The sentence "Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose" was written by

Gertrude Stein Gertrude Stein (February 3, 1874 – July 27, 1946) was an American novelist, poet, playwright, and art collector. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the Allegheny West neighborhood and raised in Oakland, California, Stein moved to Paris ...

as part of the 1913 poem "Sacred Emily", which appeared in the 1922 book ''Geography and Plays''. In that poem, the first "Rose" is the name of a person. Stein later used variations on the sentence in other writings, and the shortened form "A rose is a rose is a rose" is among her most famous quotations, often interpreted as meaning "things are what they are", a statement of the law of identity, "A is A". In Stein's view, the sentence expresses the fact that simply using the name of a thing already invokes the imagery and emotions associated with it, an idea also intensively discussed in the

problem of universals The problem of universals is an ancient question from metaphysics that has inspired a range of philosophical topics and disputes: Should the properties an object has in common with other objects, such as color and shape, be considered to exist be ...

debate where Peter Abelard and others used the ''rose'' as an example concept. As the quotation diffused through her own writing, and the culture at large, Stein once remarked, "Now listen! I'm no fool. I know that in daily life we don't go around saying 'is a ... is a ... is a ...' Yes, I'm no fool; but I think that in that line the rose is red for the first time in English poetry for a hundred years." (''Four in America''). She said to an audience at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

that the statement referred to the fact that when the

Romantics Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

used the word "rose", it had a direct relationship to an actual rose. For later periods in literature this would no longer be true. The eras following Romanticism, notably the modern era, use the word rose to refer to the actual rose, yet they also imply, through the use of the word, the archetypical elements of the romantic era.

Mentions of "rose" in "Sacred Emily"

The following lines appear at widely separated places in "Sacred Emily": * ''It is rose in hen.'' * ''Jack Rose Jack Rose.'' * ''Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose.''

Versions by Gertrude Stein

*"Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose." ("Sacred Emily", ''Geography and Plays'') *"Do we suppose that all she knows is that a rose is a rose is a rose is a rose." (''Operas and Plays'') *"... she would carve on the tree Rose is a Rose is a Rose is a Rose is a Rose until it went all the way around." (''The World is Round'') *"A rose tree may be a rose tree may be a rosy rose tree if watered." (''Alphabets and Birthdays'') *"Indeed a rose is a rose makes a pretty plate...." (''Stanzas in Meditation'') *"When I said. :A rose is a rose is a rose is a rose. :And then later made that into a ring I made poetry and what did I do I caressed completely caressed and addressed a noun." (''Lectures in America'') *"Civilization begins with a rose. A rose is a rose is a rose is a rose. It continues with blooming and it fastens clearly upon excellent examples." (''As Fine as Melanctha'') *"Lifting belly can please me because it is an occupation I enjoy. :Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose. :In print on top." (''Bee Time Vine'')

Variations by others

* "A rose is a rose is a rose" and its variants have been contrasted with Shakespeare's "

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" is a popular adage from William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'', in which Juliet seems to argue that it does not matter that Romeo is from her family's rival house of Montague. The reference i ...

". * The sentence was heavily promoted by Stein's life partner Alice B. Toklas; for example, she sold plates with the sentence going all the way around. * It is told that Picasso answered to somebody asking the meaning of his paintings: "Go in the garden and ask the rose its meaning." * Robert Frost alludes to Stein's sentence in his poem "The Rose Family", from the

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

collection '' West-Running Brook''. * "Evidente y secreto, como el diamante, como el agua, como el desnudo, como la rosa" (

Juan Ramón Jiménez Juan Ramón Jiménez Mantecón (; 23 December 1881 – 29 May 1958) was a Spanish poet, a prolific writer who received the 1956 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his lyrical poetry, which in the Spanish language constitutes an example of high ...

, Madrid: Sánchez Cuesta, 1929) * The sentence was parodied by

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century f ...

after a brief time in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

seeking editorial suggestions for his writing: "a stone is a stein is a rock is a boulder is a pebble." This also appears in his 1940 novel ''

For Whom the Bell Tolls ''For Whom the Bell Tolls'' is a novel by Ernest Hemingway published in 1940. It tells the story of Robert Jordan, a young American volunteer attached to a Republican guerrilla unit during the Spanish Civil War. As a dynamiter, he is assigned ...

'', in which there is yet another parody: "a rose is a rose is an onion." After a (perhaps bitter) falling out, the sentence becomes, "a bitch is a bitch is a bitch is a bitch." * The sentence appears in the

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

musical film '' Singin' in the Rain'', in the musical number "Moses Supposes". While parodying a dialogue coach, the characters of Don Lockwood and Cosmo Brown sing: "...A Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose is / A rose is what Moses supposes his toes is / Couldn't be a lily or a taffy daphi dilli / It's gotta be a rose cuz it rhymes with mose!" * The sentence appears in the 1952 Charlie Chaplin film ''Limelight''. Chaplin's character expresses it as "The meaning of anything is merely other words for the same thing. After all, a rose is a rose is a rose. That's not bad. It should be quoted." *

Aldous Huxley Aldous Leonard Huxley (26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. He wrote nearly 50 books, both novels and non-fiction works, as well as wide-ranging essays, narratives, and poems. Born into the prominent Huxle ...

paraphrases the quotation in his 1954 book ''

The Doors of Perception ''The Doors of Perception'' is an autobiographical book written by Aldous Huxley. Published in 1954, it elaborates on his psychedelic experience under the influence of mescaline in May 1953. Huxley recalls the insights he experienced, ranging ...

'', writing "A rose is a rose is a rose. But these chair legs were chair legs were St. Michael and all angels." In his

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...

book, '' Brave New World Revisited'', Huxley also referenced the quotation, writing, "An apple is an apple is an apple, whereas the moon is the moon is the moon." *

William Carlos Williams William Carlos Williams (September 17, 1883 – March 4, 1963) was an American poet, writer, and physician closely associated with modernism and imagism. In addition to his writing, Williams had a long career as a physician practicing both pedia ...

in a poem "The Pink Locust", appearing in his 1955 collection '' Journey to Love'', quotes "a rose is a rose/ is a rose" as emblematic of the poet's self-deprecation in relation to life. Williams regards the phrase as a slogan of poetic tautology, denying the value of the creative act: the poet feels impotent and recognizes in her art merely a banal repetition of the words we use every day to represent the unrepresentable richness of the natural world. But the following lines of the poem offer an alternative view, one which Williams re-affirmed throughout his career: "A rose ''is'' a rose/ and the poem equals it/ if it be well made." * In the 1960

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

musical ''

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'' (and its

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...

film adaptation), the character of Albert Peterson refers to the saying in the song "Rosie", in which he sings, "Oh, I once heard a poem that goes / A rose is a rose is a rose / But I don't agree / Take it from me / There's one rose sweeter than any that grows!" * In 1968, the Portuguese artist João Vieira (1934–2009) painted the oil on canvas ''Uma Rosa É'' Rose Is a work later (1971) reproduced on the cover of ''Colóquio Artes'', # 1, a prestigious cultural magazine issued by Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon. * In 1973 avant rock band

Henry Cow Henry Cow were an English experimental rock group, founded at the University of Cambridge in 1968 by multi-instrumentalists Fred Frith and Tim Hodgkinson. Henry Cow's personnel fluctuated over their decade together, but drummer Chris Cutler, b ...

sings "But a rose is a rose is a rose" on " Nine Funerals of the Citizen King". *

UK Prime Minister The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern pr ...

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

said in 1981 that "A crime is a crime is a crime" in reference to the actions of members of the

IRA Ira or IRA may refer to: *Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name *Ira (surname), a rare Estonian and some other language family name *Iran, UNDP code IRA Law *Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, US, on status of ...

. The sentence has been used by other speakers as well, with the intended meaning of "no matter what you call it, criminal violence is criminal, and illegal." * In the 1978 film '' The Magic of Lassie'', Robert and Richard Sherman penned the song, "A Rose Is Not a Rose". * "A Rose Is Not A Rose" is a song written by

Richard M. Sherman Richard Morton Sherman (born June 12, 1928) is an American songwriter who specialized in musical films with his brother Robert B. Sherman. According to the official Walt Disney Company website and independent fact checkers, "the Sherman Brot ...

and

Robert B. Sherman Robert Bernard Sherman (December 19, 1925 – March 6, 2012) was an American songwriter, best known for his work in musical films with his brother, Richard M. Sherman. The Sherman brothers produced more motion picture song scores than any ...

for the 1978 motion picture musical '' The Magic of Lassie'' and performed by

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer and actor. He was a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He sold more than 45 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and appeared in mo ...

. * Irving Stettner in his poem ''Singing'': "A rose is a rose/ is a rose", as Gertrude/ Stein once said,/ and when i sing/ yes, i'm a red rose/ like anything!" * "Una rosa es una rosa es una rosa", the Spanish translation of Stein's verse, is the chorus of a song by the Spanish pop music group Mecano that appeared on their 1991 album, ''Aidalai''. The pop-flamenco song tells the story of a man in love with a woman who by turns hurts and soothes him. *

Bret Easton Ellis Bret Easton Ellis (born March 7, 1964) is an American author, screenwriter, short-story writer, and director. Ellis was first regarded as one of the so-called literary Brat Pack and is a self-proclaimed satirist whose trademark technique, as a ...

sent up the sentence in his

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

novel '' American Psycho'', as narrator Patrick Bateman utters, "a Rolls is a Rolls is a Rolls" during one of his frequent materialist stream-of-consciousness tirades. * '' A Rose Is Still a Rose'' was the title of a

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

album by

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

singer Aretha Franklin and a

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetit ...

from the album by Franklin and

Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. She is often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, as well as being one of the most influential musicians of her generation. ...

. The song, written by Hill, also contains the refrain, "What I am is what I am." * In the liner notes to the

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

The Magnetic Fields The Magnetic Fields (named after the André Breton/Philippe Soupault novel '' Les Champs Magnétiques'') are an American band founded and led by Stephin Merritt. Merritt is the group's primary songwriter, producer, and vocalist, as well as fr ...

album ''

69 Love Songs ''69 Love Songs'' is the sixth studio album by American indie pop band the Magnetic Fields, released on September 7, 1999 by Merge Records. As its title indicates, ''69 Love Songs'' is a three-volume concept album composed of 69 love songs, all w ...

'', frontman

Stephin Merritt Stephin Raymond Merritt (born February 9, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the songwriter and principal singer of the bands the Magnetic Fields, the Gothic Archies, and Future Bible Heroes. He is ...

credited the sentence as an inspiration for the songs "The Things We Did and Didn't Do" and "The Flowers She Sent and the Flowers She Said She Sent". * Idlewild, a Scottish rock band, wrote a song called " Roseability", which appeared on their

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

album '' 100 Broken Windows''. The song mentions Stein at the end of the chorus—"and Gertrude Stein said that's enough"—and features large portraits of Stein in the background of the

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

. * The sentence is quoted by David Lodge in his 2001 novel, '' Thinks ...'', in the context of a debate between the fictional characters of Arthur Messenger (a cognitive scientist) and Helen Reed (a novelist). *

James Tenney James Tenney (August 10, 1934 – August 24, 2006) was an American composer and music theorist. He made significant early musical contributions to plunderphonics, sound synthesis, algorithmic composition, process music, spectral music, microto ...

made a skillful if short setting of "Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose" as a

