There are various warnings on the internet about quotes incorrectly attributed:
Quotation |
Comments |
“Be the change you wish to see in the
world.” -
Gandhi |
Actual quote by Gandhi: “If we could
change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man
changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him.
... We need not wait to see what others do.” |
“The end justifies the means.” -
Machiavelli |
·
The closest quote by
Machiavelli is: “One must consider
the final result.” ·
A closer quote is by
the poet Ovid: “The result justifies
the deeds.” |
“That’s one small step for man, one giant
leap for mankind.” -
Neil Armstrong |
Armstrong always maintained that
he had said “a man” and that the word “a” had been obscured. In 2006, a computer programmer analysed the
audio and stated that the word “a” had been spoken by Armstrong. |
“Let them eat cake.” -
Marie Antoinette |
·
Marie Antoinette
never actually said this. Instead, it came from a book titled Confessions by
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, which was published in 1782—11 years before Marie
Antoinette was executed. ·
Also, the line was
“Let them eat brioche,” a kind of heavy, bread-like French pastry. ·
It’s likely the
attribution to Marie Antoinette occurred because the commoners of France were
hostile to the Royals. |
“A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.” -
Gloria Steinem |
Australian writer Irina Dunn is
credited with this phrase, which Dunn says she wrote on the door of public
bathrooms when she was a student in the 70s. |
"A lie can travel halfway around the
world while the truth is putting on its shoes. -
Variously attributed to Mark Twain, Winston Churchill, Thomas
Jefferson, Ann Landers, et al. |
The phrase is an alteration of
one made by Jonathan Swift: “Falsehood flies, and truth comes
limping after it.” |
"I don't think we're in Kansas
anymore, Toto." -
Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz (played by Judy Garland) |
This phrase was never uttered by
the character. What she really said was “Toto, I've a feeling we're not in
Kansas anymore.” |
"I disapprove of what you say, but I
will defend to the death your right to say it" -
Voltaire |
Thought to be words of Voltaire;
it was actually written by Evelyn Beatrice Hall. |
"Just the facts, ma'am." -
Joe Friday, Dragnet (original series) |
·
This quote from the
Jack Webb series Dragnet, was never said by Sgt. Friday in any of the Dragnet
radio or television series. ·
The quote was,
however, adopted in the 1987 Dragnet pseudo-parody film starring Dan Aykroyd
and Tom Hanks in which Aykroyd played Sgt. Joe Friday. ·
Correct versions: "All we want are
the facts, ma'am." "All we know are
the facts, ma'am." |
"Elementary, my dear Watson.” -
Sherlock Holmes |
·
This phrase was never
spoken by the character in any of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's written works. ·
Though
"Elementary," and "...my dear Watson." both appear near
the beginning of The Crooked Man (1893), it is the "...my dear
Watson" that appears first, and "Elementary" is the succinct
reply to Watson's exclamation a few lines of dialogue later. This is the
closest these four immortal words ever appear together in the Canon. ·
The first documented
occurrence of this quote appears in the P. G. Wodehouse novel, "P Smith,
Journalist", which was serialized in The Captain magazine (1909-10) then
published in book form (1915) and contains the following dialogue: "That's
right," said Billy Windsor. "Of course." “Elementary, my dear
Watson, elementary," murmured P Smith |
"It's life, Jim, but not as we know
it." -
Dr McCoy, Star Trek |
·
Attributed to Leonard
McCoy from the run of Star Trek: The Original Series, but the phrase was
never uttered. ·
The similar phrase
"not life as we know it" is spoken by Spock in the season one
episode "The Devil in the Dark". ·
The spurious phrase
originated in the 1987 novelty song "Star Trekkin'", in which the
quote is attributed to Spock. McCoy's line in the song was, "It's worse
than that, he's dead, Jim!" |
“If the mountain won't come to Muhammad,
then Muhammad must go to the mountain." -
Muhammad |
·
Often attributed to
the prophet Muhammad but there is no evidence that he actually said this. ·
This phrase actually
originates in a retelling of the story of Muhammad by Francis Bacon in
1625:"Mahomet cald the Hill to come to him. And when the Hill stood
still, he was neuer a whit abashed, but said; If the Hill will not come to
Mahomet, Mahomet wil go to the Hill." ·
The original phrase
used the term "hill", but John Owen's 1643 translation used the
term "mountain". ·
This phrase is often
misquoted due to widespread misunderstanding of the phrase's meaning. It does
not refer to "going after opportunity instead of waiting for it to come
to you". Its meaning translates, "If one's will does not prevail,
one must submit to an alternative." |
"I will return and I will be
millions." -
This is often attributed to Eva Perón, and is on her tombstone, |
·
There is no record
she said it. ·
The belief that she did
say it is probably because she does in a José MarÃa Castiñeira de Dios poem
written in her voice nearly ten years after her 1952 death. ·
Túpac Katari, a
leader of the Bolivian indigenous people's rebellion against Spanish rule,
did in fact say something similar ("I shall die but return tomorrow
multiplied ten thousandfold") before his 1781 execution; more recently,
a slave in Howard Fast's contemporary novel Spartacus says the line as he is
being crucified and the line is repeated in the 1960 Stanley Kubrick film
version. |
I love my cigar, but I take it out of my
mouth once in a while!" -
Attributed to Groucho Marx. |
·
According to urban
legend, while interviewing Marion and Charlotte Story for a 1950 episode of You
Bet Your Life, Marx uttered the phrase in response to Charlotte, who had
mothered 20 children with her husband, saying how much she loved her husband.
