First they quote you, then forget you, then mis-quote you, then we laugh
July 30, 2016 12:39 PM Subscribe
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win" is often attributed to Mahatma Gandhi. The quote has gotten more attention this year thanks to Sarah Palin, Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton each posting the quote, citing Gandhi, in the past year. But there's no record of Gandhi, or anyone else, saying that phrase, but there are some close matches.
Be careful quoting people on the Internet.
- Abraham Lincoln
posted by blue_beetle at 12:49 PM on July 30, 2016 [31 favorites]
- Abraham Lincoln
posted by blue_beetle at 12:49 PM on July 30, 2016 [31 favorites]
We reached out to the Trump campaign in hopes that they had an original source for the quote.
Thanks, I needed a good laugh today!
posted by languagehat at 12:53 PM on July 30, 2016 [24 favorites]
Thanks, I needed a good laugh today!
posted by languagehat at 12:53 PM on July 30, 2016 [24 favorites]
> Thanks, I needed a good laugh today!
OH MY GOD NOW THEY'RE ON THEIR WAY TO WINNING
posted by ardgedee at 1:18 PM on July 30, 2016 [11 favorites]
OH MY GOD NOW THEY'RE ON THEIR WAY TO WINNING
posted by ardgedee at 1:18 PM on July 30, 2016 [11 favorites]
While we're at it, de Tocqueville never wrote that democracies are doomed when the people discover that they can vote themselves riches from the treasury, and frogs will, in fact, jump out of pots with water if you slowly heat the water up to boiling.
posted by thelonius at 1:26 PM on July 30, 2016 [7 favorites]
posted by thelonius at 1:26 PM on July 30, 2016 [7 favorites]
We reached out to the Trump campaign in hopes that they had an original source for the quote.
I'm sure they'll just consult the head librarian at Trump University.
posted by Fizz at 1:26 PM on July 30, 2016 [3 favorites]
I'm sure they'll just consult the head librarian at Trump University.
posted by Fizz at 1:26 PM on July 30, 2016 [3 favorites]
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, and you nuke them"
- Sid Meier's Civilization Gandhi
posted by lmfsilva at 1:39 PM on July 30, 2016 [34 favorites]
- Sid Meier's Civilization Gandhi
posted by lmfsilva at 1:39 PM on July 30, 2016 [34 favorites]
This quote has annoyed me ever since the first time I heard it. Yes, it definitely describes a common evolution of the responses by an entrenched power to an emerging threat. But pattern matching on the beginning of the series does not mean that it will end with "winning" any more than attributing it to Gandhi means that the emergent power is somehow righteous.
posted by Slothrup at 1:51 PM on July 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Slothrup at 1:51 PM on July 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
"You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. -Wayne Gretzky"
-Michael Scott
posted by gucci mane at 1:54 PM on July 30, 2016 [5 favorites]
-Michael Scott
posted by gucci mane at 1:54 PM on July 30, 2016 [5 favorites]
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, and you nuke them"
- Sid Meier's Civilization Gandhi
still bitter
posted by fullerine at 1:56 PM on July 30, 2016 [13 favorites]
- Sid Meier's Civilization Gandhi
still bitter
posted by fullerine at 1:56 PM on July 30, 2016 [13 favorites]
There are a lot of those flying around. One of my least favorite is supposedly a quote from Admiral Yamamoto after Pearl Harbor: "I fear we have awakened a sleeping giant and filled it with a terrible resolve."
Yamamoto never said that. It's a quote from the script of the movie "Tora Tora Tora!"
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 2:02 PM on July 30, 2016 [9 favorites]
Yamamoto never said that. It's a quote from the script of the movie "Tora Tora Tora!"
