of yours on a daily basis to my facebook page in order to share with my friends. Of course my favorite being "Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."
All that being said, I just wanted to thank you for being my companion, although you never knew it. And thank you for your honesty and compassion for what you do, inspire people.
I wish you all the very best and hope that you will come out of retirement once again and add another thousand quotes for me to read through, think on and share.
Bridget
Dear Robert,
I posted below, but still wanted to say one more thing.
Please, indulge me.
When I think of your quotes I realize you are a soul reader. Whether the soul you are reading is yours or the world's, you still read what goes on in a manner that only years of wisdom can convey.
As I told you a while ago you brighten up my dark little corners like a ray of sunshine seeping through a tiny little window and overwhelming the place with joy and hope.
Enjoy your little and your big things and once in a while grace us with your light.
Be well!
Izabel
Sincerely wishing you the best, Robert. Everyone here has left words that echo sentiments we all feel about your writing. Thank you so much for the time and energy you have put into this blog ... I know how much time can pass while working here.
I will continue to visit frequently as I
enjoy your thoughts and beautiful insights on all aspects of life.
Blessings always,
~Maria
I just found your blog tonight. I was searching for the author of this exact quote as I wish to paint it on a wall hanging for our family dining area, but I wanted to be sure to attribute it properly. My husband and I have two little ones and want to cherish each moment. Thank you for your inspiring and insightful words. I'm so sad to see you're not continuing this blog. I was hoping to start following it just when I read your latest post. Thank you for sharing & reminding our family of the important things!
"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."
I read and gained insight from Robert Brault's writing for at least two years before realizing he had authored the above quote.
One of many 'little Braultisms' I particularly enjoy: "It's annoying to be disapproved of by people who know only half the story -- especially when you're not sure which half they know."
Dare we, his most loyal followers, admonish the master: Live your teaching, sir!
We look forward to your imminent return.
- The Covert Comic
Methinks it sounds like a standing ovation. Thunderous applause. Certainly it demands and deserves a return. A curtain call. Encore. More! More! Less all hear it, folks!
Robert, I've been a sort of crusty old cynic, and you've been a friend an a source of great encouragement to me. I'm sort of torn between under-standing the toll such creativity takes on a person, being hacked off at some stuff. But, whatever you decide to do ultimately, you can take great pride and consolation in knowing you provided thoughtful, very inspirational,provocative, poignant and amusing sayings. Hope we can at least stay in touch occasionally. donkimrey
I used this quote as my FaceBook status today and definitely put your name next to it!!! Thank you for your quotes, they make a difference in my world.
Tiffany,
Someone once said that you aren't truly famous until you're quoted as "Anonymous." But, yes, it's frustrating to be quoted as someone else.
Thanks for your appreciation.
Sue,
Thanks for your many thoughtful comments over the past year. You have been almost as loyal a stand-by as your book, "His Children," which I keep always within arm's reach.
Randi,
Indeed Foreign Quang never lies, and, what is more, it tells the most fascinating truths. Thank you so much for being a friend from the start.
Maria,
I've sppreciated so much your putting my quotes to such good use in the classroom. I have to laugh at your quoting Eleanor Powell from the "Quotable Quotes" page, above. My dad used to do that. I'd show him a quote of mine in some collection, and he'd immediately pick out the one next to it and say, "Now that's a good one." LOL
Mattie,
My favorite of all the Mattie Elliott poems is the one you posted for Easter, "Breath of Heaven."
"Every now and then,
when the world sits just right ~
a gentle breath of heaven
fills my soul with delight..."
Thanks so much for your appreciative words. They mean a great deal to me.
Charles,
Again, thanks for corroboration. It was generous of you to take the time to comment.
Joanne, Parag,
Thank you. Please do scan the archives. There is much there that I'm sure will be new to you.
Ken Devine,
I can't tell you, Ken, how much pleasure I've taken from our exchanges over these past two years. Your paintings have been a lift to the spirit always, and your writings a down-to-earth antidote to this affliction called daily life. I look forward to tracking you into Brittany and enjoying vicariously your life as the ex-patriot painter. Good luck!
