Wherever we go, there we are, but where from?

July 13, 2006 6:29 PM

What is the origin of the saying "Wherever we go, there we are"?

The Google search throws up about 100 results, but no clue as the origin of this increasingly commonplace saying.

Hive mind, do your stuff!!

(if you have a specific source, try to date it so we can figure out what's the earliest).

posted by unSane to Writing & Language (35 answers total)

This search brings up more results. (sub "you" for "we" - that's the way I've always heard the phrase)
posted by sanko at 6:33 PM on July 13, 2006

I have only ever heard it as "Wherever you go, there you are". It's from Buckaroo Banzai. Allusion on MeFi and recently discussed here
posted by acoutu at 6:33 PM on July 13, 2006

I know it's in Bukaroo Bonzai, but I'm not sure if it started there or if they were just referencing something that was already known.
posted by willnot at 6:34 PM on July 13, 2006

Er, actually, I meant to say it's from Buckaroo Banzai, which might have made it popular, but it existed before that and has its roots in Zen.
posted by acoutu at 6:34 PM on July 13, 2006

The first time I remember hearing "wherever YOU go, there YOU are" is from Buckaroo Banzai.
posted by amarynth at 6:34 PM on July 13, 2006

Or, what everyone else said.
posted by amarynth at 6:34 PM on July 13, 2006

I always thought I was quoting The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. (1984)
posted by clh at 6:34 PM on July 13, 2006

I guess the hive mind is all thinking the same thing today.
posted by clh at 6:36 PM on July 13, 2006

From the buckaroo banzai faq (indeed, such a thing exists)
posted by blind.wombat at 6:48 PM on July 13, 2006

I first heard it as "Remember: no matter where you go, there you are" from 1985's "Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome," which makes me tragically unhip. However, the Quotations page cites Earl Max Rauch as the originator. Mr. Rauch, of course was the screenwriter for "Buckaroo Banzai."

Of course, at Brainyquotes , you can find the quote "And remember, no matter where you go, there you are" attributed to Confucius.

Furthermore information can be found here, but it seems that Confucius is the ultimate source.
posted by Joey Michaels at 6:52 PM on July 13, 2006

(my "here" being the same as blind.wombat's "faq," just FYI)
posted by Joey Michaels at 6:58 PM on July 13, 2006

The original quote seems to be attributed to Buddah:

Every wakeful step, every mindful act is the direct path to awakening. Wherever you go, there you are.
- Buddha


Ref here (a "search inside this book" from amazon, hope the link works for others) and google search here
posted by blind.wombat at 6:59 PM on July 13, 2006 [1 favorite]

I first heard it attributed to Baba Ram Dass and almost immediately heard it on Buckaroo Banzai and in a song by the Latest Flames a local bar band in Missoula, MT. It's related to "If you lived here, you'd be home by now," which I first heard on "How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When You're Not Anywhere at All" by Firesign Theatre.
posted by faceonmars at 7:04 PM on July 13, 2006

I am stunned to find out Mac Rauch is still alive. I heard he died in a car accident in 1992.

Also, the novel of Buckaroo Banzai is a treat if you get a chance to read it.
posted by dobbs at 7:05 PM on July 13, 2006 [1 favorite]

I just want to add that these questions of the type "What is the origin of XYZ?"? are really asking two questions:

1) What is the earliest known use of, actual origin of XYZ?
2) What is the popularizing event or such, without which XYZ might have been unknown or languished in obscurity?

So, for this question, it seems a) the origin is likely an ancient proverb b) buckaroo banzai
posted by vacapinta at 7:05 PM on July 13, 2006

blind.wombat: I see your Buddha Amazon link and google search link and raise you one Confucius google search link and one one local newspaper story. I concede that the source may well be Buddha, but it seems like it may well be Confucius, too.
posted by Joey Michaels at 7:06 PM on July 13, 2006

heh, I'm making this up (googling) as I go along...so it may very well be Confucius
posted by blind.wombat at 7:08 PM on July 13, 2006

It could also be Yogi Berra, though I think both Buddha and Confucius are older than he is.
posted by Joey Michaels at 7:14 PM on July 13, 2006

I confess, after reading through a few more links, I am leaning towards Buddha as the source. While the quote is not outside the scope of what Confucius might have said, it seems to be more consistent with Buddhist philosophy. However, I think I would need to see a definitive non-Internet, pre "Buckaroo Banzai" citation to really be 100% certain of this.

Anyhow, the circumstantial evidence is, in my non-expert opinion, in favor of Buddha.
posted by Joey Michaels at 7:27 PM on July 13, 2006

I first heard it attributed to Baba Ram Dass

I concede that the source may well be Buddha

I was under the impression, as well, that it is a phrase attributed to Buddhism.

