Questionable Quotes

We all love the pithy quote, the clever put-down, the witty bon mot, the scintillating turn of phrase. We store them away in our conversational jewelry boxes, waiting for just the right occasion to decorate our speeches with their sparkle. What we often don’t realize is that many of these glittering linguistic gems are not the real thing, but mere costume jewelry.

Did Keanu Reeves Say ‘The Road to Heaven Isn’t Through Your Yard’? A viral quotation has been around online for years, but only belatedly was the Hollywood...

Unproven

Did Nikola Tesla Describe Cell Phones in 1926? "When wireless is perfectly applied, the whole earth will be converted into a huge brain,"...

Correct Attribution

Did Einstein Say He Believed in the Pantheistic God of Baruch Spinoza? Einstein wasn’t afraid to question religion as critically as he did scientific theory.

Correct Attribution

Did Orwell Write That People Who Elect Corrupt Politicians Are ‘Accomplices’? A seemingly Orwellian quote made a comeback during the 2020 election season.

False

Is This a Real Quote by Nelson Mandela? A quote attributed to Mandela, former president of South Africa, said: "Fools divide themselves by...

Misattributed

Did Chick-fil-A CEO Say White People Should Shine Black People’s Shoes? CEO Dan Cathy's alleged comments caused some blowback among his conservative audience.

Mixture

Did Stalin Pluck a Live Chicken as a Lesson to His Followers? A common tale expresses the thought that a dictator can do anything he wants to...

Legend

Did the 1981 ‘Farmer’s Almanac’ Predict COVID-19? An old "prediction" got a new origin story.

Misattributed

Did Bill Gates Tell George Magazine That an ‘Over-Populated Planet’ Would Fall to a ‘Lung-Attacking Virus’? Bill Gates was featured in a 1997 issue of George magazine, but so were other...

Misattributed

Did This Nobel Prize Winner Say COVID-19 Was Created in a Lab? Keep in mind, the opinion of one person does not outweigh the consensus of the...

Correct Attribution

Did Trump Ask, ‘How Can You Possibly Discover Anything If You Already Know Everything?’ Or as former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld might ask, "Do we know what the unknowns...

Correct Attribution

Was This Pandemic Poem Written by Kathleen O’Mara in 1919? A global pandemic did indeed inspire this poem. But that's as far as it goes.

Misattributed