There are many quotes that have been misattributed to famous figures. Given a quote and a figure who allegedly said it, can you guess whether they really said it or whether it's a likely misattribution?
In a few cases, these quotes may be slightly paraphrased
It's difficult to completely prove they didn't say these things private. However, if there is no explicit evidence that they said it, it is likely they didn't say it.
Keep scrolling down for answers and more stats ...
1."Let them eat cake!" ~Marie Antoinette
Yes, she said it
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No, she didn't say it
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It is possible that the phrase came from Maria Theresa, a Spanish princess who married into the French nobility 100 years before Marie Antoinette did. Also, despite her opulent lifestyle, Antoinette was quite charitable, and such a statement would have been strange from her.
2."I invented the internet." ~Al Gore
Yes, he said it
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No, he didn't say it
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Gore said, "I took the initiative in creating the Internet," but he never meant to point to himself as its founder. Rather, he meant that, as Vice President, he created a nurturing environment for the growth of the internet.
3."Workers of the world, unite!" ~Karl Marx
Yes, he said it
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No, he didn't say it
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This is the best English translation for the German phrase, "Proletarier aller Länder vereinigt Euch!" in The Communist Manifesto
4."You can get more with a kind word and a gun than with just a kind word." ~Al Capone
Yes, he said it
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No, he didn't say it
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The word was used mostly in comedy routines starting in the '50s. It was only attributed to Capone in 1969, but most likely as a joke.
5."I can see Russia from my house!" ~Sarah Palin
Yes, she said it
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No, she didn't say it
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This was said by Tina Fey pretending to be Sarah Palin on SNL.
6."Nothing is certain, except death and taxes." ~Benjamin Franklin
Yes, he said it
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No, he didn't say it
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Full quote, written in a letter to French physicist Jean-Baptiste Le Roy: "Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."
10."It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness." ~Eleanor Roosevelt
Yes, she said it
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No, she didn't say it
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This may be a Chinese proverb, and it was used by Adlai Stevenson to describe Eleanor Roosevelt after her death.
11."Speak softly, and carry a big stick." ~Theodore Roosevelt
Yes, he said it
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No, he didn't say it
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He first said this in 1900, claiming it was a West African proverb. However, these is no evidence of this; it is possible it was made up by Roosevelt himself.
12."A single death is a tragedy, a million deaths are a statistic." ~Joseph Stalin
Yes, he said it
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No, he didn't say it
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It was attributed to Stalin in 1947, but there is absolutely no evidence he said it.
13."Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt." ~Abraham Lincoln
Yes, he said it
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No, he didn't say it
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This may come from Proverbs 17:28 ("Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue"). It didn't appear in modern writing until 1931, long after Lincoln's death.
14."Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" ~Ronald Reagan
Thanks! The Quote Investigator website is pretty cool. And honestly, some of the quotes I put on here I didn't even realize were fake until I made this quiz!
I got 11, more than I had expected. The first one really surprised me! Explanations were very much required here, so thanks for adding that beforehand! :)