Misattributed

Did Che Guevara Really Say 'Be Realistic, Demand the Impossible'?

One of the most iconic revolutionary slogans may have nothing to do with its supposed author

Be realistic, demand the impossible!

— Attributed to Che Guevara (Revolutionary icon)

Alleged date: Unknown

A popular revolutionary slogan attributed to him.

The Verdict: Misattributed — Someone Else Said This

This famous rallying cry is commonly attributed to Che Guevara, but historical evidence points to the 1968 Paris student protests as its true origin. No verified speech or writing by Guevara contains this phrase.

Database Verification Note

Found in 1 providers: gemini

1 source cross-referenced

The Real Story

The slogan 'Soyez realistes, demandez l'impossible' ('Be realistic, demand the impossible') became one of the defining phrases of the May 1968 student uprising in Paris. French students spray-painted it on walls across the Latin Quarter alongside other provocative slogans. Guevara had been killed in Bolivia in October 1967, just months before the protests erupted. His status as a revolutionary icon made him an attractive figure to attribute radical slogans to, and over time this phrase migrated from the anonymous graffiti of Paris to the lips of the Argentine revolutionary. The conflation was likely aided by posters of Guevara that decorated the student barricades.