A few years ago I was at a conference and heard a speaker speaker say:
“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”
He attributed the quote to Mark Twain. I liked it and wanted to use it myself in future speaking engagements. Wanting to ensure I got the quote right, I researched it that night. The result was interesting … there was no record of Mark Twain ever using it.
Was the speaker being intentional?
Not long after, I noticed the quote as it appeared during the opening of motion picture, “The Big Short.”
Now that must have been intentional, right? I hope so. I can’t imagine producing a movie and accidentally using a _fake_ Mark Twain quote.
At the moment, I’m reading “12 Rules for Life” by Jordan Peterson. And here it is emerging again in Peterson’s outstanding book which dives deep into philosophy, religion, and history to devise a set of rules to manage the chaos of life. And, if everyone followed, potentially make the world a better place. I might disagree with Peterson on some points here and there throughout the book, but, on the whole, he’s hard to argue with.
So when Jordan Peterson refers to a fake Mark Twain quote, it has to be intentional. I hope it was, and intend to tweet on the topic too see if we can hear from Peterson himself about his intentions of using it.
The answer might be obvious…, but, it would be fun to hear his thoughts.
Health & Happiness for All
Andrew
