1. “Great minds think alike.”
This is actually a shortened version of a longer quote, of which there are two versions. For the full quote, you want to say, “Great minds think alike, small minds rarely differ” or “Great minds think alike, and fools seldom differ.” Same idea, different phrasing.
2. “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
According to the New York Times, Gandhi himself never said this. The phrase itself is a simplified idea from his works that boils down his words to a nice bumper sticker. What he actually said was: “As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. We need not wait to see what others do.”
3. “Curiosity killed the cat.”
The popular version is again abridged from a longer statement: “Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.” The last half of the phrase drastically changes it – because the cats get to live now. So world, cat death = preventable.
4. “Money is the root of all evil.”
This quote comes from 6:10 of 1 Timothy and the full version is “The love of money is a root of all sorts of evil.” It’s a pretty close adaptation but adds a definitiveness that the original is lacking. Scripture suggests that money is a cause of evil – but hardly the only one.
5. “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
This phrase was adapted into English in the 16th century from a medieval French proverb, and there are a number of different versions that are floating around. In addition to how we know it, there’s another great version I like better: “Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it burned in one.”
6. “The only traditions of the Royal Navy are rum, sodomy and the lash.”
This is another common misattribution. Although the quote has long been sourced as one of Winston Churchill’s many famous phrases, it actually came from his assistant and private secretary, the quippy Sir Anthony Montague-Browne. However, never one to let wit go unrecognized, reports state that Churchill later claimed he would have liked to have actually said it.
7. “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
Voltaire was a brillian novelist and quote machine. If you’ve ever heard the phrase “the best of all possible worlds,” you’ve heard it because Voltaire popularized the Leibniz adage in Candide, the philosopher’s attempt to theorize evil away. However, Voltaire never said the above, his most famous quote. It was written by Evelyn Beatrice Hall a century later.
8. “The end justifies the means.”
Although this concept is introduced in Nicolo Machiavelli’s The Prince, the statement itself is never used. The adage itself dates back to Ovid’s Heroides, which was composed in 10 BCE. Machiavelli himself said, “One must consider the final result;” however, the gist of that is markedly different and less declarative. This was him setting up him answering his question “Upon this a question arises: whether it be better to be loved than feared or feared than loved? One should wish to be both, but, because it is difficult to unite them in one person, it is much safer to be feared than loved.”
9. “The only two certainties in life are death and taxes.”
Mark Twain said a lot of things during his lifetime, but this phrase was not one of them. The quote was misattributed to him, because it sounds like something he might say. However, versions of the quote were written both by Christopher Bullock and Edward Ward. In 1716, Bullock claimed, “Tis impossible to be sure of anything but Death and Taxes,” and Ward agreed. He wrote in Dancing Devils (1724): ““Death and Taxes, they are certain.”
10. “There’s a sucker born every minute.”
This phrase is commonly attributed to P.T. Barnum, as an indication of his cynicism about his own work, the way he was able to dupe people into paying for junk. But it was never said by Barnum. One of Barnum’s competitors used it to describe the famous showman’s exhibits, and it just kind of stuck.
11. “Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
This is a slight misquotation from one of Lord John Dalberg-Acton’s writings, a famous British historian from the 19th century. Lord Acton actually wrote: “Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” But his next sentence is the more important exclamation point on the idea: “Great men are always bad men.” See? It’s a lot more interesting that way.
12. "A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE IS A DANGEROUS THING."
This is a misquote of Alexander Pope's original statement, "A little learning is a dangerous thing."
13. “No rest for the wicked.”
This phrase is often used as a busy person excuse for staying up late, and it might be true, but the quote originated as a misquote from the Bible. Isaiah 15:21 reads: “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.” The words “rest” and “peace” are related to each other, but the idea of sleep completely changes its meaning. It’s about finding solace, not a nap.
14. “Blood is thicker than water.”
This is one of many Bible verses that has been misadapted for common use, because the word “convenant” doesn’t roll off the tongue in everyday use. However, the real version completely changes the meaning. The quote comes from: “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.” This actually means that blood shed in battle bonds soldiers more strongly than simple genetics. Although we commonly use it to suggest the strength of family ties, it doesn’t refer to family at all.
15. “Nice guys finish last.”
Great news, nice guys. You’ve been getting a bad rap. When baseball hall of famer Leo Durocher (aka Leo the Lip), one of the great managers in history, said this, he was referring to another team. Durocher said: “All nice guys. They’ll finish last.” Durocher later clarified that the misquote wasn’t what he meant at all: “I never did say that you can’t be a nice guy and win. I said that if I was playing third base and my mother rounded third with the winning run, I’d trip her up.”
