Horror—and drama—writer Stephen King is obviously one of the greatest authors in American history. But he's also really good at writing tweets.
Every so often you'll be scrolling your timeline and there he is, apropos of nothing, posting a little something delightful. He's truly a great follow.
And Thursday was no exception. King took to the platform to share his favorite t-shirt, which bears a perfect—and perfectly profane—quote from legendary film director John Waters.
Like Waters' films, it's an instant classic.
See King's tweet below.
@StephenKing/Twitter
The tweet read:
"My favorite tee-shirt bears a quote from John Waters: 'If you go home with somebody and they don't have books, don't fu*k 'em.'"
Sage advice, indeed.
And leave it to Waters—the king of queer camp cinema—to make books the sexiest thing around.
Although if you're the type who likes to separate the literary from the carnal, you're in luck—Waters has since reneged on his iconic quote and given us a pass to fu*k the bookless, so long as they're hot.
In a 2015 profile with BuzzFeed, the site asked him about the quote, to which he replied:
"That’s not really true if they’re cute enough."
"I like the idea emotionally but if they’re cute enough — who’s looking at their books?"
That doesn't mean your paramour's book collection isn't still important though.
In a later interview 2022, Waters issued a further clarification.
“The other thing is, if they have books in the bathroom, don’t fu*k ’em."
Fans of King loved his tweet and Waters' sage advice.
If their books are all Stephen King books…marry em.
— Melissa Contino (Summer sun for you forever) (@Melissa_C19) December 8, 2022
That I agree with👍
— Lip Gloss & Heels (@LipGlossanHeels) December 9, 2022
\u201c@DeItaDPS Not having books is like not listening to music or having the internet or playing a musical instrument. You can tell the person is missing a whole dimension of their world view.\u201d— Stephen King (@Stephen King) 1670501406
Agreed. Though as a concession to technology, as long as they have a Kindle (or such like), and let you browse... pic.twitter.com/cIDgjuYP39
— Vincent Baker (@oldmarley99) December 8, 2022
100% I’ve always looked at the bookshelves. 🤣 Now I’m married to an avid reader so I don’t have to worry about that.
— Cristina (@lumpyspacefae) December 9, 2022
One of my all time favorite quotes. Well my husband had your books at his house when we were dating so …
— Imelda Robles (@ImeldaRobles) December 8, 2022
That's why i always got one book on the side table 🤡
— VV🌻Sunflower (@Brat_Verchiel) December 9, 2022
My dad was a teacher, my mom is an avid reader. When I go to someone's house my first thought is where are the books?
— MoLo (@MoLo9355) December 8, 2022
Here's another "To live by" quote. pic.twitter.com/G4B7OlaTBx
— Yolo🌹764🌹 (@Yolo7640311) December 8, 2022
King has referenced Waters a few times on Twitter, including sharing the quote about books back in December 2021.
And earlier that year, he tweeted about a goal he'd taken on to watch one movie from each calendar year.
His pick for 1988 was one of Waters' signature films, Hairspray, along with its 2007 musical version.
\u201cContinuing 60 years of movies, one for each year:\nRIVER'S EDGE (1986)\nAU REVOIR LES ENFANTS (1987)\nHAIRSPRAY (1988)\nHAIRSPRAY (2007)\nBoth SPRAYS are great fun, the Waters maybe a little better, but Travolta was great as Edna Turnblad.\u201d— Stephen King (@Stephen King) 1617919296
King's pick?
The Waters' original version.
It's hard to beat a legend.