How we verify every quote

A huge share of famous quotes online were never said by the person they are credited to. Kleos exists to fix that. Here is exactly how we check a quote before it reaches your home screen.

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1. We start from the primary source

We look for the quote in the original work or the earliest record of it: the Meditations for Marcus Aurelius, Plato's dialogues for Socrates, Plutarch and Arrian for Alexander, Herodotus for Thermopylae. If a quote is in a book, we cite the book and section, like Meditations 5.20, so you can check it yourself.

2. We label second-hand sayings honestly

Many ancient figures wrote nothing. Socrates, Alexander and Leonidas reach us through historians who wrote years or centuries later. Those quotes are shown with the historian as the source (for example Plutarch, Life of Alexander 7), and paraphrases are marked as paraphrases.

3. We flag the fakes

When a famous line has no early source, or comes from a modern book, film or song, we say so. Examples: “Then we will fight in the shade” was said by the Spartan Dienekes, not Leonidas (Herodotus 7.226); “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end” is a 1998 song lyric, not Seneca. See them on each quote page.

4. “Attributed” means uncertain

Some well-loved quotes are traditionally linked to a person but cannot be traced to a primary source. If we include one, it is labelled “attributed”, never presented as fact.

Found a mistake?

History is hard. If you think a quote or source is wrong, email hello@kleosdaily.com and we will check it and correct it.

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