16. “Anything that can go wrong, will” (Murphy’s Law)
Edward Murphy did not say this. What he most likely did say is something along the lines of: “If there’s more than one way to do a job, and one of those ways will result in disaster, then somebody will do it that way”.
17“The devil is in the details.”
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe actually said “G-d is in the details.”
18 “Life is far too important to be taken seriously.”
Oscar Wilde actually said “Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about it.”
19 “You make a living by what you get; you make a life by what you give.”
Winston Churchill “What is the use of living, if it be not to strive for noble causes and to make this muddled world a better place for those who will live in it after we are gone? How else can we put ourselves in harmonious relation with the great verities and consolations of the infinite and the eternal? And I avow my faith that we are marching towards better days. Humanity will not be cast down. We are going on swinging bravely forward along the grand high road and already behind the distant mountains is the promise of the sun.”
20 "THE LION SHALL LAY DOWN WITH THE LAMB."
The Bible doesn't say this, either. Isaiah 11:6 actually states, "The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together."
21 "THE JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES BEGINS WITH A SINGLE STEP."
The actual quote—“A journey of 400 miles begins beneath ones feet”—was Lao Tzu, not Confucius.
22 "WALK SOFTLY, BUT CARRY A BIG STICK."
The actual quote Teddy Roosevelt quote is, "Speak softly and carry a big stick."
23 "GO CONFIDENTLY IN THE DIRECTION OF YOUR DREAMS! LIVE THE LIFE YOU'VE IMAGINED."
Here's what Henry David Thoreau really said:
“I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours … In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness."
24 "G-d helps those who help themselves"
The earliest recording of this saying is actually from Aesop's fable "Hercules and the Waggoner." A man's wagon got stuck in a muddy road, and he prayed for Hercules to help. Hercules appeared and said, "Get up and put your shoulder to the wheel." The moral given was "The gods help them that help themselves." Aesop was a Greek writer who lived from 620 to 564 BC, but obviously did not contribute to the Bible.
25 "Cleanliness is next to godliness."
This phrase is not in the Bible. It originated as an ancient Babylonian proverb, but became very popular during the Victorian era after being revived by Sir Francis Bacon and John Wesley
This is actually a shortened version of a longer quote, of which there are two versions. For the full quote, you want to say, “Great minds think alike, small minds rarely differ” or “Great minds think alike, and fools seldom differ.” Same idea, different phrasing.
2. “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
According to the New York Times, Gandhi himself never said this. The phrase itself is a simplified idea from his works that boils down his words to a nice bumper sticker. What he actually said was: “As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. We need not wait to see what others do.”
3. “Curiosity killed the cat.”
The popular version is again abridged from a longer statement: “Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.” The last half of the phrase drastically changes it – because the cats get to live now. So world, cat death = preventable.
4. “Money is the root of all evil.”
This quote comes from 6:10 of 1 Timothy and the full version is “The love of money is a root of all sorts of evil.” It’s a pretty close adaptation but adds a definitiveness that the original is lacking. Scripture suggests that money is a cause of evil – but hardly the only one.
5. “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
This phrase was adapted into English in the 16th century from a medieval French proverb, and there are a number of different versions that are floating around. In addition to how we know it, there’s another great version I like better: “Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it burned in one.”
6. “The only traditions of the Royal Navy are rum, sodomy and the lash.”
This is another common misattribution. Although the quote has long been sourced as one of Winston Churchill’s many famous phrases, it actually came from his assistant and private secretary, the quippy Sir Anthony Montague-Browne. However, never one to let wit go unrecognized, reports state that Churchill later claimed he would have liked to have actually said it.
7. “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
Voltaire was a brillian novelist and quote machine. If you’ve ever heard the phrase “the best of all possible worlds,” you’ve heard it because Voltaire popularized the Leibniz adage in Candide, the philosopher’s attempt to theorize evil away. However, Voltaire never said the above, his most famous quote. It was written by Evelyn Beatrice Hall a century later.
8. “The end justifies the means.”
Although this concept is introduced in Nicolo Machiavelli’s The Prince, the statement itself is never used. The adage itself dates back to Ovid’s Heroides, which was composed in 10 BCE. Machiavelli himself said, “One must consider the final result;” however, the gist of that is markedly different and less declarative. This was him setting up him answering his question “Upon this a question arises: whether it be better to be loved than feared or feared than loved? One should wish to be both, but, because it is difficult to unite them in one person, it is much safer to be feared than loved.”