Aileen, vocalise,
Thanks so much for your many visits here. At the moment, my resolve holds. But the test of it will be the next time a really good thought pops into my head.
kristie,
Keep plugging away at the English Composition. The nuts and bolts can be tough. Strangely, the worst grades I got in college were in Comp and Lit, including a 'D' in Freshman Comp.
Don/Anon,
Thanks for your doggedly loyal support over these two years. Your good will has been relentless. If there's ever a book, you'll be the first to know (and I'll expect a large order.)
salu,
Thank you, my-friend-from-the-other-side-of-the-world. I once said of my fame as a writer, "Despite my Reader's Digest appearances, I am unknown in the USA, and through the Reader's Digest International editions, have become quite unheard of around the world." (smile)
Barbara,
Sharing your passion for all things literate, I much appreciate your words. Thanks.
Raj,
You are another loyal and literate friend whom I much appreciate, your words invariably more wise than my own.
Sunshine girl (Jane),
Thank you. I only comment on growing old because there's nothing else I can do about it. Prayers for your mom.
Bridget,
Appreciative comments like yours will always make me think twice about quitting. I certainly would continue if I felt there were inspirational things I have left unsaid. But true insights have become rare, and I don't want to fill the blog with cynical quips and whimsical humor. My emails and comments since last Tuesday only confirm that there's a high expectation of this blog, and for now at least, it's a bit overwhelming.
Izabel,
What a wonderful letter. Thank you. But your letter epitomizes my current conundrum. I do not see in my morning mirror a face of sunshine and joy and hope. It takes an intellectual search, and the search cannot be predicted to produce fruit every Tuesday. (smile)
More later.
smiles,
rb
I have a funny story how a couple of my thoughts were stolen, and I haven't even been published. :) In my profile in Face Book under "Books I read," instead of listing books,I wrote, "If it's a book I'll read it," and "I even read cereal boxes." Sometime later two Face Book pages were created titled "If it's a book I'll read it," and "I even read cereal boxes." When I complained to a friend, she said, "oh nobody has any original thoughts," which made me doubt I thought it up myself. At least you have proof, me I'll always appear confused.
Rebekah,
Thanks for your thoughtful comment. Nothing else I've ever said has approached the popularity of "Enjoy the little things...", but if you browse the archives, you'll find a couple thousand attempts.
Anon (Covert Comic),
Don't get me wrong -- the reason I don't want to fill this blog with cycnical quips and whimsical humor is not that they can't be insightful and funny, but because I'd be playing second fiddle to you. (Look out, here comes a new thought:
"The trick, when forced to play second fiddle, is to think of it as second stradivarius."
Anon (Don)
Thanks, as always, for rousing encouragement. Unfortunately, my hearing these days is such that thunderous applause sounds like water over the dam. (smile)
Rose,
Making some small difference is all I can ask, Thank you.
Maxie,
As to the original source of "I even read cereal boxes," I'd have to guess that it came from the novel, "Breakfast of Champions." Let's see, who wrote that? (lol)
smiles all,
rb
Robert, as long as your blog is here, we can at least stop by and re-read all of your wonderful thoughts and observations in your archives....which I plan to do, many times over.
Becky,
Thanks, the key will be under the WELCOME mat.
smiles,
rb
Thanks, Robert. I intend to use it many, many times! :)
Sad news, but I understand. I have repeatedly used your quotes on my facebook page, and have always listed your name as the author, never leaving that spot blank or taking credit myself. I have, because of that been able to share your wisdom, humor and insight with many of my friends who have also become followers.
I have looked at other writers and bloggers at your suggestion and was enlightned by those gifts.
Reading your blog was equal to opening a birthday present anytime I wanted to...very, very special to me. You will be missed here.
