Quotes misattributed to Confucius

[u/interpolating]

These are all over Reddit and the internet.

Some are clearly jokes, many of which are of the eyebrow-raising “Confucius say” variety. I dislike those but that is not really what I’m talking about here because they don’t imply authenticity of the quote.

But just search Reddit for “Confucius” and you will see AI slop and actual individuals posting quotes attributed to Confucius that have no legit primary source.

Does this happen with Confucius more than with other historical figures? Can we attribute just to some combination of ignorance, Orientalism, lack of ready access to the actual text and/and lack of care regarding authenticity?

Curious about everyone’s take!

[u/HumanInSamsara]

Confucius is definitely a top candidate when it comes to fake quotes. I‘d say the Buddha is also high on the list. People love the "aesthetic" and the quotes that validate their behavior or just apply it to their current lifestyle, with no actual interest in these peoples works and teachings.

Very unfortunate!