Typo

A

Alladine

Senior Member
Paris, France
French - France
Hello,
I'm pretty sure there is a typo in the transcription of a text, but I can't figure out what exactly was initially said - can you help? This is taken from a transcription of a recording of one of Napoleon Hill's conferences in 1954.
Context: the author is explaining it's important to be open-minded.
I didn't use to do that. I used to have some outstanding prejudices; I had a closed mind about a lot of things. You didn't have to ask me what was it was. I'd go out of my way to tell you, which of course made me very popular.
(I guess the last bit is ironical... ?)

Thanks for your help,
Alladine
 
    • You didn't have to ask me what was it was. (it presumably meaning whatever he was prejudiced about)

    Yes, he means that airing his prejudices made him anything but popular.
     
    The first "was" should probably be removed.
    Is there an indication before what you've quoted, that could tell us what "it" he is referring to?
     
    Thank you both. :)
    To answer your question Edinburgher, no, nothing. I guess he means "you didn't have to ask me any questions, I would have something to tell you about it any way". Do you agree?
     
    Alladine said:
    I guess he means "you didn't have to ask me any questions, I would have something to tell you about it any way". Do you agree?
    Click to expand...
    He specifically says that he “went out of his way”, i.e. made a specific effort, to air his prejudices. That’s why you didn’t need to ask him what they were.
     
    Lingo, not sure to follow you - maybe because I have what comes afterwards:
    I don't volunteer much information anymore.
    From your #6, I read that you are saying he went out of his way to express what his prejudices were... (as if he wanted to warn the person listening.) But I understood things differently, because of the previous sentence: "I had a closed mind about a lot of things". He went out of his way to express whatever he thought about the current matter, because he always had an opinion on everything. Today he tries not to "volunteer information", in order to be more open-minded. No?
     
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