Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Saying ·330 of 348
"When angry, count to ten; when very angry, count to one hundred. — Thomas Jefferson"
They never said that.
What people say
"When angry, count to ten; when very angry, count to one hundred. — Thomas Jefferson"
What was actually said
When angry, count ten before you speak; if very angry, an hundred. — Jefferson's "Decalogue" letter to Thomas Jefferson Smith, 21 February 1825. Thomas Jefferson — Jefferson letter to his namesake godson, 1825
Why it stuck
The quote is accurate in substance; modern retellings just smooth the 19th-century phrasing ("an hundred," "before you speak").
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.