Abraham Lincoln said “a house divided against itself cannot stand” in 1858 – but he put it in quotation marks. He was quoting Jesus, and in 1843 he said so.
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“To Thine Own Self Be True” Has Two More Lines
Shakespeare gave “to thine own self be true” to Polonius, and two more lines finish the thought. One act later he sends a servant to lie about his own son.
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Is “Money Is the Root of All Evil” in the Bible? Not Quite
Not quite. 1 Timothy 6:10 says the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. Here is the missing word, and why the oldest English Bibles never said money at all.
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Who Really Said “The Definition of Insanity”? Not Einstein
There is no evidence Einstein said “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again.” The oldest known printing: a 1981 Al-Anon meeting.
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“What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger” Wasn’t About You
Nietzsche wrote “what does not kill me makes me stronger” about himself, four months before he collapsed – and the maxim carries a heading nobody quotes.
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Is “Everything Happens for a Reason” in the Bible?
“Everything happens for a reason” is not in the Bible – not in any translation. Here is where the saying came from, and what Romans 8:28 actually says instead.
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Who Said “An Eye for an Eye Leaves the Whole World Blind”?
No one has found “an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind” in anything Gandhi wrote. Here is the real trail – and what the verse actually says.
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“The Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living”: Said on Trial
Socrates said “the unexamined life is not worth living” on trial for his life – answering men who would spare him if he agreed to stop asking questions.
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Is “God Helps Those Who Help Themselves” in the Bible?
No – “God helps those who help themselves” is not in the Bible. It is an ancient Greek proverb, printed by Benjamin Franklin in 1736. Here’s what is.
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Did St. Francis Say “Preach the Gospel at All Times, Use Words”?
No – there is no evidence Francis of Assisi said “preach the gospel at all times; when necessary, use words.” Nobody has found it in print before 1989.