Rosanoff is the reporter, not the person speaking in his account. QI finds the words in his posthumous recollection of Edison and makes their accuracy dependent on that memory.
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In context
Evoking the world of Thomas Edison — Inventor. Theme: "Everybody Steals in Commerce and Industry. I've Stolen A Lot Myself". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.
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Provenance
What the source establishes
Documented trail
Martin André Rosanoff, “Edison in His Laboratory,” Harper’s, September 1932; transcribed and assessed by Quote Investigator, 9 May 2012.
Evidence
Attribution and wording limits stated below
Everybody steals in commerce and industry.
A short excerpt from the cited source; it may differ from the popular wording above.
Read the source ↗ — Rosanoff is the reporter, not the person speaking in his account. QI finds the words in his posthumous recollection of Edison and makes their accuracy dependent on that memory.
The cited recollection appeared in 1932; this page conservatively treats the prose as copyrighted rather than inferring an exception.
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Thomas Edison is identified in the cited material as the inventor. This page distinguishes the documented source trail from a claim of verbatim personal testimony.
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Cite this
The primary source (Chicago)
Martin André Rosanoff, “Edison in His Laboratory,” Harper’s, September 1932; transcribed and assessed by Quote Investigator, 9 May 2012.
This verification page
Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘Everybody Steals in Commerce and Industry. I've Stolen A Lot Myself’?” Last verified 9 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/everybody-steals-in-commerce-and-industry-ive-stolen-a-lot/