Famous Quotes We Get Wrong

We love a good quote. It adds gravitas to our arguments and makes us sound smart at dinner parties. But the internet is a game of “telephone,” and many of the most famous quotes in history are either misattributed, misquoted, or completely made up.

Here are a few you might need to stop using (or at least, use with an asterisk).

1. “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” - Gandhi

Verdict: False.

Gandhi never said this catchy bumper-sticker slogan. He said something much more complex and less catchy: “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him.”

The meaning is similar, but the “Be the change” version is a modern condensation.

2. “Well-behaved women rarely make history.” - Marilyn Monroe

Verdict: False.

This sounds like something the Hollywood icon would say, but it was actually written by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, a historian, in a 1976 academic paper. And she wasn’t saying it as a rebellious slogan; she was lamenting that history books tend to ignore the lives of ordinary, “well-behaved” women.

3. “Let them eat cake.” - Marie Antoinette

Verdict: False.

The French Queen never said this. The phrase “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche” appeared in Rousseau’s Confessions when Marie was only nine years old and not even living in France. It was revolutionary propaganda used to make her look out of touch. (She was out of touch, but not that out of touch).

4. “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” - Albert Einstein

Verdict: False.

Einstein didn’t say this. Neither did Benjamin Franklin or Mark Twain. It likely originated in a 1980s Narcotics Anonymous pamphlet. It’s a great definition, but stop blaming poor Albert for it.

Conclusion

Does it matter? Maybe not. A good quote is a good quote, regardless of who said it. But in the age of misinformation, a little fact-checking goes a long way. Before you tattoo that inspirational phrase on your arm, maybe double-check Google Books.