[Speech] LET THEM EAT CAKE. - Marie Antoinette's Misattributed Callousness

Indifference to poverty

"Let them eat cake" is famously attributed to Marie Antoinette, though there is no evidence she actually said this. It was supposedly uttered in response to hearing that the French peasants had no bread to eat. Regardless of its veracity, the quote has become a symbol of the aloofness of the French aristocracy to the plight of the poor during one of France's most tumultuous periods, leading up to the French Revolution. The phrase highlights the perceived disconnect between the monarchy and the harsh realities faced by the common people, contributing to the growing discontent that led to the revolution.

Background

1. Marie Antoinette

2. Queen of France

3. Rumored remark during France's severe bread shortage, circa 1789