Peter H Capstick a fraud?

[omgb]

OK, I admit to beig a romantic at heart. I read Death in the Long Grass and wanted a double gun so bad I almost had to be restrained. Now I hear, old Peter H Capstick was a faker, a bar tender with a talent for spinning yarns about Africa into gold. Does anybody have anything definative about this?

[canonsix]

I have read everything I could find by this man, so if he is a 'Fraud" I think I am going to put it the same vein as the old mountain men "yarning" and he sure fooled me and like omgb I still want a double rifle. Doug

[claybob86]

If he's a fraud, he's a darn good one!

[mescalero1]

Fraud, maybe,
but Death in the Silent Places stunned me,
if those guys were for real,
well........ they were tough B-------S

[omgb]

The story I heard is that he was never a PH but rather, was a bartender. Another version says he was a PH for a very short while. All agree that he made a lot of stuff up, knew next to nothing about real hunting but was an honest to goodness writer of the first order.

[Malamute]

There are detractors to many that have made a mark. You of course have to apply the same standard to the detractors to give them any credit. Has anyone looked at the credentials of the detractors? Capstick had many credible friends, and those friends tended to back his stories from what I have heard.

I've heard detractors of Elmer Keith also. When considering their veracity, and all those that knew Keith and backed him, well, the choice wasn't too hard as to who to believe.

[CowboyTutt]

I sure hope this is not true. Peter C. is one of my all time favorites! I love the guy to death.

-Tutt

[KWK]

You might search the forums of AccurateReloading.com, where this has been discussed in years past. I gathered he was a hunter who in his books was quite willing to merge his experiences with those he'd heard. From the arguments, I couldn't sort out if the bulk of the adventures he wrote about were his or others. I do recall one respected member of the forum saying he had gone on a hunt with Capstick (after Capstick had become an author), and it was obvious Capstick knew how to hunt.

[spurgon]

I like his work and I'm not sure it matters to me if he made it up or not. I read his works a few years ago and it took me back to a time as a boy when I read the famous gun mags of the time. I , like the foolish boy I was and still am, pretty much believed that material was factual. Capstick's work took me back. I'll thank him only for that.
spurgon

[AndyM]

I hope not - I have multiple books by him - he can sure tell a good story.
As a teenager, he was one of the few writers that could actually get me to read or buy a new book (Elmer Keith being the other). I can see where maybe me would expand on the truth a little, but I hope not an outright fraud.

[Rusty]

It's pretty easy to beat him up now, he's dead. I remember reading somewhere they have a P.H.C. Memorial shoot every year, maybe you could ask some of those guys.

Whatever he wasn't he was a good writer.

Rusty <><

[FWiedner]

Jules Verne never went to the moon, but his writing established a genre of science fiction that captured the imaginations and inspired heroic men to attempt and ultimately to triumph in that quest.

[getitdone1]

I've read all of Peter's books. I believe what he wrote and he wrote very entertainingly. My favorite story, of all the great stories he told, was when he and his right hand man went into some brush after a couple of Black Mambas. Peter had a shotgun and his man, I think, a machete.

Now here's a snake that can move fast and will attack. They got the snakes.

His favorite cartridge was the 375 H&H magnum.

After his marriage to a second wife he wrote in one of his books: "I'm now under new management."

Peter died a few years ago. Age? About 60 years? As most of you know there is now a cartridge bearing his name. Proof that he impressed more than just a few in this group. The .470 Capstick which uses the 375 H&H case and a .475 dia. bullet. Considerably more powerful than the 458 Winchester magnum.

Recall him saying he was a distant relative of Teddy Roosevelt.

Don McCullough

[Scott Young]

i loved him then. he cause many of my dreams. i am thankful for that. i will keep loving him now. i am fulfilling some of those dreams.

[Charles]

I will confess to never having read anything the fellow wrote. But, maybe that gives me the standing of somebody without a dog in the fight. A writer is a writer and a good writer draws from what he is interested in or knows best to write about. It matters not, if he was or was not a PH, or learned from listening to folks at the bar. All that matters is whether he was a good story teller or not. From what I understand he was a very good story teller. That is all I expect from a writer. Telling a good story in the first person does not make one a fraud. Much good fiction is filled with first person narrative.

