“When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?”

I was saddened to discover this wonderful quote is apocryphal.

Wikiquotes says a 1940 book titled A Treatise of Melancholie by Timothie Bright, attributes a close version to John Maynard Keynes: “When my information changes, I alter my conclusions. What do you do, sir?” But this source is also in question.

Quote Investigator says “The earliest statement found… that fits this template was not spoken by Keynes but by another prominent individual in the same field, Paul Samuelson who was awarded the 1970 Nobel Prize in economics.” He used it on Meet the Press in 1970: “Well when events change, I change my mind. What do you do?”

The Economist calls the quote an “oral tradition.”

It’s such a good thought that I’m willing to believe many people bandied it about and created their own versions. I’m glad someone said it.