9. “The only two certainties in life are death and taxes.”
Mark Twain said a lot of things during his lifetime, but this phrase was not one of them. The quote was misattributed to him, because it sounds like something he might say. However, versions of the quote were written both by Christopher Bullock and Edward Ward. In 1716, Bullock claimed, “Tis impossible to be sure of anything but Death and Taxes,” and Ward agreed. He wrote in Dancing Devils (1724): ““Death and Taxes, they are certain.”
10. “There’s a sucker born every minute.”
This phrase is commonly attributed to P.T. Barnum, as an indication of his cynicism about his own work, the way he was able to dupe people into paying for junk. But it was never said by Barnum. One of Barnum’s competitors used it to describe the famous showman’s exhibits, and it just kind of stuck.
11. “Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
This is a slight misquotation from one of Lord John Dalberg-Acton’s writings, a famous British historian from the 19th century. Lord Acton actually wrote: “Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” But his next sentence is the more important exclamation point on the idea: “Great men are always bad men.” See? It’s a lot more interesting that way.
12. "A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE IS A DANGEROUS THING."
This is a misquote of Alexander Pope's original statement, "A little learning is a dangerous thing."
13. “No rest for the wicked.”
This phrase is often used as a busy person excuse for staying up late, and it might be true, but the quote originated as a misquote from the Bible. Isaiah 15:21 reads: “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.” The words “rest” and “peace” are related to each other, but the idea of sleep completely changes its meaning. It’s about finding solace, not a nap.
14. “Blood is thicker than water.”
This is one of many Bible verses that has been misadapted for common use, because the word “convenant” doesn’t roll off the tongue in everyday use. However, the real version completely changes the meaning. The quote comes from: “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.” This actually means that blood shed in battle bonds soldiers more strongly than simple genetics. Although we commonly use it to suggest the strength of family ties, it doesn’t refer to family at all.
15. “Nice guys finish last.”
Great news, nice guys. You’ve been getting a bad rap. When baseball hall of famer Leo Durocher (aka Leo the Lip), one of the great managers in history, said this, he was referring to another team. Durocher said: “All nice guys. They’ll finish last.” Durocher later clarified that the misquote wasn’t what he meant at all: “I never did say that you can’t be a nice guy and win. I said that if I was playing third base and my mother rounded third with the winning run, I’d trip her up.”
16. “Anything that can go wrong, will” (Murphy’s Law)
Edward Murphy did not say this. What he most likely did say is something along the lines of: “If there’s more than one way to do a job, and one of those ways will result in disaster, then somebody will do it that way”.
17“The devil is in the details.”
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe actually said “G-d is in the details.”
18 “Life is far too important to be taken seriously.”
Oscar Wilde actually said “Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about it.”
19 “You make a living by what you get; you make a life by what you give.”
Winston Churchill “What is the use of living, if it be not to strive for noble causes and to make this muddled world a better place for those who will live in it after we are gone? How else can we put ourselves in harmonious relation with the great verities and consolations of the infinite and the eternal? And I avow my faith that we are marching towards better days. Humanity will not be cast down. We are going on swinging bravely forward along the grand high road and already behind the distant mountains is the promise of the sun.”
20 "THE LION SHALL LAY DOWN WITH THE LAMB."
The Bible doesn't say this, either. Isaiah 11:6 actually states, "The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together."
21 "THE JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES BEGINS WITH A SINGLE STEP."
The actual quote—“A journey of 400 miles begins beneath ones feet”—was Lao Tzu, not Confucius.
22 "WALK SOFTLY, BUT CARRY A BIG STICK."
The actual quote Teddy Roosevelt quote is, "Speak softly and carry a big stick."
23 "GO CONFIDENTLY IN THE DIRECTION OF YOUR DREAMS! LIVE THE LIFE YOU'VE IMAGINED."
Here's what Henry David Thoreau really said:
“I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours … In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness."
24 "G-d helps those who help themselves"
The earliest recording of this saying is actually from Aesop's fable "Hercules and the Waggoner." A man's wagon got stuck in a muddy road, and he prayed for Hercules to help. Hercules appeared and said, "Get up and put your shoulder to the wheel." The moral given was "The gods help them that help themselves." Aesop was a Greek writer who lived from 620 to 564 BC, but obviously did not contribute to the Bible.
25 "Cleanliness is next to godliness."
This phrase is not in the Bible. It originated as an ancient Babylonian proverb, but became very popular during the Victorian era after being revived by Sir Francis Bacon and John Wesley