What Is 'Source? I Made It Up' The Ironic Citation Meme, Explained

You can't find all truths in a book or a database. Sometimes you have to look within yourself for the source you need. The internet is full of arguments, and the ultimate proof of a position's correctness can be found in the vibes alone. The "Source? I made it up" meme narrates this kind of vibe-forward knowledge. But what does it mean?

What Is The Source Of 'Source? I Made It Up'?

Statements similar to "Source? I made it up" have been made online for years. But the source of this iconic meme comes from a screenshotted Reddit comment in 2015 on the /r/atheism subreddit, a famous place for refined discussion. The original poster was clarifying a meme where they falsely attributed a fictional quote to Bryan Cranston.

But the sentiment goes back to long before the internet. An excerpt from a 1949 book that cites a dream spread widely on Twitter / X, with posters enjoying the boldness of the author.

A similar 2017 post from Tumblr, of a screenshot of a Yahoo! Answers post in which someone says, simply "Dude, trust me" also saw viral spread.

In March of 2021, Reddit and iFunny users illustrated the phrase with an Average Fan vs. Average Enjoyer meme, granting another life to the catchphrase and catapulting it to a new level of memetic success.

What Does 'Source? I Made It Up' Mean?

The "Source? I made it up" meme indicates a confidence in one's own view, one which transcends petty categories like false and true. The use of an ethereal blue Dr. Manhattan image with the phrase gives it a kind of spiritual vibe. Not only is the user of the phrase winning an argument, they are transcending it.

How Do People Use 'Source? I Made It Up'?

The meme is used as a way of justifying knowledge that doesn't come about through rationality. It values intuition, feeling, and sensation. Posters often pair the phrase with Gigachad, a true intellectual.

The meme can be deployed in replies to someone's argument, as a way to finish an online dispute or simply as a gesture to intellectually mog whoever one is arguing with.

For the full story of "Source? I made it up" be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry