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 Allegheny, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh), and raised in Oakland, California, Stein moved to Paris in 1903, and ...

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 In logic, the law of identity states that each thing is identical with itself. It is the first of the traditional three laws of thought, along with the law of noncontradiction, and the law of excluded middle. However, few systems of logic are b ...

, "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 ...

debate where

Peter Abelard Peter Abelard (12 February 1079 – 21 April 1142) was a medieval French scholastic philosopher, leading logician, theologian, teacher, musician, composer, and poet. This source has a detailed description of his philosophical work. In philos ...

and others used the ''rose'' as an example concept. As the quotation diffused through her own writing, and the culture at large. In ''Four in America'', Stein wrote, "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 This article focuses on poetry from the United Kingdom written in the English language. The article does not cover poetry from other countries where the English language is spoken, including the Republic of Ireland after December 1922. The earl ...

for a hundred years." She said to an audience at

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

that the statement referred to the fact that when the

Romantics Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

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.''

Versions by others

*"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 William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

" A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." * The sentence was heavily promoted by Stein's life partner

Alice B. Toklas Alice Babette Toklas (April 30, 1877 – March 7, 1967) was an American-born member of the Parisian avant-garde of the early 20th century, and the life partner of American writer Gertrude Stein. Early life Alice B. Toklas was born in San F ...

; 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 Robert Lee Frost (March26, 1874January29, 1963) was an American poet. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American Colloquialism, colloquial speech, Frost frequently wrote about settings from rural life in New E ...

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 A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satirical or ironic imitation. Often its subject is an original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, etc), but a parody can also b ...

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...

after a brief time in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

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 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serv ...

Singin' in the Rain ''Singin' in the Rain'' is a 1952 American musical romantic comedy film directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds, and featuring Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell, Rita Moreno a ...

'', 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. His bibliography spans nearly 50 books, including non-fiction novel, non-fiction works, as well as essays, narratives, and poems. Born into the ...

paraphrases the quotation in his

1954 Events January * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...

book '' The Doors of Perception'', 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 thir ...

book, ''

Brave New World Revisited ''Brave New World'' is a dystopian novel by English author Aldous Huxley, written in 1931, and published in 1932. Largely set in a futuristic World State, whose citizens are environmentally engineered into an intelligence-based social hiera ...

'', 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 and physician closely associated with modernism and imagism. His '' Spring and All'' (1923) was written in the wake of T. S. Eliot's '' The Waste Land'' (1922). ...

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 Stre ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

Bye Bye Birdie ''Bye Bye Birdie'' is a stage musical with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams, based upon a book by Michael Stewart. Originally titled ''Let's Go Steady'', ''Bye Bye Birdie'' is set in 1958. The play's book was influenced by El ...

'' (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 Cove ...

film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...

), 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 Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, wit ...

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 Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...

said in 1981 that "A crime is a crime is a crime" in reference to the actions of members of the IRA. 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." * "A Rose Is Not A Rose" is a song written by Richard M. Sherman 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 oth ...

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, songwriter, actor, author, television personality, radio host and philanthropist. He sold nearly 50 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and has acted in many films. Boone ...

. * 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 Mecano was a Spanish pop band formed in 1981 and active until 1992. Mecano became one of the most successful Spanish pop bands of all time. The band is still the best-selling Spanish band, with over 20 million records worldwide. They were cons ...

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 and screenwriter. Ellis was one of the literary Brat Pack (literary), Brat Pack and is a self-proclaimed satirist whose trademark technique as a writer is the expression of extreme acts ...

sent up the sentence in his

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

American Psycho ''American Psycho'' is a black comedy horror novel by American writer Bret Easton Ellis, published in 1991. The story is told in the First-person narrative, first-person by Patrick Bateman, a wealthy, narcissistic, and vain Manhattan investmen ...

'', 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 Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

album by

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

singer

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

and a

song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

from the album by Franklin and

Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American musician. She is celebrated as one of the most influential musical artists of her generation. Hill is credited with breaking barriers for female rappers, contributing to the popular music, m ...

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

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

The Magnetic Fields The Magnetic Fields are an American Band (rock and pop), band founded and led by Stephin Merritt. Merritt is the group's primary songwriter, producer, and vocalist, as well as frequent multi-instrumentalist. The band is named after the André B ...

album ''

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'', frontman

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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 Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band, wrote a song called " Roseability", which appeared on their

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

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 that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

. * The sentence is quoted by David Lodge in his

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

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, microt ...

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 material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

dedicated to Philip Corner, beginning with an "a" on an upbeat 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.""''A Rose is a Rose is a Rose is a Round''" in Wannamaker, Robert,
The Music of James Tenney, Volume 2: A Handbook to the Pieces
' (University of Illinois Press, 2021), 81-84. *

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

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 author. Her first book, '' Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit'', was a semi-autobiographical novel about a lesbian growing up in an English Pentecostal community. Other novels explore gender ...

