The phrase let them eat cake is the translation of the old french saying qu ils mangent de la brioche which literally means let them eat brioche.
Let them eat cake significance.
Let them eat cake is the most famous quote attributed to marie antoinette the queen of france during the french revolution.
It was first told in a slightly different form about.
Because cake is more expensive than bread the anecdote has been cited as an example of marie antoinette s obliviousness to the conditions and daily lives of ordinary people.
She is supposed to have said this when she was told that the french populace had no bread to eat.
The phrase has been attributed to queen marie.
The original french is qu ils mangent de la brioche that is let them eat brioche brioche is a form of cake made of flour butter and eggs.
It is widely attributed to marie antoinette 1755 93 the queen consort of louis xvi.
According to historical legend marie antoinette s cry of let them eat cake was the straw that broke the camel s back during the french revolution.
The story goes that marie antoinette queen of france was informed that her subjects were starving because they had no bread.
The usual interpretation of the phrase is that marie antoinette understood little about the plight of the poor and cared even less.
This phrase is more accurately translated as let them eat brioche as the original french phrase contains no mention of cake gâteau.