# Which of these quotes are real which (if any) are fake?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-quotes-are-real-which-if-any-are-fake/710444>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [January 21, 2015, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-quotes-are-real-which-if-any-are-fake/710444 "2015-01-21T02:19:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\
**Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-quotes-are-real-which-if-any-are-fake/710444/1 "2015-01-21T02:19:02Z")

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All these quotes were used (as a bulleted group) in a message board avatar tagline at the end of his messages by an individual. Are these all real, attributable quotes by these individuals or not?

> [@](#):
>
> You may all go to Hell and I’ll go to Texas.  
> David Crockett - Need I say more…Congressman from Tennessee and Defender of The Alamo…A TRUE Hero.
> 
> What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight - it’s the size of the fight in the dog.  
> Dwight D. Eisenhower - 34th President of the United States
> 
> The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has limits.  
> Albert Einstein
> 
> At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice, he is the worst.  
> Aristotle
> 
> Before all else, be armed.  
> Niccolo Machiavelli

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**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\
**Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-quotes-are-real-which-if-any-are-fake/710444/2 "2015-01-21T10:07:13Z")

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The Einstein one is bull, not only not attributable to him, but probably not even coined until several years after he died.

The Crockett is…iffy. [It’s attributed, here, to a book not actually penned by Crockett](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Davy_Crockett#Col._Crockett.27s_Exploits_and_Adventures_in_Texas_.281836.29), but it’s unclear to me if the author is quoting him or not. The poster seems to be attributing a somewhat different attitude to Crockett than he (or the writer of said book) intended.

[The Eisenhower is accurate](http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/all_about_ike/quotes.html), [as is the Aristotle](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Politics_%28Jowett%29/Book_I).

I can’t confirm the Machiavelli one way or another, but it is consistent with sentiments he expresses in [The Prince](http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1232/1232-h/1232-h.htm), his (almost certainly sarcastic) guidebook to successful tyranny, so…uh…one does have to wonder at the poster’s intent in using it.

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**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\
**Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-quotes-are-real-which-if-any-are-fake/710444/3 "2015-01-22T01:54:34Z")

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The Machiavelli quote is not accurate.