[cutter]

Peter Capstick is a great author. I gave his book 'Death in the Long Grass' ,to my secretary to get her off my back about hunting. I believe she now has his complete collection and a Remington pump ( she has taken up clay shooting) .

...good enough for me.

[ScottT]

It's pretty easy to beat him up now, he's dead. I remember reading somewhere they have a P.H.C. Memorial shoot every year, maybe you could ask some of those guys.

Whatever he wasn't he was a good writer.

Rusty <><

The most cowardly thing a man can do is to pi&^ on another man's grave. I don't understand why folks feel the need to do this kind of thing, but I always think less of them for it.

[buckeyeshooter]

I don't think it really matters--- his writing is first rate. He paints the picture of africa and you see it. He is not a fake writer at all.

[Ram Hammer]

I've read most of his books and enjoyed every minute of them. My favorite story was when he decided to validate a rumor of someone using a spear to take a Cape Buffalo. So he got a spear and stuck it in a buff The resulting melee was great reading. Luckily he had a back up plan.

As for whether or not he lied about his personal experiences. I would be mildly dissapointed to hear it was true. But I'm still gratefull to him for creating such vivid images of Africa.

[donw]

i read most of his books.

i aslo have read about persons he mentions such as wally johnson (whom, i believe, may still be alive), wjm bell, pretorious, fredrick selous, jim corbett, sasha siemal and such. all of these men are verifiable by history and there are even places named for them in africa today...(corbett being in india, and siemal being in south america, though)

i know many of them were pre-capstick era but never the less, legends in african/big game hunting.

i never really pursued checking as to whether or not PHC's credentials were authentic. as i recall he gives a short autobio in one of his books and he was a wall street broker turned professional hunter in south america and then africa.

even if he proved to be a "fraud", he did indeed, write a very capitivating story.

[timkelley]

Fake??? I don't care if so. Tremendous books, I believe I have them all.

[Lastmohecken]

I have read a lot of his stuff. He definately was a writer. He may or may not have let a good story get any worse for the telling, But I believe he was a hunter, and a I think he was a game control officer, also.

No doubt he could spin a yarn, but I believe if you read his stuff, and if you have ever done any hunting yourself, you can see in his writings that he had definatley hunted enough not to be considered a fake. But even if he did not experience everything exactly as he wrote it, he did manage to leave us with some very exciting stories that most of us can only dream about.

One thing is for sure, he had talent, when it came to telling a story in such a way that you almost thought you were there following the spore, just two steps behind him.

[william iorg]

Capstick is not among my favorite writers but I like his work. There is little doubt he was a hunter and a rifleman.
The best thing abut Capstick was he did not take himself too seriously. I believe if you can laugh at yourself you have been around and have little to prove.
I posted this on the Beartooth forum several years ago and it probably fits here. This article made me like Capstick.

“I do not remember where I got this but I have saved it, as I could not think of anything more appropriate. This is from Peter Capstick. I have no idea as to the date or the magazine it came from. Capstick was writing about air guns.
“Airgun hunting is perhaps the microcosm of big-game stalking and shooting, perhaps even more demanding of the rifleman considering the cunning of the prey and the absolute precision of shooting required for humane, instantaneous death.
Perhaps the late and magnificent Jack O’Connor put it best in a long ago piece he wrote about the African lion in which, in the custom of the Great Lords of the Middle East of thousands of years back, it became traditional to identify the titles of the potentate, followed by the inscription, “HE HUNTED THE LIONâ€

[omgb]

The thing that got me wondering about all of this was a reply to an article that appeared in Gun Tests Dec 07 edition. In an article about double guns verse single shots, the author refered to Capstick as an "ignorant amature" When Bruce Williams of Alexandria VA took him to task for it, the author (Ray Ordorica) got down to the nitty -gritty and called him a "standing joke" stated that "he never was a professional hunter", that "he was the worst kind of charlatan" and that he didn't know much about either guns or hunting.

That got me to wondering because I had always believed he was a PH, that he wrote from his own experiences and that he was well-respected in Africa. So, I wanted to get other's take on this. I still don't know what's what about his hunting/guiding credentials but I do agree with the rest of you that he was one heck of a good story teller. I'm not too sure anything else matters much at this point.

[cas]

I believe it was John Sundra who wrote an article about Capstick being a bartender some years back, and it's snowballed from there.

As far as getting "facts" from Gun Test.....