Marshall,
Your words mean a lot to me. There are many comments here I will recall with a satisfied mind but none more so than your words, "Reading your blog was equal to opening a birthday present anytime I wanted to... ." Thank you.
smiles,
rb
Hi Robert,
I am your new fan! I've been searching birthday quotes and I find one of yours! You are really an amazing person with great ideas. Surely, I'll love to come back to search for quotes suited for my alternative cures site. Already bookmark this site. Thanks!
God Bless!
Omar,
Thanks. You've got me wondering if I've ever said anything on alternative cures. Strange, since I'm a strong advocate of such. Will have to turn my mind to the subject.
smiles,
rb
Hi Robert,
Just wondering if you have some health quotes that is fits well for our advocacy about Natural Remedies. I would love to share it to everyone and the credits goes to you and this site.
:)
I just found your quotes today, looking for something specific to cheer a friend up (and copied and pasted it to her, complete with attribution, of course).
And then I searched and found your blog, eager to find more, and learn you are thinking of retiring.
I can only make one point, as I am a brand new reader, this last hour only, in fact.
Thinking up and sharing your wonderful thoughts should not be seen as a chore, nor can it be reasonably expected to happen like clockwork, "9 new quotes by Tuesday, please, thank you".
Why not drop the self-imposition to post once a week and post only when the mood and muse takes you?
Warmest regards and thank you for your observations, many of which I bet I read in Readers Digest as a kid, quotable quotes was my very favourite bit.
I shall spend some happy days exploring the back log.
Kavey,
I've pretty much reneged on giving up the blog, but the posts will be few in the months ahead. My muse only reports for work when I sit down in front of my computer and set myself a subject to think about. I'll be doing that less often over the summer and early fall.
I have to laugh at the "9 new quotes by Tuesday" line, because for years it was "10 new quotes every Monday morning," writing for the U.S. tabloid, National Enquirer. I wrote under many pseudonyms, and many of the items, over 60, did make it to Reader's Digest.
Thanks for friendly encouragement,
rb
Thank you for writing this post. I saw a variation of the quote posted on Twitter claiming it was Kurt Vonnegut's and wanted to email it to my fiancée.
As always with quotes attributed to famous people, I decided to Google it before believing the attribution. This post cleared it up for me, and I now sent it to her, with proper credit to you.
Cameron W.,
While I'm sure it will make little difference to your fiancee, it does to me, so thank you. I do believe that it's the thought that counts, and I don't mind sharing attribution with "Anonymous", but Kurt Vonnegut has a legacy that doesn't need any help from me.
smiles,
rb
Today I read this quote in "Off the Grid News":
"The average pencil is seven inches long, with just a half-inch eraser--in case you thought optimism was dead"
-Robert Brault"
This led me to google your name. This led me to the quote "Enjoy the little things.." This led me to google Kurt Vonnegut. Now I know who he is and I do and would not appreciate his dark writings if I were to read any more of them. What I did read were sick and did nothing to be uplifting and positive.
Thank you, Robert Brault, for your uplifting and positive quotes.
More smiles,
Linda, Texas
Linda,
You are kind to take such interest. Thank you. To be always uplifting and positive is a standard I fall well short of, so I will trust you to exercise a bit of selectivity.
smiles,
rb
Bob...Just think of this...Some people are envious of other people. Typically they will not admit they are envious. Steer away from this person, you can not afford to keep envious people in your private world. People that envy you are not your friends. Cheers and don't give up there are lots of people around the globe waiting for your lines and I am one of them. God bless.
Tooth,
Thanks for support, but I question if there's any envy involved here. Usually the way a quote gets attributed to somebody else is that it appears in a list of quotes, and the attribution for one is mistakenly associated with the one nest to it. I often get credited for other people's stuff.
smiles,
rb
Mr. Brault, when I first came to your page I immediately borrowed your brilliant quote about the little things, which I of course attributed to YOU!! I think you're one of the wisest gentlemen that I've ever read. I am so happy to have found you....Your wit and wisdom will often bring me to your page! Thank you for sharing your extraordinary gift here! God bless you!
Enjoy the little things while you may... as one day, maybe not today but soon, and for the rest of your life, they shall become the sort of niggling litte things that really tend to get up your nose – and how!
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