Real or fake?

How to play Real or fake?

In this game you see a quote and the person it is usually credited to, then decide whether they really said it. Half of the questions are true, half are famous fakes. After every answer we show the real source: the newspaper column, book or speech where the words first appeared, and who actually wrote them.

The internet is full of quotes pinned on the wrong person. Einstein did not say that insanity is doing the same thing over and over, Gandhi never wrote the line about being the change, and Eleanor Roosevelt did not write about doing one thing every day that scares you. These are called misattributions, and they spread because a famous name makes a line feel more trustworthy.

If you want to avoid repeating a fake quote in your own speech, card or essay, the habit is simple. Look for the earliest printed or recorded appearance, check whether the wording matches the original, and be suspicious of any line that only appears on quote websites without a book, date or page. Our misquote pages show how we do that for each line.

Quick answers

What is a misattributed quote?

A line credited to someone who did not say it, usually because a more famous person attracted it over the years. The real author is often a columnist, a biographer or an earlier writer.

How do you know who really said it?

We trace the earliest appearance in print or recording and cite it on each quote page. If no reliable source exists we label the quote Unsourced instead of guessing.

Can a fake quote still carry a real idea?

Often yes. Many misattributed lines summarise something the person did believe, which is why they feel true. The wording is what is wrong.

Where can I see all of the misquotes?

On the Misquotes page, which lists every line we have checked and who it is wrongly credited to.

More to explore

All games → · Famous misquotes → · Browse the people → · How we verify quotes →