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

dedicated to Philip Corner, beginning with an "a" on an

upbeat Up beat may refer to: *Upbeat, in music, the last beat in the previous bar which immediately precedes the downbeat *Anacrusis, a note (or sequence of notes) which precedes the first downbeat in a bar in a musical phrase * ''Upbeat'' (album), by t ...

rhythm and continuing so that each repetition shuffles the words, e.g. "a/rose is a rose/is a rose is/a rose is a/rose." *

Mordecai Richler Mordecai Richler (January 27, 1931 – July 3, 2001) was a Canadian writer. His best known works are '' The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz'' (1959) and '' Barney's Version'' (1997). His 1970 novel '' St. Urbain's Horseman'' and 1989 novel ...

in his novel '' Barney's Version'' ridicules the stupidity of court speeches when the prosecutor ends his opening speech with "murder is murder is murder." *

Jeanette Winterson Jeanette Winterson (born 27 August 1959) is an English writer. Her first book, '' Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit'', was a semi-autobiographical novel about a sensitive teenage girl rebelling against convention. Other novels explore gender pola ...

wrote in her novel ''Written on the Body'': "Sometimes a breast is a breast is a breast." * "La rosa es una rosa es una rosa" is used in Fernando del Paso's ''Sonetos con lugares comunes''. * A song by Poe (Anne Danielewski), "A rose is a rose", states "a rose is a rose is a rose is a rose said my good friend Gertrude Stein." * The computer game ''

Carmen Sandiego ''Carmen Sandiego'' (sometimes referred to as ''Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?'') is a media franchise based on a series of computer games created by the American software company Broderbund. While the original 1985 '' Where in the World ...

'' features a villain humorously named Rosa Zarrosas-Arroz. * Jeff Smith in the issue 13 of the ''

Bone A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, ...

'' series, Fone Bone's love poems begin with "a rose is a rose is a rose". *

William Burroughs William Seward Burroughs II (; February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist, widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodern author who influenced popular cultur ...

wrote a linguistic variant: "the word for word is word." * The Italian rock band Long Hair in Three Stages use the variant "Rain is rain is rain is..." in a song called "Nothing" and then the original version by Stein, "A rose is a rose is a rose..." in a song called "Rose". * In the late-1980s, an American

public service announcement A public service announcement (PSA) is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge to raise public awareness and change behavior. In the UK, they are generally called a public information film (PIF); in Hong Kong, ...

featured a message regarding identical alcohol content in three alcoholic drinks—a beer, a mixed drink, and a shot of whiskey—with the sentence "A drink is a drink is a drink." * In the " Misleader" seventeenth episode of the first season of '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', the character Detective Munch says, "a rape is a rape is a rape", implying that the bizarre nature of the rape he was investigating did not change the fact that a rape had occurred and that rape is still illegal. * In the English radio series ''

My Word! ''My Word!'' is a British radio quiz panel game broadcast by the BBC on the Home Service (1956–67) and Radio 4 (1967–88). It was created by Edward J. Mason and Tony Shryane, and featured the humorous writers Frank Muir and Denis Norde ...

'',

Frank Muir Frank Herbert Muir (5 February 1920 – 2 January 1998) was an English comedy writer, radio and television personality, and raconteur. His writing and performing partnership with Denis Norden endured for most of their careers. Together they wro ...

was called on to explain the origin of the sentence. His explanation: Nero and Cicero had rose gardens next to each other. The tender of Nero's garden had a mishap and destroyed a whole row of roses. So he sneaked over to Cicero's garden, stole a row from there and replaced the ones missing in his master's garden. However, they were white, while the ones in Nero's garden were pink or "rose-colored". When Nero saw this he wrote a note to the gardener: "Our roses are rose. Is a row Cicero's?" He has also rendered it as "Arrows sees Harrow's Ciceros" in a spin-off book ''You Can't Have Your Kayak and Heat It''. * Julio Cortázar wrote in his novel ''Rayuela'' "A es A, a rose is a rose is a rose, April is the cruellest month, cada cosa en su lugar y un lugar para cada rosa es una rosa es una rosa..." * Stephen King refers to "A rose is a rose is a rose..." in his popular fantasy series '' The Dark Tower''. *