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 2:02 PM on July 30, 2016 [9 favorites]
Knowledge is power, France is bacon.
posted by soundofsuburbia at 2:09 PM on July 30, 2016 [24 favorites]
posted by soundofsuburbia at 2:09 PM on July 30, 2016 [24 favorites]
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you." -- Andy Kauffman
posted by ardgedee at 2:19 PM on July 30, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by ardgedee at 2:19 PM on July 30, 2016 [4 favorites]
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win"
-- Scott Baio, currently stalled at 3 out of 4
posted by PlusDistance at 2:20 PM on July 30, 2016 [2 favorites]
-- Scott Baio, currently stalled at 3 out of 4
posted by PlusDistance at 2:20 PM on July 30, 2016 [2 favorites]
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then they take your lunch money, then they roll you down the hill behind the school, then they laugh at you again.
posted by idiopath at 2:29 PM on July 30, 2016 [8 favorites]
posted by idiopath at 2:29 PM on July 30, 2016 [8 favorites]
"First they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win, then they ignore you. Sad!" —Donald Trump
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 2:51 PM on July 30, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 2:51 PM on July 30, 2016 [3 favorites]
I rather like the variants - the possible original:
posted by filthy light thief at 3:07 PM on July 30, 2016 [2 favorites]
... from a May 15, 1918, speech during a biennial convention of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America in which Nicholas Klein of Cincinnati, talking about that union, said, "First they ignore you. Then they ridicule you. And they they attack you and want to burn you. And then they build monuments to you."And the revision:
Cocteau expressed it best. ‘First, they ignore you. Then, they abuse you. Then, they heap you with honors. Or make you into a statue. Stone. Dead.’Stone. Dead.
posted by filthy light thief at 3:07 PM on July 30, 2016 [2 favorites]
I like how neither of them mention actually winning at any point.
posted by eykal at 3:20 PM on July 30, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by eykal at 3:20 PM on July 30, 2016 [3 favorites]
Brilliant thoughts are misquoted in order to bring them more in line with common thought.
That's MY quote. Please attribute properly: Craig L "Wendell" Wittler, MetaFilter's Own oneswellfoop.
nah, they'll never get the name right, just make it "MeFi's Foop"
posted by oneswellfoop at 3:22 PM on July 30, 2016 [2 favorites]
That's MY quote. Please attribute properly: Craig L "Wendell" Wittler, MetaFilter's Own oneswellfoop.
nah, they'll never get the name right, just make it "MeFi's Foop"
posted by oneswellfoop at 3:22 PM on July 30, 2016 [2 favorites]
teponaztli: I really like the thought of Trump accidentally quoting a union activist.
The fact he thought he quoted Gandhi, the little Indian man who lead the Indian nationalism movement in British-ruled India, by employing nonviolent civil disobedience was enough to make me smile.
Those who forget history are doomed to misuse quotes in hilarious ways.
posted by filthy light thief at 3:29 PM on July 30, 2016 [5 favorites]
The fact he thought he quoted Gandhi, the little Indian man who lead the Indian nationalism movement in British-ruled India, by employing nonviolent civil disobedience was enough to make me smile.
Those who forget history are doomed to misuse quotes in hilarious ways.
posted by filthy light thief at 3:29 PM on July 30, 2016 [5 favorites]
> Cocteau expressed it best. ‘First, they ignore you. Then, they abuse you. Then, they heap you with honors. Or make you into a statue. Stone. Dead.’
Of course, it's no more likely that Cocteau said that than that Gandhi said the "original" version.
posted by languagehat at 3:36 PM on July 30, 2016
Of course, it's no more likely that Cocteau said that than that Gandhi said the "original" version.
posted by languagehat at 3:36 PM on July 30, 2016
"They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown."
- Carl Sagan, Broca's Brain, page 64, lines 7-9, hardcover, 1st. ed, published 1979 (CITE).
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 3:40 PM on July 30, 2016 [8 favorites]
- Carl Sagan, Broca's Brain, page 64, lines 7-9, hardcover, 1st. ed, published 1979 (CITE).
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 3:40 PM on July 30, 2016 [8 favorites]
then you study computer science then you invent facebook then you check in on their profile photo 40 years later and discovery they're also fat and middle aged and then really has anyone won?
posted by GuyZero at 3:42 PM on July 30, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by GuyZero at 3:42 PM on July 30, 2016 [3 favorites]
"My name is James. James Bond."
posted by Pyrogenesis at 3:44 PM on July 30, 2016
posted by Pyrogenesis at 3:44 PM on July 30, 2016
Misattributed quotes are a pet peeve of mine (and there are a lot of them flying around). (Super double annoyance points when people put credulous hippie-dippie nonsense in Einstein's mouth, which is practically a cottage industry.) I try never to repost a quote without verifying it first, and I always try to include a citation of where the person actually said it.
