We see quotes online all the time, shared in posts and social media. Many are shown in graphic images like the one above. Do you ever question their accuracy?
It’s not something that comes to mind. How dry and boring and cynical, right? You like the quote, maybe you’ve heard or seen it before, and it resonates, so you share it. Simple. Well-intentioned. No big deal. And that’s true. I mean, you’re not a librarian. Why ruin the fun by conducting tedious research to ensure it’s correctly cited?
I’m a freelance writer and editor, so I conduct a fair share of research to confirm certain facts or to flesh out details. I happen to enjoy research. And fortunately, a lot of information is now readily available online. When I went through the process of confirming and sourcing every featured quote in the Dare to be Fabulous book and the Dare to be Fabulous Journal Notebook(60 quotes in all), I discovered that 1) some commonly cited quotes are actually paraphrases, tweaks, or abbreviations of the actual, original quote; and 2) some quotes give attribution to the wrong person as the original source.
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I’ll post two examples of widely shared quotes that are incorrect. You may be familiar with one or both of these?
“A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.” This popular quote is generally attributed to Maya Angelou, but that is incorrect. The correct attribution is to Joan Walsh Anglund and her book of poems, A Cup of Sun, published in 1967.
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” Okay, so two things about this quote: 1) it is generally attributed to Mahatma Gandhi, which is incorrect (there’s no evidence that he ever said it); and 2) the text is a tweaked version of an actual quote. Here’s the correct quote and source:
“First they ignore you. Then they ridicule you. And then they attack you and want to burn you. And then they build monuments to you.”–Nicholas Klein. (Klein was a trade union activist who said this in a 1918 speech, according to an AP fact-check)
So . . . why does this matter? Why am I writing about this? Well, at a time when disinformation is rampant, it becomes all the more important to fact-check quotes (really, anything) for accuracy and to give proper credit where it’s due.
It may seem like no big deal to attribute a quote to a famous person, especially if that person might’ve paraphrased or repeated it, but why not consider taking a few minutes to confirm that it’s correct? Do a quick search to confirm the wording and the source.
NOW, for the fun stuff. Yes, there’s fun stuff. 😀
I love all the quotes in my Dare to be Fabulous publications. For the book, I selected a quote to precede and complement each of the twenty-seven featured personal stories. That was a fun challenge and it took some time. (I also offer a prompt at the end of each story.)
Since I’m writing about this, I’ll also share five sample quotes from the book. Why not? I’ll do that. I’ll also paste the source list for all featured quotes, below. That way, if you share a featured quote from Dare to be Fabulous or the companion journal, you can easily find and cite the source here (or just provide a link to this post). Citing the source will authenticate the quote for your readers and give credit where it’s due. (Seems like a nice idea, anyway.)
Dare to be Fabulous is available from Amazon, B&N, Bookshop (indie bookstores)
A SAMPLE LIST OF FIVE FEATURED QUOTES IN DARE TO BE FABULOUS (listed in the same sequence that they appear the book) 🤸♂️
“My life has been long, and believing that life loves the liver of it, I have dared to try many things, sometimes trembling, but daring still.” ~ Maya Angelou
Angelou’s quote precedes my Introduction.
“I have bursts of being a lady, but it doesn’t last long.” ~ Shelley Winters
Winters’ quote precedes Jenna Jolovitz’s humorous personal story about daring to go topless at a beach in France: “Isn’t That Fabulous?”
“Remember, no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
’s personal story about overcoming extreme shyness to pursue her career as a TV news anchor: “A Shy TV Anchor.”
“Can’t nobody fly with all that shit. Wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down.” ~ Tony Morrison
Morrison’s quote precedes Elizabeth Sharp McKetta’s personal story about overcoming chapstick addiction, recognizing what she truly needed, and paring things down: “Moist: A Journey Out of Chapstick Addiction.”
“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” ~ Anais Nin
Brach, Tara. Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha. Random House Publishing Group; Reprint edition, 23 Nov. 2004
Brande, Dorothea. Wake Up and Live! Simon & Schuster, 1 Jan. 1980.
