"Let them eat cake!" is a translation of the French "qu'ils mangent e la brioche." While typically attributed to Marie Antoinette, the original source is not settled among historians. Before Antoinette ascended to the throne, some believe Jean-Jacques Rousseau used the phrase while writing about an insensitive aristocrat who offered this advice to peasants unable to afford bread. The line has also been attributed to Maria Theresa of Spain, dating it before Antoinette was born.