I realize that I'm not curing cancer or anything, but (1) if you're gonna appeal to authority, then it rather undermines your point when the authority in question never actually said that, and (2) a dead famous person's words are one of the best sources we have to understand who they were and what role their thinking played in history – and when you misquote someone, you're painting a misleading picture of that.
Many people, of course, couldn't care less, and aren't about to let facts get in the way of a nice sentiment.
posted by escape from the potato planet at 3:57 PM on July 30, 2016 [8 favorites]
I realize that I'm not curing cancer or anything, but (1) if you're gonna appeal to authority, then it rather undermines your point when the authority in question never actually said that, and (2) a dead famous person's words are one of the best sources we have to understand who they were and what role their thinking played in history – and when you misquote someone, you're painting a misleading picture of that.
Many people, of course, couldn't care less, and aren't about to let facts get in the way of a nice sentiment.
posted by escape from the potato planet at 3:57 PM on July 30, 2016 [8 favorites]
Also and as a follow up, (3) All the misquotes are glib trivialities that anyone can come up with and they only make people feel good about themselves and nobody actually cares what they really meant.
Next time I'm gonna hear about cogito ergo sum I'm punching someone.
posted by Pyrogenesis at 4:11 PM on July 30, 2016
Next time I'm gonna hear about cogito ergo sum I'm punching someone.
posted by Pyrogenesis at 4:11 PM on July 30, 2016
cogito ego sum
translation: I think about me - a lot.
Beam me up Scotty, and play it again Sam.
posted by oneswellfoop at 4:37 PM on July 30, 2016 [2 favorites]
translation: I think about me - a lot.
Beam me up Scotty, and play it again Sam.
posted by oneswellfoop at 4:37 PM on July 30, 2016 [2 favorites]
First they ignore you, then they take you to the lunch cafeteria & put a bag over your head & dance around you & laugh." - (mostly) Kevin Gilbert
posted by Devils Rancher at 4:44 PM on July 30, 2016
posted by Devils Rancher at 4:44 PM on July 30, 2016
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win"
- Adolf Hitler
posted by Sebmojo at 4:51 PM on July 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
- Adolf Hitler
posted by Sebmojo at 4:51 PM on July 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
First, they ignore you. Then they misquote you.
posted by MtDewd at 5:01 PM on July 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by MtDewd at 5:01 PM on July 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
Everyone knows Gandhi really said: "If you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best."
posted by Bromius at 5:10 PM on July 30, 2016 [13 favorites]
posted by Bromius at 5:10 PM on July 30, 2016 [13 favorites]
"Does this taste funny to you?"
- Jim Jones
posted by GuyZero at 5:26 PM on July 30, 2016 [4 favorites]
- Jim Jones
posted by GuyZero at 5:26 PM on July 30, 2016 [4 favorites]
No, what Gandhi really said was "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."
Bill Bixby shoutout!!!
posted by oneswellfoop at 5:26 PM on July 30, 2016
Bill Bixby shoutout!!!
posted by oneswellfoop at 5:26 PM on July 30, 2016
nah, they'll never get the name right, just make it "MeFi's Foop"
i just like saying foop.
foop! foop! foop!
posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 7:13 PM on July 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
i just like saying foop.
foop! foop! foop!
posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 7:13 PM on July 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
MetaFilter: credulous hippie-dippie nonsense in Einstein's mouth
posted by oheso at 8:33 PM on July 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by oheso at 8:33 PM on July 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
"God does not play dice with the Universe" - Albert Einstein
"I prefer Pai Gow" - God
posted by nubs at 8:44 PM on July 30, 2016
"I prefer Pai Gow" - God
posted by nubs at 8:44 PM on July 30, 2016
I like saying smock. Smock. Or even Schmock!
posted by oneswellfoop at 8:58 PM on July 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by oneswellfoop at 8:58 PM on July 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
That fake Gandhi quotation always reminds me of this bit from Lecture VI of William James' (1910) Pragmatism Lectures.
