Original artwork, not a still
Disputed attribution: Terry Pratchett
It's not worth doing something unless someone, somewhere, would much rather you weren't doing it.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Pratchett wrote about authority, and the line is a field test for doing anything worth doing: if nobody objects, it probably changes nothing. It fits Vimes's stubborn policing and the author's own habit of poking at pomposity. People quote it as a licence to be annoying on purpose, on mugs and in writing groups, often without knowing it may have begun as a thought in a policeman's head.
Context reviewed
In context
May contain spoilersShow the scene
This is usually given as a Pratchett saying from interviews, but no interview source has been found. A 2009 thread on the Terry Pratchett forums asked where it came from; the poster checked The Wit and Wisdom of Discworld and asked the publisher, with no result. In January 2010 another member found a close but not identical variant in Jingo, where Vimes reflects that real police work is the kind that annoys someone who would rather you stayed away. The standalone aphorism may be a distillation of that passage.
Sources (2)
- Sir Terry Pratchett Forums: More info on a quotewhole threadReference checked
- Chris Jones: Quotes from JingoVimes excerptReference checked
Context reviewed
