Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Book ·151 of 348
"Ignorance is bliss."
They never said that.
What people say
"Ignorance is bliss."
What was actually said
"Where ignorance is bliss, 'Tis folly to be wise." Thomas Gray — "Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College" (1742) by Thomas Gray
Why it stuck
Gray's ode immediately calls this folly. Reading just the first clause flips the poem's meaning.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.