No single, clearly documented person “coined” the exact phrase “fake it till you make it” , and most sources treat it as a modern self‑help slogan whose origins are uncertain rather than a quote from one famous individual.

Likely origins

  • The phrase is widely associated with late‑20th‑century self‑help and personal development circles , where it echoed older psychological ideas about “acting as if” you already had a desired trait.
  • It appears in business, sales, and motivational contexts and became popular through repeated use rather than one definitive coiner.

Earliest known uses

  • Written attestations place the phrase in use before 1973 , with early discussion linking it loosely to the era’s personal growth movements.
  • A related wording and theme appear in Simon & Garfunkel’s 1968 song “Fakin’ It” (“I’m not really makin’ it”), which shows the idea was already in the cultural air, even if not the exact slogan.

Specific attributions people mention

Some communities and writers tie the phrase to particular contexts, but these are best seen as popularizers, not inventors:

  • Amway culture : Commentators note that “fake it till you make it” was heavily used in Amway training and even became the title of Phil Kerns’s 1982 book Fake It ‘Til You Make It , describing Amway techniques.
  • Alcoholics Anonymous and recovery groups : The slogan is frequently used informally in AA and similar fellowships as a reminder to practice new behaviors even before they feel natural, though it is not part of AA’s official literature.

So who said it?

Putting it all together:

  • There is no authoritative single person credited with saying “fake it till you make it” first.
  • The phrase likely emerged and spread through mid‑ to late‑20th‑century self‑help, business, and recovery communities, then moved into mainstream pop culture.

In other words, it is better to treat “fake it till you make it” as a collective slogan that evolved over time, not a quote you can reliably pin on one individual. Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.