George Washington said 'I cannot tell a lie' after cutting down his father's cherry tree.

the verdict

REFUTED

the evidence says no

Recorded sources

0 sources for · 1 against

Counts group repeated records of the same source within each side. They do not measure evidence strength or source independence.

Is it true that George Washington said 'I cannot tell a lie' after cutting down his father's cherry tree?

No. One scholarly education article explicitly labels the 'I cannot tell a lie' cherry-tree episode as fakelore, indicating Washington never said it. No retrieved item supports the attribution.

Verdict: REFUTED · 0 sources for, 1 against · Last checked 3 Oct 2026

The private library was unavailable for some searches in this check. Missing library results are not evidence against the claim.

Evidence against · 1

Chopping Down the Cherry Tree.

1995

Get citation

Jerry, G. (1995). Chopping Down the Cherry Tree.. eric.ed.gov. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ521312

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