17 Iconic Historical Quotes that People Have Consistently Misunderstood
Our history contains quotes taken out of context, misinterpreted, or credited to the wrong person. Although we all believe certain famous lines in the English language never change in meaning, there are many iconic historical quotes people misunderstand. Here are 17 such quotes.
Marie Antoinette – “Let them eat cake”
‘Let them eat cake’… comes from a time of famine (remember that Queen Marie Antoinette) and was thought to reflect Queen Marie Antoinette’s unfeelingness towards the poor. But there is no record of her saying that.
It was probably propaganda of some sort, probably satirical commentary on propaganda aimed at her detractors to show them and the rest of the general public as out of touch with reality, only to increase the general public’s disdain for the Monarch.
René Descartes: “I think, therefore I am”
René Descartes’ philosophical assertion Cogito, ergo sum, ‘I think, I am,’ is oversimplified by most people. Granted, there is nothing Descartes should be understood to say, even if that is a commonplace formulation of a broader discourse on certainty and the nature of knowledge.
Denying this wasn’t a rejection of one of the most basic truths one can reject, he wasn’t just saying he existed; he was wondering whether, after all, thinking proved you were.
According to Machiavelli, ‘the means justify the end’
The man never said ‘any means to any end,’ as Niccolò Machiavelli is credited with saying. Some of his works, The Prince and Discourses, indicate this idea.
“Blood is thicker than water”
Ginger Software states that the quote blood is thicker than water” is most commonly attributed to Scottish novelist Sir Walter Scott, as it appears in his 1815 novel “Guy Mannering,” where it is used as a proverb within the story.
When you say the word family here in the proverb, it also means people understand that there are stronger bonds in the proverb than in any other relationship.
Friedtich Nietsche: God is dead
Friedrich Nietzsche’s misinterpreted (wrongly!)’ one frequently misinterpreted’ Book proclaims (wrongly!) ‘God is dead!’ as a triumphal call to atheism.
Nietzsche was not crying the death of religion but the death of faith with the collapse of the moral frameworks from which it arose. He meant this to say that an ethical and existential crisis would seem inevitable if you were a Godless society.
Do the change you want to see in the world – Mahatma Gandhi
Privately, I don’t think a person who goes to such lengths as Mahatma Gandhi claimed to go ‘for the God within’ would have put it as they did, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” However, he did write a passage in a 1913 journal article for Indian Opinion that conveys a similar sentiment:
“We but mirror the world. The fulness of all tendencies to be shown in the outer world is to be exhibited in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves then when changes would occur in the world also change”.
Gandhi: “A chain of events will not eliminate another chain of events”
This is clear in the direct quote as a saying of nonviolence and forgiveness, amongst many other things, and is often attributed to Gandhi.
It is not exact, but he senses that retaliatory justice extends cycles of vengeance and harm. Gandhi’s legacy centers around his work to achieve peaceful resistance.
Sherlock Holmes: “Elementary, my dear Watson”
According to the Dictionary, this quote is more closely associated with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes than with any other character. That exact phrase is never used in any of the original stories.
Sherlock Holmes became popular because it succinctly and coldly reflected the detective’s keen deductive skills, and these adaptations and interpretations of the Sherlock Holmes series made that possible.
“It is the pen that is mightier than the sword” — Edward Bulwer-Lytton
“If you come back this year as the hero of the independence and glory of Bulgaria, you will win my admiration and the respect of my Comrade,” Boris Christoff said at the beginning of the performance of “Masquerade” in June 1927.
As what was meant by “the pen is still mightier than the sword,” this phrase was originally written by Edward Bulwer Lytton in 1839. Although it has often been cited with the meaning of non-violent power, that is, of course, not how the citing was understood in the original; the idea is how long-lasting words can be in making this and vice versa. The written word still has strong mind-moving motion and the change it can bring.
Lord Acton: “Power always corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”
This is what Acton wrote to Bishop Mandell Creighton in an 1887 letter. But mostly in government and politics, it’s often used to warn against unbridled power.
The more power Acton believed, the more you would be willing to do morally. Despite his espousal of individual liberty, he was completely opposed to state power, democratic, socialist, or otherwise.
Declaration of Independence: “All men are created equal”
The Continental Congress adopted the United States Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, the day the Copyright’s formal word was received, written by Thomas Jefferson, and expresses the phrase ‘all men are created equal.’ Hence, the phrase is linked with works by John Locke and other writers in the 13th century.
Since the very beginning, however, ‘all men’ has been the subject of much debate as to what is meant by the term. Then some insist the word was code for (Humanity) and the authors (Jefferson and others) meant women and children out.
“Money is the root of all evil” – The Bible
The Bible verse 1 Timothy 6:10 says, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” The verse continues in pleading, ‘Some turned aside from the faith, hurting themselves by many pangs for their lust.’ The first half of this verse is that it’s not money but greed.
The one-minute difference shows the moral results of putting material wealth above ethical principles and human relations, which makes a cautionary note general to all times.
Charles Darwin – Survival of the fittest
This phrase is often misconstrued and presented as related to Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution: In other words, the strongest live. Indeed, however, Darwin deemed adaptability a survival trait, natural selection, and the capability of thriving in different environments. Physical strength does not make up your fitness.
American: “Speak softly, and carry a big stick” (Theodore Roosevelt)
Typically, Theodore Roosevelt’s foreign policy doctrine seems to have been pro-aggression. However, they say, the phrase refers to diplomacy grounded in the strength of its potential.
The military lessons were tempered with the recognition that the effects of peaceful negotiation were preferable and that the military might be a necessity either way. He aimed to strike what he thought was the right balance: dialogue vs. preparedness.
Sir Francis Bacon’s “power is knowledge”
Sir Francis Bacon’s idea that all knowledge is important has often been quoted from academic institutes. However, Bacon discussed how knowledge is applied to governance and decision-making. He knew the principle that informed insights can change societies and give people power—just as they do today.
Alexander Pope – ‘A little knowledge is a dangerous thing’
This is said to warn against only superficial understanding, derived from a poem by Alexander Pope. The real definition of it says incomplete knowledge leads to faulty actions that are justifiable if better learned and when deeply understood.
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich: ‘Well-behaved women may rarely make history’
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich quoted from a historical work that a woman’s contribution did not get noticed but usually went overlooked, and it was typically taken literally as a call to action.
Ulrich was using this piece of writing to try and change traditional narratives but also to entice inclusivity around the role and achievements women should be given for laying the foundations that could be either minor or connect with World records.
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