Eleanor Roosevelt

1884–1962 · First Lady, diplomat & human-rights advocate

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, redefining the role across Franklin D. Roosevelt’s four terms (1933–1945). After his death she chaired the UN commission that drove the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, earning the nickname “First Lady of the World.” She wrote the daily “My Day” column from the mid-1930s until her death — the very corpus in which the famous aphorism, tellingly, does not appear.

Traced to source

1 quote we’ve traced

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent”

Attributed

Not actually Eleanor Roosevelt

Often misattributed to Eleanor Roosevelt

Famous lines widely pinned on Eleanor Roosevelt that we’ve traced to someone else.

“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people”

actually Henry Thomas Buckle

“You wouldn't worry so much about what other people think of you if you realized how seldom they do”

actually Olin Miller

On the research bench

Commonly pinned on Eleanor Roosevelt — under review

4 lines flagged as pinned on Eleanor Roosevelt and queued for a full source trace — not yet verified.

“A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong it is until it's in hot water.”

Disputed

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift, that's why they call it the present.”

Disputed

“You must learn from the mistakes of others. You can't possibly live long enough to make them all yourself.”

Disputed

“A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water”

Queued

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