Helge Schneider Helge Schneider (born 30 August 1955 in Mülheim an der Ruhr) is a German entertainer, comedian, musician, author, film and theatre director, and actor. He frequently appears on German television and is probably best known for his song "Katzeklo ...

shortens this sentence in German (title: "Eine Rose ist eine Rose ist", Album: ''29 sehr sehr gute Erzählungen'') * South African bank

Nedbank Nedbank Group is a financial services group in South Africa offering wholesale and retail banking services as well as insurance, asset management, and wealth management. Nedbank Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nedbank Group. Nedbank's ...

advertises with the slogan "A bank isn't a bank isn't a bank." *

Jonathan Safran Foer Jonathan Safran Foer (; born February 21, 1977) is an American novelist. He is known for his novels ''Everything Is Illuminated'' (2002), ''Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close'' (2005), ''Here I Am (novel), Here I Am'' (2016), and for his non-fict ...

uses an altercation of the line "A rose is not a rose is not a rose!" and “A bullet’s a bullet’s a bullet!” in his 2003 book '' Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close''. * In the 2005 '' House M.D.'' episode " Three Stories", Dr. House gives a lecture on diagnosing leg pain, and states that "Leg is a leg is a leg", whoever the patient. * Massachusetts hardcore-punk act

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uses the motif, "a lie is a lie is a lie is a lie" in "Her Lucky Pretty Eyes", from their 1999 record '' It All Comes Down to This''. * Georg Friedrich alias "Schorsch" says in Michael Glawogger's 2009 film ''Contact High'' as he drives backwards because of seeing a Polish police car that "Bulln san Bulln san Bulln", which means that "Cops are cops are cops". * In the 2010 movie '' Scott Pilgrim vs. the World'', Stephen Stills says: "A gig is a gig is a gig is a gig." *

Philip Jose Farmer Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

had his character Omar Runic say "That a rose is a rose is a" in an extemporaneous poem he recites in the 1967 novella ''

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''. * In the 1968 film '' Where Eagles Dare'' Major Smith, played by

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable pe ...

, says "... but what the hell, a hole is a hole is a hole, as they say". *

Vinícius de Moraes Marcus Vinícius da Cruz e Mello Moraes (19 October 1913 – 9 July 1980), better known as Vinícius de Moraes () and nicknamed O Poetinha ("The little poet"), was a Brazilian poet, diplomat, lyricist, essayist, musician, singer, and playwrigh ...

, at "Rancho das Flores": "Que uma rosa não é só uma flor Uma rosa é uma rosa, é uma rosa É a mulher rescendendo de amor". (A rose is not only a flower, a rose is a rose, and a rose is a woman exhaling of love.—not precise translation) * In '' Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World'', Marta Lualdi says "A thief is a thief is a thief!". * In the 2011 ''Supernatural'' episode "The Man Who Would Be King", the character Crowley laments "a whore is a whore is a whore" to Castiel. * In the novel ''Double Feature: Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies/Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies'' by Brent Hartinger, Russel says: "Zombie guts are zombie guts are zombie guts" to Min and Gunnar. * In ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' Vol. 3 Issue 8, Peter Quill says "a save is a save is a... save." to Abigail Brand when they are unexpectedly saved by Angela during their brief captivity at the Peak. * In Laura Lemay's book ''Teach Yourself Java in 21 Days'', the difference between upper and lowercase variable names is illustrated by, "A 'rose' is not a 'Rose' is not a 'ROSE'." * Richard Dennis wrote in "The Whizkid of Futures Trading" (''Business Week'', December 6, 1982, p. 102): "'A trend is a trend is a trend', Gertrude Stein would have said if she were a trader...". * Canadian Prime Minister

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since 2 ...

