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""The two most common elements in the Universe are Hydrogen and Stupidity." Harlan Ellison (born May 27, 1934), US author."

— Misquotations

January 1, 1970

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Added on April 10, 2026

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Original Language: English

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Although stated by Ellison in a nonfiction essay in the mid-1960s, this quote has been frequently misattributed to Frank Zappa. In Zappa's autobiography, The Real Frank Zappa Book (1989), on page 239, Zappa makes a similar comment: "Some scientists claim that hydrogen, because it is so plentiful, is the basic building block of the universe. I dispute that. I say there is more stupidity than hydrogen, and that is the basic building block of the universe."

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Misquotations

Although stated by Ellison in a nonfiction essay in the mid-1960s, this quote has been frequently misattributed to Frank Zappa. In Zappa's autobiography, The Real Frank Zappa Book (1989), on page 239, Zappa makes a similar comment: "Some scientists claim that hydrogen, because it is so plentiful, is the basic building block of the universe. I dispute that. I say there is more stupidity than hydrogen, and that is the basic building block of the universe."