[omgb]

I actually have no bone to pick with Gun Tests. Over the last three years I've been reading it, they were right on target with my personal experience so I tend to trust them with regard to firearm quality and function.

[KWK]

He was a hunter, and he was an excellent writer. That's plenty. I don't think everything John Taylor wrote was factual, first hand experience either, but I'm glad I've read works from both writers.

[Ridgerunner]

I have read everything of Capstick's I could find, and still looking for any I missed. I have also read Edgar Rice Burroughs, Max Brand, Louis L'Amour, William W. Johnstone, H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Dean Koontz, Stephen Hunter, and many others. So what if he embellished or borrowed, he wrote a hell of a story and I enjoyed 'em all. In fact, I have a set of VHS tapes that show him hunting and he seemed quite capable in putting the smack down on an elephant, running yet, with his .470 double. If I ever hit the lottery, that will be one of the first guns I buy, along with a .375 H&H.....

[marlinman93]

The most cowardly thing a man can do is to pi&^ on another man's grave. I don't understand why folks feel the need to do this kind of thing, but I always think less of them for it.

Bravo Scott!

[KWK]

The most cowardly thing a man can do is let lies live on.

Reputations can include lies. Separating truth from fiction is never wrong. Debate is required to determine the truth.

Polemics and witch hunts aren't admirable, but sadly often become part of the debate. So it goes.

[Hobie]

The most cowardly thing a man can do is let lies live on.

Reputations can include lies. Separating truth from fiction is never wrong. Debate is required to determine the truth.

Polemics and witch hunts aren't admirable, but sadly often become part of the debate. So it goes.

I don't believe one has to belittle a dead man to tell the truth about him. Two different things.

I've got at least three of Capstick's books. I enjoyed his writing. I don't remember reading anything (and I said so at AR) that was about another hunter for which he tried to take credit. One of the things he was criticized for at AR was a comment, IIRC, about Bell and the idiot couldn't quote Capstick's book correctly. I was of the opinion then that the critic couldn't comprehend the written word.

[45-70-]

I didnt get involved in this cause I dont know who Peter Capstick is. When I saw this statement "The most cowardly thing a man can do is to pi&^ on another man's grave. I don't understand why folks feel the need to do this kind of thing, but I always think less of them for it." I thought I would read thru here and see what was going on. For the life of me, I cant figure out what brought this self-righteous statement out. I dont see anyone peeing on anybody's grave. I see some people having a discussion and asking questions. Just because the fellow is dead doesnt mean these guys cant discuss him and his writings. Maybe there was a post deleted that involved peeing on a grave but all I see now are some civil discussions about this Capstick guy.

[KWK]

I don't believe one has to belittle a dead man to tell the truth about him.

Quite true, and I don't see anyone here has tried to belittle him. A claim of fraud was put forth; I haven't seen any evidence he was.

It has been a while since I read the exchanges at A.R. I was left with the impression all the exploits recorded weren't likely his, with some being a merging of experiences and stories he had heard intermingled with his own experiences. I have no trouble with an author doing so; I take it in the vein of good storytelling, not history. "Fraud" is not a fair reading of the exchanges. The claims he was a mere bartender were one extreme, and like most extremes, are to be discounted, and I think most of the people at A.R. discount it as well.

[KWK]

Ok, folks, fearing my less than perfect memory may be making me a malicious gossip, I went and searched the posts at Accurate Reloading. I'll give here some excerpts from people who knew him or knew professionals who did. I found no one with evidence the bartender version is closest to the truth.

The owner of the site is a wealthy fellow from the Middle East who hunts annually in Africa. His English can be a bit broken at times:

I have read and enjoyed every single book Capstick wrote. In fact, I would imagine he was instrumental in my first trip to Africa about 25 years ago. But, the fact is I have not met a single PH in Africa who did not say that Capstick, despite giving African hunting an extraordinary amount of PR, was not a very good PH at all. Apparently he was much better at downing a drink than chasing a buffalo.

Atkinson is a U.S. outfitter who often accompanies the site's owner on African safaris:

I knew Peter and Fiona and her new husband Adelino Pires are friends of mine..Fiona and Adelino wrote The Winds of Havoc, an outstanding inside look at what is happening to Africa...a good read that you might like.