has stated, "A Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian." * Former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien said, "A proof is a proof is a proof." * In the 2016 '' Blindspot'' episode "Cease Forcing Enemy", Ashley Johnson as Patterson talks

Jaimie Alexander Jaimie Lauren Alexander (born Jaimie Lauren Tarbush; March 12, 1984) is an American actress. She is known for portraying Jessi on the TV series '' Kyle XY'' and Lady Sif in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films '' Thor'' (2011), '' Thor: The Dark ...

in landing a plane saying "A plane, is a plane, is a plane". * In ''Tell Me Three Things'' by Julie Buxbaum the main character thinks "Ethan is Ethan is Ethan," an nth number of times. * The title of Reto Geiser's book about Architectures and Collaborations of Johnston Marklee is ''House is a house is a house is a house is a house''. * In his 2016 Tony Award acceptance speech for his musical ''Hamilton'', Lin-Manuel Miranda stated "love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love" in reference to the Orlando shooting at a gay club the night before. * In the pilot episode of the HBO series ''

Westworld ''Westworld'' is an American science fiction-thriller media franchise that began with the 1973 film ''Westworld'', written and directed by Michael Crichton. The film depicts a technologically advanced Wild-West-themed amusement park populate ...

'' (2016) the android character Peter Abernathy (

Louis Herthum Louis Herthum (born July 5, 1956) is an American actor and producer. Herthum has worked as a stage, television, and film actor, and he has also appeared in national television commercials. He is best known for his recurring role as Dep. Andy Broom ...

) utters the phrase to Ford (

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. One of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins has received many accolad ...

) after malfunctioning. * In "Body Parts" (''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine''), the Rule of Acquisition No. 17: "A contract is a contract is a contract (but only between Ferengi)." * In

Rupi Kaur Rupi Kaur (born 4 October 1992) is a Canadian poet, illustrator, photographer, and author. Born in Punjab, India, Kaur emigrated to Canada at a young age with her family. She began performing poetry in 2009 and rose to fame on Instagram, eventua ...

's '' The Sun and Her Flowers:'' "a friend or a lover a loss is a loss is a loss" * Visual artist

Roni Horn Roni Horn (born September 25, 1955) is an American visual artist and writer. The granddaughter of Eastern European immigrants, she was born in New York City, where she lives and works. She is currently represented by Xavier Hufkens in Brussels an ...

, in ''th rose prblm'' (2017), refers to the subject. *Abstract artist, Shane Guffogg, created a series partly inspired by this phrase titled, ''A Rose is a Rose is a Rose'', in 2019 using oils on canvas. *In the 1977 episode of

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker. Th ...

, "Margaret's Marriage", Hawkeye says "An affair is an affair is an affair". *In the 2018 ''

Ozark The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and the extreme southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover a significant porti ...

'' episode "Once a Langmore...",

Jason Butler Harner Jason Thomas Butler Harner (born October 9, 1970) is an American actor. Life and career Harner was born in Elmira, New York and grew up in suburban Northern Virginia, where he saw a handful of plays at Washington, D.C.’s Arena Stage. His mid ...

as Agent Patty responds to Rachel's (

Jordana Spiro Jordana Spiro (born April 12, 1977) is an American actress, director, and writer. As an actress, she has starred in numerous films and television series including Netflix's '' Ozark'' and TBS comedy television program ''My Boys''. Her debut f ...

) comment regarding his clumsy placing of the wire in her bra by saying, "A breast is a breast is a breast." *In the English edition of his book ''Discourse Networks 1800 / 1900'', Friedrich Kittler paraphrases Stein's formula: "A medium is a medium is a medium." (p. 229, p. 265)

References

External links

Text of "Sacred Emily"
{{Gertrude Stein Quotations from literature American poetry Identity (philosophy) Rhetorical techniques Gertrude Stein 1910s neologisms

Mentions of "rose" in "Sacred Emily"

Versions by Gertrude Stein

Variations by others

See also

References

External links