Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Speech ·124 of 348
"I am a jelly doughnut."
They never said that.
What people say
"I am a jelly doughnut."
What was actually said
"Ich bin ein Berliner. (I am a Berliner.)" John F. Kennedy — West Berlin, 26 June 1963
Why it stuck
The "jelly doughnut" misreading is a 1983 New York Times invention. In context Kennedy's grammar was fine.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.