Peter was very controversial, but he could flat write a book and he probably did more to rejuvinate hunting in Africa than any other single individual. To those who disaprove of him, so be it, he is a public figure and I suppose that goes with the territory..all I can say is "so what", its only gossip as far as I know and wheather he is embelishing a story or not makes little difference anyway. He was always a gentlemen to the people around him and one of the great story tellers of our time...

and another time he had this to say:

I don't see that it makes much difference what anyone believes or does not believe and no one on this board knows what is true or what is not, and so it becomes gossip, something I find distasteful.
I knew Peter pretty well, and Fiona quite well, I will accept what he writes as truth, until someone can prove different. I do know that Safaris as we know them today would not exist were it not for Peter, and that my children would not have eaten as well were it not for his writtings...He took a dead industry and built it up to gigantic proportions..For that we should all be thankful.

Ganyana is active in the Zimbabwe hunting industry:

When I first met Peter in Botswana he was actually working for a safari Company- Managing the lodge. He certainly got out to do some of his own hunting and was taking the odd client out asfter plains game. He was a fiarly heavy drinker then (1978 and 1982) but was only drinking in the evening and hadn't got onto the writers damnation of a jug with breakfast. Ever noticed that too many of the great writers - PHC, Taylor, Ruark, Hemmingway, Churchill etc, needed a good drop of dop to get the words flowing.

and:

The safari industry in Zimbabwe is based on peters writings. The early operators, like Brian Marsh (Henderson & Marsh) Ian Percy, Peter Johnstone etc were just struggeling along until Peter diverted attention away from East Africa.

He surely had a way with words! But the drinking was linked to both the industry and the writing and certainly wasn't a case of drowning sorrows. Most PH's drink far too much. You entertain almost every night and too often if the client drinks heavily...And Peter's job was entertaing clients. He did it so well. Then he used to wander off after the last client had gone to bed and write.

Then he needed a drink to write
Then he drank to much to write
Then Fiona started to get him back on the rails and he died

Also, he worked (for how long I don't know) as a "bright lights" farm sitting in Rhodesia during the bush war. Nitro X - your mate Penny should know because it was in that part of the country Peter was farm sitting and where he became friendly with Brian Marsh

MacD37 is an older fellow who posts there:

I only knew PHC casually, but over the years, had some very enjoyable conversations with him. I found the "MAN" to be genuine! If you read his works you will find most of the "daring do" was quoted about other people, not PHC himself! Most of the things said about his hunting were about funny things, and mistakes he made! One thing you can take to the bank, when reading about Africa, you could follow his campfire smoke right up to Heaven, if he couldn't make you see it, no other writer would be able to stir your imagination. He was a Gentelman, personified, and to those who must tear him down, get a life, is all I can say!

Lastly, one fellow posted a letter from Tink Nathan, an African hunter, from which this is taken:

Peter once saved my life and when I thanked him, he made me promise never to mention it, since he didn’t want me to be embarrassed in having to tell the tale. Needless to say, I will always be in Peter’s debt. Peter did things other people would never do. He killed two Cape buffalo with a spear. Once to do it, and once again to prove it wasn’t a fluke. Peter had a dream from the time he was a small boy, and that was to go over to Africa to live. Peter lived out his dream, or was it his dream? Peter lived a life of adventure, then took the time to commit to his stories, and the stories of Africa, past and present, to the printed page. He was the world’s best storyteller.

Peter heard the stories we all do in Africa, but he captured them, edited, and polished them, and preserved them forever. Peter wrote twelve books, and sold more than any other hunting author in history. He made and appeared in many videos, so those who had never met him could someday see him on the small screen. Peter wrote stories for the French magazine FIRE, and for the leading South African hunting journal MAGNUM, as well as OUT THERE. It is said that Peter brought more hunters and people to Africa, though his works, than any other person. Peter not only wrote about Africa, but he lived Africa. Only someone who comes from far away can appreciate Africa. He spoke often about the people that were lucky enough to be born here and to live here a lifetime, seldom, if ever, appreciated in Africa. Peter did.

Writers and readers far more skilled than I, will discuss Capstick’s works well into the next century. However it was my wife that noticed his writing style, and pointed out to me that each paragraph told a story and his colorful writings jumped of the pages and bit deep into your soul when reading his work for the first time.

