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I found different forms of the quote on the internet, and mostly without sources. Which one is the original Batman quote?

Remember to always be yourself. Unless you can be Batman. Then always be Batman.

the above text in meme format with the Batman symbol

And who is the author?

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  • It seems to be most commonly attributed to a musician named Andy Biersack, but I've been unable to find a primary source
    – Jason Baker
    Commented Oct 5, 2015 at 14:37
  • Do you have a date? I tried google search with time filter, not working, always weird pinterest pages. Best I found on twitter was this tweet from May 7th, 2011: twitter.com/Celinoe/status/66885412311928833
    – guest
    Commented Oct 5, 2015 at 21:56
  • No, everything I've seen claims its from some interview Biersack did with somebody called Brian Starzzz(zzz?), but I've no idea when
    – Jason Baker
    Commented Oct 5, 2015 at 22:10

3 Answers 3

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“Be yourself. Unless you can be a unicorn, In that case, you should always be a unicorn.”

― Elle Lothlorien, Alice in Wonderland

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It's probably just a viral internet meme that wasn't started by anyone well-known. Here is a list of dated twitter links to various early appearances of the quote, or ones that may have inspired it. You can see there are some early examples which don't quite match the finished quote but sound fairly similar, like this one from August 2009:

Life lesson; You can't go wrong when you be yourself, if you go wrong being yourself, don't be yourself, fuck it. Be Batman, or someone else

Or this one from November 2009:

If you aren’t going to be yourself, be Batman.

The earliest one the site found that matches the current one pretty well is this one from May 2011:

The most important thing in life is to be yourself. Unless you can be Batman instead. Then be Batman. Always be Batman.

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I don't think there WAS an original Batman quote. There have been motivational posters about being yourself for years.

I remember several years before the Batman quotes became popular: "Always be yourself, unless you can be a unicorn, then be a unicorn!" I always responded: "Being a unicorn sucks, no one wants to play leapfrog with you."

It was after 4-5 other variations of these that I remember seeing ANY Batman ones.

So... IMHO, it started as an online joke, and has evolved the same way, online.

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  • Why would anyone want to be an unicorn? o.O .. Someone must have used it the first time, but maybe the question should be reduced to online use?
    – guest
    Commented Oct 5, 2015 at 21:57
  • @guest Others on Worldbuilding SE asked that question. Turns out that if you're a pony sharing a habitat with drop bears, a horn is protective. worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/q/126313/601
    – Damian Yerrick
    Commented Feb 22, 2021 at 13:31

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