Context

This quote is from the children's book Green Eggs and Ham, by Dr. Seuss (1960).

Ever been a little leery about trying a new food? Then have we got a book for you. Green Eggs and Ham is all about a guy who swore up and down that he would never ever ever try a bite of green eggs and ham. Hey, we kinda don't blame him. Green meats don't strike us as super fresh and delicious.

But, after declaring over and over again that'll he'll never eat this green meal, our main character breaks down, and green food evangelist Sam-I-Am gets him to just taste a little taste. Sam promises to leave him alone forever and stop following him around if he'll just take a teeny tiny bite.

This is basically what every single parent has said at the dinner table since the dawn of time—"Please at least try a bite of your wooly mammoth steak, Ugg! There are starving cave children out there who would love this meal!"

That's why you may not be surprised that once the main character tries green eggs and ham, he actually really likes them. The minds of kids everywhere are officially blown. Maybe those brussels sprouts are secretly delicious after all?

Where you've heard it

If someone wants to you just try something, you might hear this line pop up. Hey, go ahead and do it. There's nothing to be afraid of when it comes to green food, right?

Additional Notable References:

• Seussical: The Musical features a whole green-eggs-and-ham-inspired number.
• Moxy Fruvous wrote a slight variation on this song which includes the revelation that Sam doesn't actually care for green eggs and ham himself. This book gets a shout-out in the movie.
• The American President when the Secretary of State refuses to call the president by his first name. He will not do it playing pool. He will not do it in a school!

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

Will you get eye rolls if you try to get someone to eat a new food using this line? Yes. But, will they try the food? Oh, yeah. No one can refuse Dr. Seuss.