“A week went by and nothing. But eventually, as they always will, the rumors reached me. And everyone knows you can't disprove a rumor.”
“And everyone knows you can’t disprove a rumor.”
“You can hear rumors. But you can't know them.”
“It was a running joke; everyone was aware of how ridiculous the rumor mill was, and yet they all shamelessly participated in it.”
“Don't forget this, too: Rumors aren't interested in the unsensational story; rumors don't care what's true.”
“Rumors spread fast, and they grow. I know. You want to either deny them, or disarm them”