Misattribution
Assigning a quote to the wrong person — the most common error in quotation.
Misattribution is the assignment of a quotation to a person who did not say or write it. It is so widespread that researchers have named patterns for it: the Lincoln effect (memorable American quotes drift toward Lincoln), the Churchill effect (witty British lines drift toward Churchill), the Einstein effect (any clever remark about wisdom or imagination drifts toward Einstein), the Twain effect, and so on.
Misattribution usually happens through small steps. A speaker quotes someone who quoted someone; a designer adds a famous name to a graphic to make it travel; a reader assumes the famous name and tells a friend. Each step erases more of the actual source.
The fix is unglamorous: check the line against a primary source before you share it. If you cannot find it in a published book, letter, speech, or recorded interview, treat the attribution as unverified.
“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
Keep reading the glossary
The act of naming the original speaker or writer of a quote.
Reproducing a quote with the wording changed — even if the source is correct.
A quote attributed to a famous person that they almost certainly never said.
A quote deliberately invented and attributed to someone for credibility, humour, or harm.