Brown, Brené. Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead. Avery; Reprint edition, 7 Apr. 2015.
Chanel, Coco. Believing in Ourselves. Edited by Armand Eisen, Andrews McMeel Publishing; Miniature Book edition, 1 Jan. 1992.
Child, Lydia Maria. Letters from New York: 1st and 2d Series. London, F. Pitman., 1879, p. 232.
Chödrön, Pema. Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion. Shambhala Publications, 2008.
Daly, Mary. The New Beacon Book of Quotations by Women. Edited by Rosalie Maggio, Beacon Press, 1996. p. 145
DeGeneres, Ellen. Tulane University Commencement Speech, 2009.
Fey, Tina. Bossypants. Little, Brown, and Company, 5 Apr. 2011.
Gandhi, Indira. Press conference, New Delhi. 19 Oct. 1971. As cited in “Indian and Pakistani Armies Confront Each Other Along Borders” by Sydney H. Schanberg, The New York Times, 20 Oct. 1971, p. 6C. https://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/you_cannot_shake_hands_with_a_clenched_fist.
Garland, Judy. Kennedy, Lou. Business Etiquette for the Nineties: Your Ticket to Career Success. Palmetto Pub, 1992. p. 8. https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Judy_Garland (Accessed 3 May, 2022)
Gibson, Althea. I Always Wanted to Be Somebody. HarperCollins, 1958.
Ginsburg, Ruth Bader. RUTH: Justice Ginsburg In Her Own Words. Mock, F.L. (Director/Producer), American Film Foundation, 2019.
Goodall, Jane. My Life with the Chimpanzees. Aladdin; Revised edition, 1 Apr. 1996.
Haddock, Doris. Granny D: You’re Never Too Old to Raise a Little Hell. Villard; Reprint, Subsequent edition, 8 Apr. 2003.
Hay, Louise. You Can Heal Your Life. Hay House Inc., 1 Jan. 1984.
Jackson, Glenda. Popcorn in Paradise. Edited by John Robert Colombo, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1 Jan. 1979.
Kaling, Mindy. Twitter. 8 June 2014.
Keller, Helen. Let Us Have Faith. New York. Doubleday, Doran & Co., Inc, First Edition, 1940.
Kent, Germany. “Email Interview.” Citation and permission provided by Germany Kent via email on 13 Apr. 2022.
Lammott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Anchor, 1 Sep. 1995
Le Guin, Ursula K. The Left Hand of Darkness. Ace Books, 1969.
Lichtenstein, Grace. “Competition in Women’s Athletics.” Competition: A Feminist Taboo? Edited by Valerie Miner and Helen E. Longino, The Feminist Press at the City University of New York, 1987
Mayer, Katrina. Instagram. 6 Dec. 2013.
McLaughlin, Mignon. The Neurotic’s Notebook. Howard W. Same & Co., Inc, 1963.
Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group; Reprint edition, 8 June 2004.
Nin, Anais. The Diary of Anais Nin, Vol. 3, 1939-1944. Edited by Gunther Stuhlmann, Houghton Mifflin, 2009.
Onassis, Jacqueline Kennedy. The Kennedys: An American Drama by Peter Collier and David Horowitz, Encounter Books; 2nd edition, 1 Jan. 2002.
Wonderful post!! Indeed, who doesn't love a great (inspiring) quote. I live by them! Thanks for providing the correct attribution for one of my favorites, “A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.” I had this pinned to a mood board at one time. Having read, "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings," it was easy to assume that it was a quote from Maya Angelou. Now I'm inspired to learn more about Joan Walsh Anglund and her book of poems!
Wonderful post!! Indeed, who doesn't love a great (inspiring) quote. I live by them! Thanks for providing the correct attribution for one of my favorites, “A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.” I had this pinned to a mood board at one time. Having read, "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings," it was easy to assume that it was a quote from Maya Angelou. Now I'm inspired to learn more about Joan Walsh Anglund and her book of poems!