Not presented are various posts about the bartender accusations, etc., for no one seemed to have first hand evidence of it. There are questions about Capstick, but those who report having known him don't buy into all of it.

Contrary to my recollections, those who knew him do not feel he misrepresented tales as being his own experiences, instead the reader can discern when he is relaying what others told him and when he is describing what he experienced first hand.

[piller]

I have read and enjoyed several of Capstick's books. I never heard anyone saying that he was a fraud while he lived. If he was, I DEMAND proof. He might have embellished for the sake of a story. So what! Most authors do in order to make a story interesting. I do not recall that he ever put himself in the same league as the greats such as "Karamojo" Bell or the others. What I remember most fondly is his humor, such as the time he went after a wounded leopard. He had a cigarette before starting the tracking to give himself time to work up courage, and to let the leopard bleed. The leopard died as it jumped at him. He said, "Who says smoking is bad for your health?" Even if this incident was from someone else's life, and I don't believe that it was, could anyone else have related it any better?

[Marlin .35]

I have read most of his books, and throughly enjoyed them. As far as I am concerned, he was a PH and a great hunter. I believe 98% of what I read in his books was true. I refuse to believe otherwise!!!!!!!!!!!!! Art

[CowboyTutt]

KWK, that was a darn good post. Thank you for sharing it with us.

-Tutt

[kmjones]

I know this is an old thread, but I just joined and would like to add my two-cents worth. A few years back I had a chance to talk with Gordon Cundill, founder of Hunters Africa. Cundill is father/brother-in-law/business partner to many of the top people in the safari business. I asked him about Capstick in the presence of several professional hunters and he backed Capstick's stories and experience without hesitation. While it's true that Capstick could bend elbows with the best of them, he had his drinking under control several years before he passed away. He did manage (for very brief periods of time) at least two tourist facilities as many PHs do between safari seasons. Professional hunting is a business that is as full of jealousy as anything you can name, and Capstick had very definite opinions on many subjects. I'm sure he pi**ed off some folks during his career just like the rest of us. If this debate flares up again, remember that Capstick wrote for Outdoor Life long before he published his books and that there is little chance that so successful an author would have been able to publish for nearly two deacdes without the hunting community knowing he was a fake. There were far too many magazines, hunting shows and other authors writing about Big Game for him to have pulled it off. Several of the older PHs I talk to specifically credit Capstick with reviving the safari industry after it nearly collapsed in the 70s. I've seen his videos, read all of his books and read articles by the PHs mentioned in all three. Let's accept the fact that Capstick was a good hunter and a great writer and let the naysayers slid back into frustrated obscurity.

[dws]

Like many other writers, Capstick drew upon all sorts of sources for his literary efforts, he wasn't writing history. If he stretched or embellished, thats what writers do. Its part of the literary effort-----unless of course you ARE writing history, and sadly it creeps in there way too often.

Sadly too writers, particularly "staff" writers for periodicals, have to keep churning out articles on a regular basis and anything and everything can get tossed into the sausage machine. editors are supposed to control the more egregious and extreme forms but they quickly learn that controversy sells magazines and irate letters to the editor make for money for the publisher. Slamming a dead man whether its questioning Elmer Keith's feats, "exposing" the "truth" about old old west heros and bad men, disputing the "validity" of long-revered cartridges and so on are all time tested techniques for writers and editors who are on deadline and short on inspiration.

Capstick, Ruark, and all the others all lived in a different era when "green" was the color of foliage and money, and not a mindset. Alcohol consumption was part of normal daily life and some folks indulged in it more or less than others, same with tobacco, red meat, and lots of other things. It was part of their culture. I have a real hard time imagining any good literature coming out of a modern, no-smoking-no drinking camera safari.

today there are all sorts of on-line resources for fact checking, five or ten minutes research will give you all the biographical facts on Capstick----don't rely on gun-rags for your literary facts.

[AJMD429]

I have a real hard time imagining any good literature coming out of a modern, no-smoking-no drinking camera safari.

Very true. The old writers, whether 'factual' or not, were great. It's not like they were claiming to be writing a factually-meticulous 'documentary' anyway - they were telling stories - good ones, too.

