If it is not true it is very well invented.De gl' heroici furori (1585) [The Heroic Furies; also translated as On Heroic Frenzies], as quoted in A Book of Quotations, Proverbs and Household Words (1907) edited by Sir William Gurney BenhamVariant translations: If it is not true, it is well conceived. If it is not true, it is a good story.