I fully expect to see the pragmatist view of truth run through the classic stages of a theory's career. First, you know, a new theory is attacked as absurd; then it is admitted to be true, but obvious and insignificant; finally it is seen to be so important that its adversaries claim that they themselves discovered it.posted by Jonathan Livengood at 10:59 PM on July 30, 2016 [6 favorites]
Ctrl-F for "Ghandi". 0 hits. This line exempt.
The tide has turned.
posted by Gyan at 2:52 AM on July 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
The tide has turned.
posted by Gyan at 2:52 AM on July 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
"Y'all need Jesus" --John the Baptist
posted by wabbittwax at 5:16 AM on July 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by wabbittwax at 5:16 AM on July 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
(I think that might have been their point)
posted by wabbittwax at 5:45 AM on July 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by wabbittwax at 5:45 AM on July 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
I like saying smock.
Do you know who else liked saying "smock"?
posted by TedW at 8:13 AM on July 31, 2016
"Brilliant thoughts are common thoughts misquoted." -- L. Mefis Foop
posted by sfenders at 8:16 AM on July 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by sfenders at 8:16 AM on July 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
> Do you know who else liked saying "smock"?
(I think that might have been their point)
posted by languagehat at 8:17 AM on July 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
(I think that might have been their point)
posted by languagehat at 8:17 AM on July 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
I would like to point all of you to the good work done at the Quote Investigator.
posted by thelonius at 9:30 AM on July 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by thelonius at 9:30 AM on July 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
"They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown."
- Carl Sagan, Broca's Brain, page 64, lines 7-9, hardcover, 1st. ed, published 1979 (CITE).
Sagan is probably paraphrasing the lyrics to the George Gershwin song, "They All Laughed." The lyrics mention how "they all laughed at Christopher Columbus" and "Wilbur and his brother when they said man could fly."
posted by jonp72 at 10:00 AM on July 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
- Carl Sagan, Broca's Brain, page 64, lines 7-9, hardcover, 1st. ed, published 1979 (CITE).
Sagan is probably paraphrasing the lyrics to the George Gershwin song, "They All Laughed." The lyrics mention how "they all laughed at Christopher Columbus" and "Wilbur and his brother when they said man could fly."
posted by jonp72 at 10:00 AM on July 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
Great, so we're going to be ruled by character actors with comedy chops? I guess I could vote for a John C. Reilly/William H. Macy ticket.
posted by mccarty.tim at 10:49 AM on July 31, 2016
posted by mccarty.tim at 10:49 AM on July 31, 2016
"Well, Hitler was a vegetarian." - Mark Twain
posted by mccarty.tim at 10:51 AM on July 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by mccarty.tim at 10:51 AM on July 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
I tell Trump supporters that Hitler was the first public figure to pronounce it "YUGE"... and they believe me and don't care.
posted by oneswellfoop at 4:23 PM on July 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by oneswellfoop at 4:23 PM on July 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
Thanks for the billions and billions of misquotes in this thread, folks, I needed it.
posted by duffell at 6:42 PM on July 31, 2016
posted by duffell at 6:42 PM on July 31, 2016
"There are billions and billions of mosquitoes in every thread of tweeded thread." -- duffell
posted by lazuli at 8:15 PM on July 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by lazuli at 8:15 PM on July 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
Interviewer: Bert, some people say this is crazy.
Bert: Aye, well but they said Crippen was crazy didn't they?
Interviewer: Crippen *was* crazy.
Bert: Oh, well there you are then.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:20 PM on August 24, 2016
Bert: Aye, well but they said Crippen was crazy didn't they?
Interviewer: Crippen *was* crazy.
Bert: Oh, well there you are then.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:20 PM on August 24, 2016
« Older a tiny forest on your ring finger | What if it's an egg sac of some sort? Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by teponaztli at 12:47 PM on July 30, 2016 [2 favorites]