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Wikiquote (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_J._Hanlon http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_J._Hanlon) states that it's been widely attributed to Bonaparte as
by dunstad 17y ago
Wikiquote (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_J._Hanlon http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_J._Hanlon) states that it's been widely attributed to Bonaparte as well. I wasn't under the impression that that means it's a mistaken attribution, but I could be wrong about that, and if it isn't supposed to be read as I did, could you clarify?
- gruseom 17y agoThe internet is full of cuckoo quotes being wrongly attributed to famous people. It's an easy way for memes to propagate. For example, ever hear the quote from Gandhi along the lines of "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."? Cool line, which has made it onto T-shirts with Gandhi's photo, but Gandhi never said it. It's been traced back to a speech by a garment workers' union official in the early 20th century. Anyway, there are zillions of examples, many being propagated by spam websites supposedly specializing in quotes. Because of this, online references that say "attributed to Bonaparte" (or whomever) are worth nothing. In fact, they're evidence to the contrary, because if Bonaparte really said it, it wouldn't be "attributed", it would be sourced. The rule of thumb is: if a famous person said it, it will be easy to find a precise textual citation on Google. So if you can't find the precise text, it's likely inauthentic. Wikiquote is pretty good at distinguishing between sourced and unsourced quotes and providing precise references for the former. Take a look at their page on Napoleon (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Napoleon_I_of_France http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Napoleon_I_of_France) and see how many of them are traced to his letters. (By the way, the "never attribute to malice..." one is listed under misattributions on that same page.)