Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Saying ·168 of 348
"Let them eat cake."
They never said that.
What people say
"Let them eat cake."
What was actually said
"No documented record of her saying it." Marie Antoinette — Marie Antoinette (attributed)
Why it stuck
Rousseau wrote the line — "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche" — in his Confessions (1765) about "a great princess." Marie was nine at the time.
The attribution to Marie Antoinette dates to decades after her death.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.