How we verify

Every quote is checked against a primary source — the book, speech, interview, or article where it actually appears. We record the source, its date, and the exact locator (page, timestamp, paragraph) so anyone can check our work.

What the badges mean

• Verified — confirmed in a primary source, with a citation a human has checked.
• Misattributed — the popular attribution is wrong; we give the real origin.
• Disputed — credible doubt exists; we explain why.
• Unverified — we could not confirm a primary source, so we will not claim it as real.

Every Verified quote carries a primary-source citation you can check yourself — that is the point. The date_verified field records the date a human confirmed the quote against that source; where it is blank, the citation has been researched and is provided for you to confirm, but has not yet passed our final human check. We never invent sources or locators — if we cannot cite one, the quote is marked Unverified.