story By Nathan Eckhous Design by LUcy quintanilla
That’s (Not) What She Said
“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”
In a world beset by motivational posters, honing in on the quotes worth honoring is its own art. For many, prestigious authorship is the shorthand for wisdom—who are we to question Einstein or Angelou? But all that glitters is not name-brand gold. As Garson O’Toole puts it on his investigative site Quote Investigator (our primary source for this list), “Sometimes a comment is attributed to a famous individual to increase the prestige and believability of the comment.” Just click the purple quotes to reveal who said what.
"Well-behaved women rarely make history."
"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
“They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”
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Not Maya Angelou, but noted Mormon Carl W. Buehner.
Not Marilyn Monroe, but history professor Laurel Thatcher Ulrich.
Not Abraham Lincoln or Adlai Stevenson, but 20th doctor/author Edward J. Stieglitz.
Not Albert Einstein, but Alcoholics Anonymous (and thus, anonymous).
Donaldson Collection (Monroe, Lincoln), Michael Ochs Archives (Angelou), George Rinhart (Einstein) , Bettmann (Parker, BeRrA), Justin Sullivan (jobs), J. Countess (buffett), MICHEL CLEMENT,DANIEL JANIN/AFP (mandela)/GETTY IMAGES
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure."
“If you can read this, you’ve come too close.”
“Good artists copy; great artists steal.”
“Write drunk, revise sober.”
“Look around the poker table; if you can’t see the sucker, you’re it.”
“In theory there is no difference between theory and practice, while in practice there is.”
Not Ernest Hemingway, but editor and satirist Peter De Vries.
Not Steve Jobs, but theft-bashing 19th century journalist W. H. Davenport Adams (the quote's roles were initially reversed).
Not Yogi Berra, but 19th-century Yale undergraduate Benjamin Brewster.
Not Nelson Mandela, but self-help author Marianne Williamson.
Not Dorothy Parker, but a 1920s Model T bumper sticker (first known sighting, naturally anonymous).
Not Warren Buffett, but celebrity poker player Amarillo Slim.
tap the quote reveal the true author
“Write drunk, revise sober”
Not Steve Jobs, but theft-bashing 19th century journalist W. H. Davenport Adams (the quotes roles were initially reversed).
Not Dorothy Parker, but a 1920’s Model T bumper sticker (first known sighting, naturally anonymous).
tap to reveal the true author
Not Steve Jobs, but theft critic 19th century journalist W. H. Davenport Adams (the quotes roles were initially reversed).
Not Yogi Berra, but Yale undergrad Benjamin Brewster.
Not Nelson Mandela, but self-help author, presidential hopeful Marianne Williamson.
