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Who really said it

Social media is training us to compare our lives, instead of appreciating everything we are. No wonder why everyone is depressed

Bill Murray credit unsupported Anonymous
Attribution status: Disputed Reuse status: Rights unconfirmed

PolitiFact’s 2020 investigation rejected the Murray attribution and identified an earlier 2015 tweet without a celebrity credit. It also distinguished a genuine 2018 Murray interview about social media from these different words. The exact sentence’s creator remains unconfirmed; agreement with its sentiment cannot establish authorship.

Last verified 9 Nov 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?

For presentations

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Disputed credit — copy with the correction

“Social media is training us to compare our lives, instead of appreciating everything we are. No wonder why everyone is depressed” Often attributed to Bill Murray; no verified original author established.

The slide-ready mistake: crediting this to Bill Murray. Use the credit shown above instead.

Can you use it?

We couldn’t verify where this wording comes from, so there’s no rights status to give. Safe to present as an unverified or anonymous line — just don’t assert a specific author or source.

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In context

Evoking the themes of gratitude and happiness. Theme: "Social media is training us to compare our lives, instead of appreciating everything we are. No wonder why everyone is depressed". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.

Minimalist

Minimalist editorial slide for the quote "Social media is training us to compare our lives, instead of appreciating everything we are. No wonder why everyone is depressed". Clean background, a single muted accent color, generous negative space, subtle paper or linen texture, no literal illustration — let the words carry it. Reserve clear space for a serif quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.

Provenance

The source

Evidence
Attribution research
Status
Read the source limits below

No verified Murray excerpt for this sentence.

PolitiFact attribution investigation

How we verified this

  • PolitiFact’s 2020 investigation rejected the Murray attribution and identified an earlier 2015 tweet without a celebrity credit. It also distinguished a genuine 2018 Murray interview about social media from these different words. The exact sentence’s creator remains unconfirmed; agreement with its sentiment cannot establish authorship. PolitiFact attribution investigation ↗
  • Documents different comments about social media; does not contain the comparison/depression sentence. Actual Murray interview ↗

The original publication of this exact wording has not been established; no public-domain status is asserted.

Rights status is our research, not legal advice — and copyright varies by country and edition. For commercial or published use, confirm with the rightsholder. See terms.

Fact-check

Often misattributed

Murray’s separate comments on social media do not authenticate this viral quotation.

Popular creditBill Murray

PolitiFact’s 2020 investigation rejected the Murray attribution and identified an earlier 2015 tweet without a celebrity credit. It also distinguished a genuine 2018 Murray interview about social media from these different words. The exact sentence’s creator remains unconfirmed; agreement with its sentiment cannot establish authorship. PolitiFact attribution investigation ↗

Murray’s separate comments on social media do not authenticate this viral quotation. PolitiFact attribution investigation ↗

Context

The setting behind the words

Murray did make separate comments criticizing the urge to document an experience instead of living it. The checked 2018 interview gives those different words, not the viral sentence about comparison and depression. Similar subject matter is why the false credit can sound plausible while remaining unsupported. PolitiFact attribution investigation ↗

Explore

Filed under

More provenance-checked quotes on the same theme, each with its reuse status.

Go further

Dig deeper

Trusted places to keep pulling the thread — primary archives, fact-checks, and scholarship. We show how we used each one before you leave.

The author

About Anonymous

Anonymous

Creator unidentified

The original creator of this particular wording has not been identified. The sources below document how it circulated or why a famous-name attribution is unsupported. Anonymous here indicates a gap in the evidence; it does not name a known writer or imply public-domain status.

For writers & researchers

Cite this

Source consulted

Anonymous. Attribution discussed in PolitiFact attribution investigation. Source and limits described above.

This verification page

Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘Social media is training us to compare our lives, instead of appreciating everything we are. No wonder why everyone is depressed’?” Last verified 9 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/social-media-is-training-us-to-compare-our-lives-instead-of/

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