[Bill in Oregon]

I've heard all these stories about Capstick -- and that his actual hunting experience wasn't as deep as it appeared to be. But I have always heard he was a charming man and it is clear he was a gifted storyteller.
The only book of his that I have read was his biography of Meinertzhagen, which I found so poorly written that I could not finish it. I really must read one of his African hunting books.
The odd thing is that I am huge admirer of Jack O'Connor, and have never heard his veracity questioned. But if I were choosing a friend, I would take Capstick in an instant, as O'Connor is said to have been a terribly profane and egotistical old crank who treated his wife terribly.
As to Elmer Keith, he was a true American original and I believe every word he wrote, though I don't always agree with his conclusions. But I have heard that when he worked at the Ogden arsenal during the war, it was considered great sport to get him mad, at which point he was ready to challenge his tormenter to a gunfight outside ...

[Rusty]

Well one thing is for sure... he has more experience in Africa than I do and his books still make me dream.

[tman]

great writer, whether it's fiction or not. i'm sure the writer's of the old west gunfighters could be accused of the same. most combat veterans know that they spend FAR MORE TIME waiting for the battle, than particapating in actual battle. history would be quite dry reading if it wasn't embellished a bit. be it 100% fact or fiction, or a combination of both, i enjoyed his writings. as human beings, i believe we are all flawed. i don't put faith in man, only GOD.

[jp]

Some men can, some can't. He could and did. It's sad that some men build their own egoes by tearing down others. I met one of the men mentioned, he was the most opinonated fella I ever met. BUT, he had paid his dues and deserved my respect. Do me a favor, and everyone else, unless you have first hand knowledge about a man, keep quiet!

[Bill in Oregon]

JP: That's a bit strong, but you're entitled to your views. According to your view, most of us had better not voice an opinion about the president, as most of us have not met or talked with the man.

[tman]

Some men can, some can't. He could and did. It's sad that some men build their own egoes by tearing down others. I met one of the men mentioned, he was the most opinonated fella I ever met. BUT, he had paid his dues and deserved my respect. Do me a favor, and everyone else, unless you have first hand knowledge about a man, keep quiet!

my intent was not to tear the man down. i praised him as a writer. if you knew the man and can personally verify that every word he wrote was the exact truth, then i owe him and you an appology. wasn't trying to diss the man, only point out that most writer's go this route. always thought that this is forum to express and exchange opinions. even so, i still admire his work.

[86er]

My Uncle Jerry was a PH in Rhodesia (and elsewhere in Africa) from 1963-1989. He used to call Capsticks books "comedy". He told me the guy took other people's stories and penned them with himself as the character. One time in Zimbabwe I asked the PH I was with to tell me what made these marks on a tree and dug a hole. He said "I'm not going to Capstick you". When asked what he meant, he was surprised and said "I thought all Americans knew of this saying - I mean I'm not going to pretend I know, because I have no idea". That was 1988. I heard the same phrase once more in Namibia in 2000. Coincidentally, the PH that said it had formerly worked in Zim, so I don't know if that had anything to do with it. First hand, I have no idea if Capstick's work was fiction or non-fiction at the root of the story. However, I do enjoy his literary talent and I don't care which it is.

[jp]

Naw, Bill everybody has firsthand knowledge of our commander in brief.

[adirondakjack]

Capstick was inspiring. He and Skeeter and, Ayoob, and O'Conner, and Keith and our own Paco are men who have a way with words and get under the skin of folks who are "wound tight". Unless I WAS THERE, I wouldn't call any of em a liar, but have heard such complaints about ALL OF THEM a time or three.

SO, does a story become any less valid if it is compiled from personal experience and those experiences of others related over a few fingers of hooch? OR, does it become a tale that inspires and pushes us forward to our own experiences that too may get stretched and borrowed and move the history of the gun and men who know how to use it forward? the VALUE of the story may in fact outweigh it's verifiability.....

[tman]

Capstick was inspiring. He and Skeeter and, Ayoob, and O'Conner, and Keith and our own Paco are men who have a way with words and get under the skin of folks who are "wound tight". Unless I WAS THERE, I wouldn't call any of em a liar, but have heard such complaints about ALL OF THEM a time or three.

SO, does a story become any less valid if it is compiled from personal experience and those experiences of others related over a few fingers of hooch? OR, does it become a tale that inspires and pushes us forward to our own experiences that too may get stretched and borrowed and move the history of the gun and men who know how to use it forward? the VALUE of the story may in fact outweigh it's verifiability.....

amen