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Who really said it

Tell 'em what you're going to tell 'em; next, tell 'em; next, tell 'em what you told 'em

Not Aristotle — an early-1900s pulpit maxim Unknown — an anonymous preacher Earliest documented 1908 · England
Disputed Free to reuse

There is no evidence Aristotle said or wrote this. Per Quote Investigator, the earliest strong match appeared in 1908 in the Northern Daily Mail of Durham, England, ascribed to an unnamed veteran preacher — a folk maxim of oratory that was only later pinned on Aristotle (and on Dale Carnegie). Aristotle’s Rhetoric discusses beginnings, middles and ends and recommends repetition in the epilogue, but never this three-part ‘tell ’em’ template.

Last verified 8 Jul 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?

For presentations

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Disputed credit — copy with the correction

“Tell 'em what you're going to tell 'em; next, tell 'em; next, tell 'em what you told 'em” Misattributed to Aristotle. Earliest documented use: an anonymous preacher quoted in the Northern Daily Mail (Durham, England), 1908. Per Quote Investigator.

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

Can you use it?

Free to use, including in commercial and paid presentations — no permission or licence needed.

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In context

Evoking the world of Aristotle — Ancient Greek philosopher · founder of formal rhetoric & logic. Theme: "Tell 'em what you're going to tell 'em; next, tell 'em; next, tell 'em what you told 'em". 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 "Tell 'em what you're going to tell 'em; next, tell 'em; next, tell 'em what you told 'em". 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

Where it actually comes from

Popularly credited to
Aristotle (384–322 BC)
Earliest documented
“Three Parts of a Sermon,” Northern Daily Mail, Durham, England, 1908
Ascribed to
An unnamed veteran preacher (reported via J. H. Jowett)
Verdict
Misattributed to Aristotle; anonymous modern origin

In the first part I tell ’em what I am going to tell ’em; in the second part — well, I tell ’em; in the third part I tell ’em what I’ve told ’em.

The 1908 wording as quoted by Quote Investigator, attributed to an anonymous preacher — the earliest known form of the saying.

Quote Investigator: the full origin trail

How we traced it

  • The authoritative investigation by Quote Investigator dates the earliest strong match to 1908 in the Northern Daily Mail, crediting an unnamed preacher — not Aristotle.
  • QI notes the saying circulated among religious orators for decades and was later credited to figures including Dale Carnegie, none of whom originated it.
  • Aristotle’s actual Rhetoric recommends stating your subject and summarizing in the epilogue, but as QI observes, that is not the tripartite ‘tell ’em’ formula of the quotation.
Public domain

The wording is an anonymous English-language folk maxim of oratory whose earliest documented appearance is a 1908 newspaper — well before 1931 and with no identifiable individual author — so the phrase itself is in the public domain. It is not a work of Aristotle’s.

Fact-check

The misattribution

This is one of the internet’s classic ‘sounds ancient, isn’t’ quotes — a modern speaking maxim dressed up in a toga.

Aristotle unsupported

Endlessly shared as ancient wisdom, but Quote Investigator finds no basis for it in Aristotle’s works; his Rhetoric uses different structures and never states this three-part formula.

Dale Carnegie unsupported

Also frequently named, but QI lists Carnegie among the many later figures the saying attached to, not its originator.

An anonymous preacher earliest documented

The earliest strong match, from the 1908 Northern Daily Mail, credits an unnamed veteran preacher — the maxim grew out of early-1900s religious oratory, per Quote Investigator.

No single author owns it: it is an anonymous early-20th-century maxim of oratory, first documented in 1908 and only later mis-credited to Aristotle, per Quote Investigator.

Context

Why it caught on

The line survives because it is a genuinely useful teaching device — a memorable rule of thumb for structuring any talk, sermon, or presentation. Attaching it to Aristotle, the father of rhetoric, gives a modern classroom mnemonic the authority of antiquity.

That is exactly the pattern behind most fake Aristotle quotes: a real association (he did write the foundational work on speech structure) makes him a plausible-sounding home for lines he never actually wrote.

A modern speaking maxim in ancient dress — first seen in a 1908 newspaper, not in Aristotle.

Explore

Filed under

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

Wisdom Work

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.

Quote Investigator: “Tell ’Em What You’re Going To Tell ’Em”quoteinvestigator.com

The authoritative origin investigation: 1908 earliest match, anonymous preacher, and why Aristotle and Dale Carnegie are wrong.
Quote Investigator — Aristotle tagquoteinvestigator.com

QI’s index of sayings falsely pinned on Aristotle, a top magnet for fabricated quotes.
10 Definitely Fake Quotes Not From Aristotlemedium.com

Philosopher Gregory Sadler’s roundup of quotations wrongly attributed to Aristotle, with context on why the attributions stick.
Aristotle, Rhetoric (Wikisource)en.wikisource.org

Aristotle’s actual treatise on the structure of speeches — the source people vaguely misremember as this maxim.
Aristotle — Wikiquoteen.wikiquote.org

Sourced and misattributed Aristotle quotations; this maxim is notably absent from his genuine works.
Setting the Stage: The ‘Tell Them’ Triadforbes.com

A presentations coach on the ‘tell them’ triad as a modern public-speaking convention.

The wrongly-credited philosopher

Why it lands on Aristotle

Aristotle

384–322 BC · Ancient Greek philosopher · founder of formal rhetoric & logic

Aristotle of Stagira did more than anyone to systematize the art of persuasion — his Rhetoric is the foundational treatise on how speeches are built, and he did stress clear openings, summarizing epilogues, and useful repetition. That real association makes him a magnet for any snappy ‘rules of speaking’ line, which is likely how this catchy but modern pulpit maxim drifted onto his name centuries later. He never used the three-part ‘tell ’em’ formula.

For writers & researchers

Cite this

Earliest documented source

“Three Parts of a Sermon,” Northern Daily Mail (Durham, England), 1908, as documented in Garson O’Toole, “Tell ’Em What You’re Going To Tell ’Em…,” Quote Investigator, 15 August 2017.

This verification page

Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘Tell 'em what you're going to tell 'em; next, tell 'em; next, tell 'em what you told 'em’?” Last verified 8 Jul 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/tell-em-what-youre-going-to-tell-em-next-tell-em-next-tell

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