Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln is one of the most misquoted people in American history — partly because he really was a gifted writer, and partly because attaching his name to a saying has always been an easy way to make it sound authoritative. His actual documented writing (speeches, letters) is extensive, which makes the fakes easier to catch by comparison.“Whatever you are, be a good one” and “Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?” are both widely credited to him with thin or no documentation. “Never wrestle with a pig” gets pinned on him too — and also, separately, on Mark Twain, which is usually a sign neither attribution is solid.