12 Famous Quotes These Christian Leaders Never Said

I frequently see these quotes make the rounds on social media. They’re mostly great sentiments, but they don’t come from the people they’re usually attributed to. I’ve been guilty of sharing about half of these myself before learning they were fake. So let’s set the record straight, and then let’s be more careful to fact check before sharing.

#12: “If the you of five years ago doesn’t consider the you of today a heretic, you are not growing spiritually.”

—If the idea is true, then I’d say my spiritual growth is on track,
but Thomas Merton didn’t say this.

#11: “I take my text and make a beeline to the cross.”

—It may be consistent with his Christocentric hermeneutic,
but Charles Spurgeon didn’t say this.

#10: “Light yourself on fire with passion and people will come from miles to watch you burn.”

—I’ve seen quite a few variations on how it is phrased,
but John Wesley didn’t say this.

#9: “The Christian shoemaker does his Christian duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship.”

—It is certainly a true statement,
but Martin Luther didn’t say this.

#8: “The world is a book and those that do not travel read only a page.”

—Honestly, I have no idea why it was ever attributed to him,
but St. Augustine didn’t say this.

#7: “Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.”

—He may have espoused some similar sentiments,
but C.S. Lewis didn’t say this.

#6: “I will mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy.”

—It is often attached to a different quote that really is from him,
but Martin Luther King Jr. didn’t say this.

#5: “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”

—He probably would have agreed with this quote,
but John Wesley didn’t say this.

#4: “Preach the gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.”

—It well describes the kind of life he lived,
but St. Francis didn’t say this.

#3: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and, in all things, charity.”

—It’s sound advice,
but St. Augustine didn’t say this. And John Wesley didn’t say this either.

#2: “You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.”

—Some have claimed that it borders on spiritualism,
but C.S. Lewis didn’t say this.

#1: “Here I stand, I can do no other.”

—It is quite possibly his single most famous quote,
but Martin Luther didn’t say this.

Bonus: “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

—It’s a bonus because this stingingly accurate quote is not attributed to a Christian,
but Mahatma Gandhi didn’t say this.

Have you shared any of these quotes before? What other fake quotes from Christian leaders have you seen? Let us know in the comments below.