He said that the poem was written 2000 years ago by Greek poet Heracleion of Gela, but that wasn’t the case: it was a prank pulled by a computer scientist from Palermo. For example, in 2020, Venetian President Luca Zaia read a poem that seemed particularly fitting for the first COVID-19 lockdown. Sometimes these verbal missteps become amusing gaffes. However, it was actually written by poet Martha Medeiros: “Die slowly.” To make his announcement, he solemnly quoted a poem that many (including him) believe was written by Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. In a 2008 speech to the Senate, former Minister of Justice Clemente Mastella announced that he was withdrawing his support for the Prodi Administration.

So he quoted Lincoln…well, more accurately, he misquoted Lincoln.Īmericans don’t have the market cornered on making these mistakes, though. Reagan said that the Democratic Party didn’t represent the so-called “Ten Cannots” that Lincoln espoused.

Over two decades earlier President Ronald Reagan made a similar mistake during a Republican National Convention. Then-President of the United States Donald Trump quickly retweeted the GOP’s misquote.īut this wasn’t the first time that Honest Abe was publicly misquoted. Republican Party celebrated Abraham Lincoln’s birthday by tweeting a phrase often attributed to the beloved president: “And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years.” While it was a well-meaning birthday wish, Lincoln never actually said what they thought he did. You’re in good company! Some Historical Misquoted Sayings Don’t worry if you’ve used a quote thinking someone said it when they didn’t. Nobody is immune to it, especially when the internet is constantly spreading them. One reason for this is that who said the quote in question doesn’t matter as much as its plausibility and our ability as (mis)quoters to make it ours and use it when the occasion arises. Quotes from famous people are fascinating for plenty of reasons. It’s a shame, however, that a lot of times what we think are proper quotes from someone, in fact, misquoted sayings. There are also the people we admire use malapropisms that make them even more endearing.

Famous quotes are often pithy, brilliant, sometimes hilarious and sometimes profound.

Women rarely make history quote