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 Fernando del Paso Morante (April 1, 1935 – November 14, 2018) was a Mexican novelist, essayist and poet. Biography Del Paso was born in Mexico City and took two years in economics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). He ...

'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 Carmen Sandiego (video game series), series of computer video games created by the American software company Broderbund. Whi ...

'' 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. He is widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodern author who influenced popular culture and ...

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. Oftentimes these messages feature unsettling imagery, ideas or behaviors that are des ...

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 BBC Home Service, Home Service (1956–67) and BBC Radio 4, Radio 4 (1967–88). It was created by Edward J. Mason and Tony Shryane, and featured the humorous writers ...

'',

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 wr ...

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 Julio Florencio Cortázar (26 August 1914 – 12 February 1984; ) was an Argentine and naturalised French novelist, short story writer, poet, essayist, and translator. Known as one of the founders of the Latin American Boom, Cortázar influenc ...

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 Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...

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, composer, author, film and theatre director, actor, and screenwriter. He frequently appears on German television and is probably best kno ...

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. Headquarter ...

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'' (2016), and for his non-fiction works '' Eat ...

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. ''House'' (also known as ''House, M.D.'') is an American medical drama television series created by David Shore for Fox. It ran for eight seasons from November 16, 2004, to May 21, 2012. It features the life of Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) ...

'' episode "

Three Stories Three Stories may refer to: * "Three Stories" (''House''), an episode of the TV series ''House'' * ''Three Stories'' (1997 film), a Russian-Ukrainian comedy film * ''Three Stories'' (1953 film), a Polish drama film {{disambiguation ...

", 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

Bane Bane may refer to: Fictional characters * Bane (DC Comics), an adversary of Batman * Bane (''Harry Potter''), a centaur in the ''Harry Potter'' series * Bane (''The Matrix''), a character in the ''Matrix'' film trilogy * Bane the Druid, a Gua ...

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 ''

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'', Stephen Stills says: "A gig is a gig is a gig is a gig." *

Philip Jose Farmer Philip, also Phillip, is a male 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 popularized the n ...

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 ''Where Eagles Dare'' is a 1968 action adventure war film directed by Brian G. Hutton and starring Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood and Mary Ure. Set during World War II, it follows a Special Operations Executive team charged with saving a ca ...

'' Major Smith, played by

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, 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 playwrig ...

, 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 Brent Hartinger (born 1971) is an American author, playwright, and screenwriter, best known for his novels about gay teenagers. Early life Hartinger was born in 1971 in Washington state and grew up in Tacoma, Washington. He earned a bachelor's ...

, 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 served as the 23rd prime minister of Canada from 2015 to 2025. He led the Liberal Party from 2013 until his resignation in 2025 and was the member of Parliament ...

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 Ashley Suzanne Johnson (born 1983) is an American actress. She became known as a child actor for her role as Chrissy Seaver on the sitcom ''Growing Pains'' (1990–1992). As an adult, her television roles include Amber Ahmed on '' The Killing' ...

as Patterson talks

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

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 ''

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'' (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. Considered one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for List of Anthony Hopkins performances, his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins ha ...

) 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 (Punjabi language, Punjabi: ਰੂਪੀ ਕੌਰ; born 4 October 1992) is an Indian people, Indian poet, illustrator, photographer, and author. Born in Punjab, India, Punjab, India, Kaur immigrated to Canada at a young age with her f ...

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

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, 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

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

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

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as Agent Patty responds to Rachel's (

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) 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 Friedrich Adolf Kittler (June 12, 1943 – October 18, 2011) was a literary scholar and a media theorist. His works relate to Mass media, media, technology, and the military. Biography Friedrich Adolf Kittler was born in 1943 in Rochlitz in S ...

paraphrases Stein's formula: "A medium is a medium is a medium." (p. 229, p. 265) *Bruno Munari's landmark design work ''Design as Art'' (1966) contains a section titled ''A Rose is a Rose is a,'' which begins with: "And then you go up to it and see, for the sake of argument, that it is an artificial rose. Then you become aware of the material it is made of... But at first glance you were certain of one thing only, that it was a rose." *In the novel ''The Last Smile in Sunder City'' by Luke Arnold, the main character Fetch Phillips states "A cop was a cop was a cop." (p. 197). * In the 2010 essay ''Bugeois Dignity'' from Deidre McCloskey, it is stated "Is a house is a house is a house?" (p. 54). * In "Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice", in the DLC case, Phoenix Wright tries to give meaning to the presence of flower petals to prove the location of a crime, to which Miles Edgeworth objects, claiming "a flower is a flower is a flower".

References

External links

Text of "Sacred Emily"
{{Gertrude Stein Quotations from literature American poetry Identity (philosophy) Rhetorical techniques Gertrude Stein 1913 quotations

Mentions of "rose" in "Sacred Emily"

Versions by others

Variations by others

See also

References

External links