Churchill said everything

[tee rex]

Reading the previews before the rugby world cup (starts this - sic - weekend), I saw the famous old quote being trotted out: "Rugby is a game for hooligans played by gentlemen, whereas football ..." etc. And attributed to Winston Churchill. Who very probably didn't coin it.

But anything in English that wasn't written down - and even some things that were - gets put in his mouth. And end up on inspirational posters, bumper stickers, cafe blackboards, politician's newsletters. Somewhere on the internet he will be saying "We have nothing to fear but fear itself" and "Include me out" and maybe even "Nice to see you, to see you nice!".

I'm not bothered about Churchill here, you can weigh up his crimes and achievements if you want, but that's not really the point. It's the death by wiki, the reduction of everything to one source, the elimination of originality or curiosity about writers you might not have heard of, along with a conviction that it sounds smart. In online "debates", quoting Churchill (wrongly) is the pseudo version of 'End of'. God, it pisses me off.

Can't people just try and quote somebody else? As Churchill said, "it's not rocket science".

[Sean of the Shed]

He also said "Ohhhhh yes".

[Snake Plissken]

"Any attributed quote on the internet is probably made up" - Mahatma Ghandi.

[Guy Profumo]

A lie can get half way around the world before the truth has time to put his boots on (not Mark Twain)

[Patrick Thistle]

Ages ago I worked for a motivational speaker who told several stories in his presentations. One of them in particular didn't ring true. I checked Snopes and it was listed as dubious. The story was about a performer who was still alive so I found his agent and emailed them. They confirmed the story was not true (and that they got several enquiries about it).

It seems like people don't even wait until a person is dead before attributing stories and quotes to them.

[Guy Profumo]

Please say it isn't Laurence Olivier and Edward Chapman.

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

Can't people just try and quote somebody else? As Churchill said, "it's not rocket science".

Genuine quote: Ian Rush (when manager at Chester) - "It's not science rocket"

[Eggchaser]

He also said "Ohhhhh yes".

If people don't read that in Paul Bearer's voice then they need to take a long, hard look at themselves.

[Kevin S]

https://twitter.com/CBeebiesHQ/status/1173841034587062272?s=19

[Tactical Genius]

If people don't read that in Paul Bearer's voice then they need to take a long, hard look at themselves.

The Macho Man?

[Furtho]

A lie can get half way around the world before the truth has time to put his boots on (not Mark Twain)

"Falsehood flies, and truth comes limping after it, so that when men come to be undeceived, it is too late; the jest is over, and the tale hath had its effect." Swift, 1710, perhaps.

[Paul S]

A lie can get half way around the world before the truth has time to put his boots on (not Mark Twain)

I know I've heard that used by a British Prime Minister, but definitely not Churchill. Edward Heath possibly?

[Snake Plissken]

It's used in a Terry Pratchett book, too.

[Sean of the Shed]

Quote Investigator does research on the origin of quotes by Churchill and many others.
It seems that many of Churchill's quips, assuming he said them at all, were plagiarised, unsurprisingly.
The well known "but I shall be sober in the morning" response to the MP Bessie Braddock is a joke with a long history, previously with the protagonists calling each other a drunk and a fool, but Churchill's version has a far more misogynous tone to it.

[Nocturnal Submission]

TAB will be along later to say something.

[Guy Profumo]

I know I've heard that used by a British Prime Minister, but definitely not Churchill. Edward Heath possibly?

Been used loads of times, earliest reference is Jonathan Swift, but there's reason to believe it was in common enough usage anyway by the time Mark Twain used it

[anton pulisov]

"Any attributed quote on the internet is probably made up" - Mahatma Ghandi.

It was Abraham Lincoln who said that.

[Eggchaser]

The Macho Man?

Nope.

[wittoner]

"Attributing quotes correctly is not a matter of life and death. It is far more important than that." - Oscar Wilde

[Snake Plissken]

"I have nothing to declare but my genius" - Jade Goody.

[ooh aah]

'Your attributions are both good and original. Unfortunately the attributions which are good are not original, and the attributions which are original are not good'

Dr Boris Johnson.

[Snake Plissken]

"Fuck you, you fucking wanker" - William Shakespeare

[Amor de Cosmos]

Nah. That was Kit Marlowe.

[Diable Rouge]

Golden rule of quizzing - if a question involves a quote, it's Churchill, Twain or Wilde, and the context will generally give away which is more likely.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

It's just that english conservatism is such a depressingly anti-intellectual degenerate culture, that only Winston Churchill is allowed to have said anything clever. Therefore all vaguely clever things were said by Winston Churchill.