---
title: Straight Dope
date: "2002-01-13T12:00:00Z"
categories:
  - links
wp_id: 1487
description: I learned from Straight Dope that 'lorem ipsum' placeholder text is actually based on a classic speech by Cicero, not just random gibberish. It is a mangled version of his philosophical work De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum.
keywords: [lorem ipsum, cicero, typography, straight dope, placeholder text, de finibus bonorum et malorum]
---

[Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/index.html) tells me that **lorem ipsum dolor sit...** is [not complete nonsense](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/010216.html) after all. It's based on a speech by Cicero.