I was trying to remember a quote about writing, but I couldn’t remember the exact words. Something like, “If you can do anything else but be a writer, you should do it." But not quite that—punchier.

I tried Googling the phrase but that didn’t turn up anything.

So I asked ChatGPT, which said the exact phrase is, “If you can do anything else but write, do it,” and attributed it to Elie Wiesel.

I googled the correct phrase with his name attached, but didn’t find results or that either.

So I asked ChatGPT for the source, and ChatGPT responded:

I apologize for any confusion caused. After conducting further research, it seems that the quote I provided earlier attributed to Elie Wiesel may not be accurate. There are variations of this saying that are often attributed to different authors, but there is no concrete evidence that links this particular quote to Elie Wiesel. I apologize for any misinformation. It’s always important to verify the authenticity of quotes and their sources.