Fake Quotations

About

Fake quotes are quotations that have been either been made up completely, or have been mistakenly attributed to the wrong person. While having existed prior to the Internet, today false quotations can spread with dizzying speed through the use of social media. (See also Troll Quotes)

Osama bin Laden Related

Fake MLK Quote

After the announcement of Osama's death, a quote incorrectly attributed to Martin Luther King Jr. began being passed around:

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." --Martin Luther King Jr.

The quote actually comes from the Facebook status update shown below by Jessica Dovey. She prefaced the real MLK quote with her own thoughts, and the entire status update was mistakenly attributed to MLK. By the time it reached Twitter, only the first line was being tweeted "I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy," but MLK never said this.^[1]

Fake Mark Twain Quote

Another quote following Osama's death was falsely attributed to Mark Twain that said: "I've never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure." Mark Twain never said this; the actual quote comes from the Scopes Monkey trial lawyer Clarence Darrow, and is slightly different: “Everybody is a potential murderer. I've never killed any one, but I frequently get satisfaction reading the obituary notices." ^[2]

External References