From ancient philosophers to movie legends, prove you know who said what with this quotable quiz!
Easy Level
- "I think, therefore I am."
Who coined this philosophical statement?Answer: René Descartes
- "To be or not to be, that is the question."
Which Shakespeare play features this line?Answer: Hamlet
- "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
Which U.S. president said this?Answer: Franklin D. Roosevelt
- "That's one small step for man..."
Who spoke these words on the moon?Answer: Neil Armstrong
- "May the Force be with you."
Which franchise popularized this phrase?Answer: Star Wars
- "Elementary, my dear Watson."
Which fictional character is this associated with?Answer: Sherlock Holmes (though never actually said in Conan Doyle’s books)
- "I have a dream."
Whose iconic speech contains this line?Answer: Martin Luther King Jr.
- "Ask not what your country can do for you..."
Who delivered this inaugural address?Answer: John F. Kennedy
- "Houston, we have a problem."
Which real-life event inspired this quote?Answer: Apollo 13 mission
- "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."
Which First Lady said this?Answer: Eleanor Roosevelt
- "Stay hungry, stay foolish."
Which tech pioneer popularized this phrase?Answer: Steve Jobs (quoting Stewart Brand)
- "Let them eat cake."
Incorrectly attributed to which historical figure?Answer: Marie Antoinette
- "You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
Who said this?Answer: Mahatma Gandhi
- "The buck stops here."
Which U.S. president kept this sign on his desk?Answer: Harry S. Truman
- "Carpe diem."
Which Roman poet originally wrote this phrase?Answer: Horace
Medium Level
- "The unexamined life is not worth living."
Which philosopher said this?Answer: Socrates
- "Hell is other people."
Which existentialist play contains this line?Answer: No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre
- "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."
Which Shakespeare play is this from?Answer: Hamlet
- "Four score and seven years ago..."
Which speech begins with these words?Answer: The Gettysburg Address (Abraham Lincoln)
- "Bond. James Bond."
Which actor first said this line in a film?Answer: Sean Connery
- "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
Which Shakespeare character said this?Answer: Juliet (Romeo and Juliet)
- "I came, I saw, I conquered."
Which historical figure uttered this?Answer: Julius Caesar
- "The medium is the message."
Which communication theorist coined this?Answer: Marshall McLuhan
- "Eureka!"
Which ancient scientist exclaimed this in his bath?Answer: Archimedes
- "The pen is mightier than the sword."
Which playwright wrote this?Answer: Edward Bulwer-Lytton
- "To infinity and beyond!"
Which animated character made this famous?Answer: Buzz Lightyear (Toy Story)
- "Knowledge is power."
Which philosopher popularized this idea?Answer: Francis Bacon
- "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."
Which athlete coined this?Answer: Muhammad Ali
- "Genius is one percent inspiration..."
Who completed this quote about perspiration?Answer: Thomas Edison
- "The only good system is a sound system."
Which architect said this?Answer: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe ("Less is more")
Hard Level
- "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."
Which writer said this?Answer: Oscar Wilde
- "God is dead."
Which philosopher controversially declared this?Answer: Friedrich Nietzsche
- "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
Who is misattributed with this quote?Answer: Voltaire (actually by Evelyn Beatrice Hall)
- "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing..."
Which figure is incorrectly credited?Answer: Albert Einstein (origins unknown)
- "A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies."
Which author wrote this?Answer: George R.R. Martin (A Dance with Dragons)
- "The personal is political."
Which feminist movement popularized this?Answer: Second-wave feminism (Carol Hanisch)
- "Not all those who wander are lost."
Which literary work contains this line?Answer: The Lord of the Rings (J.R.R. Tolkien)
- "War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength."
Which dystopian novel features this?Answer: 1984 by George Orwell
- "The child is father of the man."
Which poet wrote this paradoxical line?Answer: William Wordsworth
- "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
Who originally said this?Answer: Theodore Parker (popularized by MLK Jr.)
- "All that is gold does not glitter..."
Finish this Tolkien verse.Answer: "Not all those who wander are lost."
- "What does not kill me makes me stronger."
Which philosopher wrote this?Answer: Friedrich Nietzsche
- "The love of money is the root of all evil."
Which biblical book contains this?Answer: 1 Timothy 6:10
- "A spectre is haunting Europe..."
Which political manifesto begins this way?Answer: The Communist Manifesto (Marx & Engels)
- "The horror... the horror."
Which literary character’s dying words are these?Answer: Kurtz (Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad)
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