Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Speech ·149 of 348
"If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything. — Malcolm X"
They never said that.
What people say
"If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything. — Malcolm X"
What was actually said
"Attributed variously to MLK, Alexander Hamilton, Peter Marshall (1947)." Peter Marshall (Senate chaplain) — Peter Marshall, prayer before the U.S. Senate, 27 April 1947
Why it stuck
Marshall's prayer is the earliest verifiable source: "Unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything." No Malcolm X or MLK primary text contains the line.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.