BTW - Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn used the phrase for the title of his 1994 book : Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life in which he makes reference to Buddhism, Taoism, etc.
posted by ericb at 7:32 PM on July 13, 2006

It was also used in the Brady Bunch TV show.

Mike Brady was telling his children one of his "lessons of life" when he stated:

"...and just remember kids: Wherever you go, there you are."

The line was later used in The Brady Bunch Movie.
posted by bamassippi at 7:36 PM on July 13, 2006

I am going to send Dr. Kabat-Zinn an email to ask him for some clarification about the phrase's origin. I'll report back when I here from him.
posted by Joey Michaels at 7:45 PM on July 13, 2006

Specifically, I sent:

Dr. Kabat-Zinn,

Forgive me for bothering you with a trivial question, but I was wondering if you could help answer a question regarding the phrase "Wherever You Go, There You Are."

This stems from a discussion at the website AskMetafilter:

http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/42132

Circumstantial evidence seems to point to both Confucius and to Buddha. Your book has been cited as some strong support for the Buddha theory. However, nobody has been able to cite a specific pre-modern era source for the quote.

Any chance you can share a source citation for this quote with us? We would very much appreciate it.

Thank you.
posted by Joey Michaels at 7:54 PM on July 13, 2006

Good idea Joey, hopefully you get a helpful response.
posted by blind.wombat at 8:02 PM on July 13, 2006

BTW -- Dr. Kabat-Zinn's work and research on stress reduction was featured in Bill Moyer's 1993 PBS Special, Healing and the Mind and in the book of the same title.
posted by ericb at 8:11 PM on July 13, 2006

I actually researched this exact question several years ago. The conclusion I came to is that if does originate with Confucious or Buddha, I could never come up with a qualified reference that tied it to a recognized primary source of writings attributed to either of these. My suspicion is that it is an unattributed bit of wisom writing that floated around a long time before being popularized by the movies mentioned. I'll be curious to see if anyone comes up with something better.
posted by nanojath at 8:56 PM on July 13, 2006

I believe it was in The Brady Bunch Movie, but what original Brady Bunch episode was it in, bamassippi? That I don't remember, and I swear I've seen every episode a dozen times.
posted by GaelFC at 11:16 PM on July 13, 2006

I haven't read attributed to Confucius, but I've read the Analects in English and partly in the original, and I don't remember that quote appearing anywhere in there. There are several more things attributed to him, though.

There are way too many things attributed to Buddha to ever be sure if the quote originally came from Buddhist writings. Pretty much every Buddhist text that comes along says "This is the Buddha's First and Secret Teaching. He only provided it to those who could Handle The Truth. This is the true core of his beliefs." Many sutras have said similar things, and it's very hard to establish what Siddhartha Gautama actually, originally said. So he might've said "Wherever you go, there you are," but there's really no knowing for sure. That doesn't mean that you couldn't trace it back to a sutra or two, though.
posted by jiawen at 3:45 AM on July 14, 2006

Keep in mind that Confucius is used to an astounding degree to add gravity to profound statements made by others or which are just floating through the memesphere. Most Confucius quotes are misattributions.
posted by Bugbread at 3:58 AM on July 14, 2006

I seem to remember it appearing in Zippy the Pinhead, but can't find an autoritative reference.
posted by TedW at 6:35 AM on July 14, 2006

Please. I'll eat my hat if it's documented from either Confucius or Buddha. Do people believe whatever they read on the internets (or in goofy books full of unsourced alleged quotes)? "Quotes" are routinely attributed to the usual suspects (Confucius, Buddha, Mark Twain, Wilde, Churchill, &c), on the basis of "gee, this sounds like something X might have said." Believe nothing unless it's nailed down with an exact source (Confucius, Analects xxi.2: "When the Master heard about it, he said 'Things that are done, it is needless to speak about...'").

Or what bugbread said.
posted by languagehat at 7:40 AM on July 14, 2006 [1 favorite]

This tendency to misattribute is known as stigler's law of eponymy or the Matthew effect or the flypaper effect.
posted by vacapinta at 9:01 AM on July 14, 2006

I've read Dr. Kabat-Zinn's book, and I'd be interested in hearing what he has to say about the quote. What bothers me about attributing it to the ancients is that it's really a play on English words. I'd like to see what the original wording was.
posted by tommasz at 11:04 AM on July 14, 2006

I think I heard it on a Firesign Theater record.
posted by KRS at 1:16 PM on July 14, 2006

languagehat: What, "Confucius say" not definitive enough for you? Picky, picky, picky.
posted by Coda at 2:16 PM on July 14, 2006