Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Saying ·105 of 348
"Great minds think alike."
They never said that.
What people say
"Great minds think alike."
What was actually said
"Good wits will jump." Thomas Hobbes / Carew 1618; "great minds" form 1816
Why it stuck
The earliest English form uses "wits jump" (agree). "Great minds think alike" appears two centuries later. The longer "…though fools seldom differ" is modern joke-extension.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.