How we source things
Every quote and claim on this site is checked to one of four levels. Here’s exactly what each one means, including where we came up short.
Primary source
Checked directly against the original source — the actual document, ruling, or publication.
Experts disagree
Found via a credible secondary compiler (for example, a crowd-sourced book-excerpt site), but not confirmed against the original text ourselves.
Source unconfirmed
Only found via low-quality SEO aggregator sites. The wording is unconfirmed, and we haven’t identified a real primary source.
Source unconfirmed
We know the primary source, but the full text is behind a paywall we haven’t accessed.
If a quote or claim is flagged as unconfirmed and you think it shouldn’t be on the site, that’s a fair thing to notice — we’d rather it be visible than hidden.