Incorrect Attribution

Incorrect Attribution This rating indicates quote material (speech or text) is incorrectly attributed to the person who allegedly spoke or wrote it. Learn more about our rating system here.

Did Lauren Boebert Say the Moon Is More Useful Than the Sun?

Written by: Jordan Liles

Jan. 11, 2024

"The moon is actually more useful than the sun, since the moon gives us light at night when it's ...

Did Trump Opine About Courage, Saying It's 'the Ability to Act Effectively, in Spite of Fear'?

Written by: Jordan Liles

Dec. 30, 2023

The full quote reads, "Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is the ability to act effecti ...

Did Trump Say 'Courage Is the Ability To Act Effectively, in Spite of Fear'?

Written by: Jordan Liles

Dec. 19, 2023

The late U.S. Sen. John McCain wrote a passage very similar to that in his 2004 book, "Why Coura ...

Did Mark Wahlberg Tell Fellow Celebs, 'If You Don't Like the USA, Please Leave'?

Written by: Jordan Liles

Dec. 8, 2023

A rumor shared on X said that Wahlberg had also named Barbra Streisand, Matt Damon, Oprah Winfre ...

Did Mark Twain Say 'No Amount of Evidence Will Ever Persuade an Idiot'?

Written by: Jordan Liles

Nov. 13, 2023

The quote attached to author Samuel Clemens' pen name has been published far and wide on the int ...

Did Anthony Bourdain Say 'Courage Is Made in Palestine'?

Written by: Jordan Liles

Nov. 10, 2023

The former chef, author and TV host of the CNN series "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown" died by ...

Did John Lennon Create the Phrase, 'Life Is What Happens When You're Busy Making Other Plans'?

Written by: Nur Ibrahim

July 9, 2023

The words appear in the lyrics of his song “Beautiful Boy.”

Did Maya Angelou Say, 'Never Make Someone a Priority When All You Are to Them Is an Option'?

Written by: Jordan Liles

June 30, 2023

The quote had been attributed to Angelou by the BBC, The Guardian, and numerous websites that pu ...

Did Denzel Washington Say He Hoped 'Morals, Respect, and Intelligence' Would 'Become a Trend Again'?

Written by: Jordan Liles

June 21, 2023

While the quote might sound like something one of the actor's characters might say, the real que ...

Did Robin Williams Say, 'Everyone You Meet Is Fighting a Battle You Know Nothing About'?

Written by: Jordan Liles

June 3, 2023

Quote memes that featured this generous thought showed a picture of Williams from the 1997 film ...

'To Learn Who Rules Over You' Quote Is Misattributed to Voltaire

Written by: Dan Evon

Jan. 31, 2022

"To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize" is a paraphr ...

Did Hitler Say, 'To Conquer a Nation First Replace Science with Christianity'?

Written by: David Emery

May 21, 2023

Adolf Hitler misquotes are quite popular on social media.

Did Rupert Murdoch Say Fox News Only Cares About Ratings, Not Facts?

Written by: Dan Evon

April 27, 2021

If they were real, these quotes would be front page news — not meme fodder.

Did Denzel Washington Say, 'Just Because You Don't Share It on Social Media Doesn't Mean You Are Not Up to Big Things'?

Written by: Jordan Liles

April 19, 2022

We looked for the origins of a quote about social media that's been credited to the actor in twe ...

Did Morgan Freeman Say 'Don't Take Criticism from People You'd Never Go to for Advice'?

Written by: David Emery

Jan. 14, 2023

For some reason, people like putting pithy sayings in Morgan Freeman's mouth. Is it because of h ...

Did Mark Twain Say This About Reading the Newspaper and Being Misinformed?

Written by: Bethania Palma

Jan. 6, 2023

The false attribution of quotes to famous people is a common internet phenomenon.

Did Fyodor Dostoevsky Say This About Tolerance?

Written by: Bethania Palma

Dec. 31, 2022

We wondered if this was a statement about our times.

Did Morgan Freeman Say, 'Your Age Doesn't Define Your Maturity'?

Written by: Bethania Palma

Jan. 2, 2023

The Academy Award-winning actor is the frequent target of spurious internet "wisdom" quotes.

Did Ben Franklin Say 'A Penny Saved Is a Penny Earned'?

Written by: David Emery

Dec. 27, 2022

Versions of what is probably Benjamin Franklin's most famous saying were in print years before h ...

No, Musk Didn't Tweet That the Dems Paid Jack Dorsey to Block Anti-Biden Info

Written by: Bethania Palma

Dec. 6, 2022

The grammar and typos alone might have given this tweet away as fake.