General Knowledge
Fake Celebrity Quote Quiz
Did they really say it? Einstein, Lincoln, Marilyn — spot the misattributed quotes.
Did they really say it? Einstein, Lincoln, Marilyn — spot the misattributed quotes.
The famous quote "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results" is widely attributed to Albert Einstein — but he never said it. The earliest known version appeared in a 1981 Narcotics Anonymous pamphlet. From Gandhi to Lincoln to Marilyn Monroe, history is full of misattributed quotes that spread like wildfire. This quiz tests whether you can spot the fakes.
Each question presents a famous quote and asks you to identify who really said it — or whether the popular attribution is correct. You will learn the true origins of some of history's most viral quotes and discover that many beloved sayings were never uttered by the people who get credit for them.
You will discover the real origins behind misquoted movie lines, misattributed wisdom, and famous phrases that were never actually spoken. From "Elementary, my dear Watson" (never in the original stories) to "Let them eat cake" (not Marie Antoinette), the truth is often more interesting than the myth.
No, Albert Einstein never said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." The earliest known appearance of this quote is in a 1981 Narcotics Anonymous pamphlet. It has also been attributed to Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain, but there is no evidence linking it to any of them. The quote likely evolved from recovery program literature.
Almost certainly not. The phrase "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche" appears in Jean-Jacques Rousseau's "Confessions" (written around 1765), attributed to "a great princess." Marie Antoinette was only 10 years old at the time. Historians believe Rousseau either invented the anecdote or attributed it to an earlier figure. The quote was later pinned on Marie Antoinette as anti-royalist propaganda.
This quote is universally attributed to Voltaire, but he never wrote or said it. The phrase was written by Evelyn Beatrice Hall (under the pseudonym S.G. Tallentyre) in her 1906 biography "The Friends of Voltaire." Hall wrote it as a paraphrase of Voltaire's attitude toward free speech, not as a direct quotation. She later confirmed it was her own summary, not Voltaire's words.
Last updated: April 2026