Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Book ·36 of 348
"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt. — Lincoln."
They never said that.
What people say
"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt. — Lincoln."
What was actually said
"No evidence Lincoln or Twain said it; appears c. 1907 as a newspaper joke." Maurice Switzer, Mrs. Goose, Her Book (1907)
Why it stuck
A common fate for pithy lines: the internet attaches them to Lincoln, Twain, or Einstein. This one's real author is a forgotten humourist from Maine.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.