# "It depends on what your definition of 'is' is" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 17, 2000, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-depends-on-what-your-definition-of-is-is/29685 "2000-08-17T04:49:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-depends-on-what-your-definition-of-is-is/29685/1 "2000-08-17T04:49:07Z")
This quote I have heard attributed to Clinton, but I missed the origin. Does anyone know? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-depends-on-what-your-definition-of-is-is/29685/2 "2000-08-17T05:16:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dave Swaney \* > \*\*This quote I have heard attributed to Clinton, but I missed the origin. Does anyone know? \*\* Supposedly he said it while testifying in the Monica Lewinsky thing. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-depends-on-what-your-definition-of-is-is/29685/3 "2000-08-17T05:45:56Z")
This quote comes from President Clinton’s Aug. 17 grand jury testimony before Office of the Independent Counsel prosecutors investigating the president’s relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. He testified Jan. 17 1998, in the Paula Jones case. In that case he answered questions about Monica Lewinsky. The purpose of his grand jury testimony was to find out if he had committed perjury when he testified in the Paual Jones thing. The quote about "definition of “is” is. Was really not that important. But it sure sounds funny. Here it is: His full answer: > [@](#): > > **QUESTION:** Your – that statement is a completely false statement. Whether or not Mr. Bennett knew of your relationship with Ms. Lewinsky, the statement that there was no sex of any kind in any manner, shape or form with President Clinton was an utterly false statement. Is that correct? > > **CLINTON:** It depends upon what the meaning of the word is means. If is means is, and never has been, that’s one thing. If it means, there is none, that was a completely true statement. > > But as I have testified – I’d like to testify again – this is – it somewhat unusual for a client to be asked about his lawyer’s statements instead of the other way around. I was not paying a great deal of attention to this exchange. I was focusing on my own testimony. And that if you go back and look at the sequence of events, you will see that the Jones’ lawyers decided that this was going to be the Lewinsky deposition, not the Jones deposition. And given the facts of their case, I can understand why they made that decision. > > But that is not how I prepared for it. That is not how I was thinking about it. > > And I am not sure, Mr. Wisenberg, as I sit here today that I sat there and followed all these interchanges between the lawyers. I’m quite sure that I didn’t follow all the interchanges between the lawyers all that carefully. And I don’t really believe, therefore, that I can say Mr. Bennett’s testimony or statement is testimony that is impugnable to me. I didn’t – I don’t know that I was really paying that much attention to him. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-depends-on-what-your-definition-of-is-is/29685/4 "2000-08-17T14:33:07Z")
Clinton, being a lawyer and all, is known for playing with words to the point of confusing things to where no one knows what’s going on. This example was just so obvious that it was clear to everyone he was not trying to clarify anything or answer anything, just hide the truth by confusing the issue. So, is Clinton a liar? It depends what the meaning of “is” is. If at this moment he is sleeping I guess you can argue you cannot say he “is” a liar at the present moment. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-depends-on-what-your-definition-of-is-is/29685/5 "2000-08-17T14:58:00Z")
Just to clarify what the original statement was - he was asked whether he was having a sexual relationship with Ms. Lewinski. His reply was something along the lines of “There is no relationship.” Clinton was (sort of) telling the truth, because the relationship at that point had ended. He was definitely trying to obscure the facts, but was he lying? Depends on what your definition of “is” is. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-depends-on-what-your-definition-of-is-is/29685/6 "2000-08-17T19:10:02Z")
The questioner screwed up by not invoking the formidable “are you now or have you ever been in the past” line so popular in prime-time TV shows. It’s funny how American Standard English doesn’t seem to have a simple way of expressing this important state of “to be”. Many less accepted dialects certainly do. This is where the additional flexibility of ebonics could have nailed the President down: Inquisitor: Mr. President, you _bin_ pokin’ that ho Monica? Pres. Clinton: Shit, no. Inquisitor: But you bin pokin’ that ho, right? Pres. Clinton: Man, f\*\*k you, bitch! Where _“bin”_ (with emphasis) moves across tenses to imply “are now _and have been_ for some time”, whereas “bin” (no emphasis) implies “are now or was at one time”. Or at least that’s the way I learned it from NPR.