According to surviving recordings of the episode in question, Marx actually
said "With each new kid, do you go around passing out cigars?"
Although episodes of You Bet Your Life were known to be edited for content,
Marx himself denied ever saying the more risqué phrase. ·
In another known
episode with a child who was among 17 siblings, Groucho asked the girl what
her father thought of having such a large family; when she responded that her
father loves children, he replied "Well, I like pancakes, but I haven't
got a closet full of them!" A conflation of this exchange with that of
the Story family may have been the source of the more ribald misquotation. |
“A verbal contract isn't worth the paper
it's written on.” -
Samuel Goldwyn |
One of many quirky Goldwynisms,
this is a corruption of Goldwyn's actual quote praising a friend's
trustworthy nature: "His verbal contract is worth more than the paper
it's written on." |
"I fear all we have done is to awaken
a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve." -
A quote allegedly made by Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto regarding
the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, |
·
The quote was first
used in the 1970 film Tora! Tora! Tora! and again in the 2001 film Pearl
Harbor. ·
While this quote may
have encapsulated his sentiments regarding the attack, there is no printed
evidence to prove Yamamoto made this statement or wrote it down. |
"Power corrupts; absolute power
corrupts absolutely." |
·
This misquote
hearkens back to the British Lord Acton, a 19th century English historian who
was commenting about tyrannical monarchs (Caesar, Henry VIII, Napoleon,
various Russian tsars, etc.) ·
Lord Acton actually wrote:
"Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men
are almost always bad men." |
Beam me up, Scotty" -
James T. Kirk |
·
From the Star Trek
science fiction television series. ·
Several variants of
this occur in the series, such as "Energize", "Beam me
aboard," "Beam us up home," or "Two to beam up," but
"Beam me up, Scotty" was never said during the run of the original
Star Trek series. ·
However, the quote
"Beam us up, Scotty" was uttered in Star Trek: The Animated Series.
·
The movie Star Trek
IV: The Voyage Home included the closest other variation: "Scotty, beam
me up." ·
James Doohan, the
actor who played Scotty, chose this phrase as the title of his 1996
autobiography. |
Damn it, Jim! I'm a doctor, not a..." -
Leonard McCoy, from the Star Trek science fiction television series. |
·
McCoy had several
lines of this sort, except that he never said "damn it". Only one
"swear word" was used on the original Star Trek series (before the
movies): "hell". It was most famously spoken at the end of the
episode entitled "City on the Edge of Forever": "Let's get the
hell out of here" – J. T. Kirk. ·
The phrase, complete
with "damn it" probably originated from Dan Ackroyd's Dr. McCoy
impersonation during a skit on Saturday Night Live season 1 episode 22;
although McCoy did eventually end up saying, "Damn it, Jim" in Star
Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, followed directly by, "what the hell's the
matter with you?" |
"Money is the root of all evil." |
In context:
"For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted
after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with
many sorrows." (1 Timothy 6:10) KJV (The King James Bible) |
"The only traditions of the Royal Navy
are rum, sodomy and the lash." -
Attributed to Winston Churchill |
Winston Churchill's personal
secretary, Anthony Montague-Browne, said that although Churchill did not say
this, he wished he had. |
"Do you feel lucky, punk?" -
Clint Eastwood as Harry Callahan in Dirty Harry |
·
Correct quote plus
context: "Ah-ah. I know what you're thinking: 'Did he fire six shots, or
only five?' Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of
lost track myself. But, being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful
handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask
yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, PUNK?" ·
Jim Carrey's
character in The Mask came closer to the correct quote: "Now you have to
ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well... do ya... PUNKS?" |
"Hell hath no fury like a woman
scorned" |
"The correct quotation is
"Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned/ Nor hell a fury like a
woman scorned." by William Congreve in The Mourning Bride of 1697. |
"Houston, we have a problem" |
·
This phrase,
supposedly uttered by Apollo 13 commander, Jim Lovell was, in its original
rendering: "Houston, we've had a problem. We've had a main B bus
undervolt." ·
However, the first
notification to Houston that there was a problem was by fellow astronaut Jack
Swigert, who used almost identical words. ·
The official NASA
chronology lists the messages as: 55:55:20 – Swigert:
"Okay, Houston, we've had a problem here." 55:55:28 – Lousma:
"This is Houston. Say again please." 55:55:35 – Lovell:
"Houston, we've had a problem. We've had a main B bus undervolt." ·
However, in the movie
Apollo 13, Tom Hanks says Houston, we have a problem,. |
Show me a young Conservative and I'll show
you someone with no heart. Show me an old Liberal and I'll show you someone
with no brains." -
Often attributed to Winston Churchill |
·
The phrase originated
with François Guizot (1787-1874): "Not to be a republican at twenty is
proof of want of heart; to be one at thirty is proof of want of head."
It was revived by French Premier Georges Clemenceau (1841-1929): "Not to
be a socialist at twenty is proof of want of heart; to be one at thirty is
proof of want of head." ·
Referenced in
Swimming with Sharks (1994) as "if you're not a rebel by the age of 20,
you've got no heart, but if you haven't turned establishment by 30, you've
got no brains." |
“Luke, I am Your Father .” -
Darth Vader in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back |
The correct quote is: Darth Vader: Obi-Wan
never told you what happened to your father. Luke Skywalker: He told me enough! He told me you
killed him! Darth Vader: No. I am your father. Luke Skywalker: No... that's not true! That's impossible! |
“Water, water everywhere and not a drop to
drink.” -
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
(1834). |
Actual quote: Water, water, every where, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink. |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.