From our very childhood, we are taught not to trust strangers. In the highly digitalized world, this parallels not trusting everything you see on the internet, which essentially is content shared by strangers. The best approach might be to "trust but verify." However, ordinary people have neither the time nor the necessity, unlike, for example, journalists, to verify the information they receive.
Hence, famous quotes and common sayings often fall victim to being misquoted or misattributed. And once these fake quotes, misquoted sayings, or misattributed quotes go viral, we often have no reason to doubt it since today, the numerous "likes," "shares," "upvotes," etc., act as indicators of the veracity of the content. Further, these famous misquoted phrases or fake historical quotes are approached as the original, though they're not. And although it's impossible to verify every quote, line, or saying or its real author that you see online, at least some famous misquotes and famous misattributed quotes can be addressed and debunked. Sure, it might not stop everyone from referring to famous misquotations as the originals or help them realize it was not, indeed, let's say, Gandhi who said that, but it's the thought that counts.
Below, we've compiled some of the most famous misquotes, misattributions, and their origins, which consequently are the real deal. Did any of these 'false' quotes surprise you? Were you using these famous misquotations and misattributions unknowingly? Let us know! Also, if you found this article valuable, don't forget to share it with your friends and family!
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Fake Quote:
“Luke, I am your father.” - Darth Vader in "Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back”
Real Quote:
"No, I am your father." - Darth Vader in "Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back”
Fake Quote:
"I want to suck your blood." - Dracula
Explanation:
This was never said in the original movie by the character Dracula.
Fake Quote:
"Money is the root of all evil."
Real Quote:
"The love of money is the root of all evil." - 1 Timothy 6:10
I think this is the first one where the fake quote actually substantially changes the message of the real quote.
Fake Quote:
“Elementary, my dear Watson!” - Sherlock Holmes (as written by Arthur Conan Doyle)
Explanation:
Author Arthur Conan Doyle never wrote that phrase in any of his novels. The fictional detective did say “elementary” and “my dear Watson” separately from time to time, but their combination was a later invention.
Something that Sherlock Holmes aficionados will rant about at length. ~~ Me, I'm talking about me.
Fake Quote:
"Blood, sweat, and tears." - Winston Churchill
Real Quote:
"I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat." - Winston Churchill
To be fair, a certain music group's name didn't really help current accuracy...
Fake Quote:
“Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.” - Bette Davis in "All About Eve"
Real Quote:
“Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night.” - Bette Davis in "All About Eve"
Fake Quote:
“Play it again, Sam.” - Ilsa Lund in "Casablanca"
Real Quote:
“Play it, Sam. Play ‘As Time Goes By.” - Ilsa Lund in "Casablanca"
And the other quote misattributed as this one is when Rick says "You played it for her, Sam, you can play it for me."
Fake Quote:
"Houston, we have a problem." - Jim Lovell
Real Quote:
"Houston, we've had a problem." - Jim Lovell
Fake Quote:
"Bubble, bubble, toil, and trouble." - William Shakespeare in "Macbeth"
Real Quote:
"Double, double, toil, and trouble." - William Shakespeare in "Macbeth"
Anyone missquoting this must wonder why Shakespeare likes bubbles so much after the next line also mentions them.
Fake Quote:
"Let them eat cake!" - Marie Antoinette
Real Quote:
"Let them eat brioche!" - Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Apparently this was already a popular phrase in France before Antoinette's time, not something Rousseau invented. He credited his quotation to an unnamed "great princess" but she would have been a child at the time he wrote it. Crediting her specifically came much later.
Fake Quote:
“We’re going to need a bigger boat.” - Martin Brody in "Jaws"
Real Quote:
“You’re going to need a bigger boat.” - Martin Brody in "Jaws"
Fake Quote:
"Do you feel lucky, punk?" - Clint Eastwood in “Dirty Harry”
Real Quote:
"You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do you, punk?" - Clint Eastwood in “Dirty Harry”
Fake Quote:
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” - Confucius
Real Quote:
“A journey of 400 miles begins beneath one’s feet.” - Lao Tzu
Don’t downvote me into oblivion, but I think many of the fake quotes sound better than the real ones. Maybe they exist because they just roll off the tongue so well.
Fake Quote:
“A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.” - Alexander Pope
Real Quote:
"A little learning is a dangerous thing." - Alexander Pope
Fake Quote:
"Beam me up, Scotty." - Captain Kirk from "Star Trek"
Real Quote:
"Scotty, beam us up, fast!" - Captain Kirk from "The Savage Curtain"
He actually says it in the Star Trek novel The Ashes of Eden, which was co-written and narrated by Shatner in 1995.
Fake Quote:
“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.” - Mark Twain
Real Quote:
“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.” - Maurice Switzer
But these two quotes are word for word identical. So it’s not a misquote. It would be a misattribution. Just don’t say who you think said it and you’ll be fine.
Fake Quote:
"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." - Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz"
Real Quote:
"Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." - Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz"
Fake Quote:
"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." - Dr. Sigmund Freud
Real Quote:
"Gentlemen, there are times when a cigar is only a cigar!" - Dr. Sigmund Freud
Funnily enough, Freud was absolute about precision in language & how he expressed himself. He HATED being misquoted, even as little as a single word. He apparently spent 6 months chasing an editor who changed a 'the' into an 'a' in an article that quoted Freud until the editor printed a correction & a apology.
Fake Quote:
“I love the smell of napalm in the morning. It smells like victory.” - Robert Duvall in “Apocalypse Now”
Real Quote:
"I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for 12 hours. When it was all over, I walked up. We didn't find one of 'em, not one stinkin' dink body. The smell, you know that gasoline smell? The whole hill. Smelled like... victory." - Robert Duvall in “Apocalypse Now”
Fake Quote:
"Methinks the lady doth protest too much." - William Shakespeare
Real Quote:
"The lady doth protest too much methinks." - William Shakespeare
Fake Quote:
"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?" - The Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Real Quote:
"Magic mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?" - The Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Fake Quote:
"It's life, Jim, but not as we know it." - Spock from "Star Trek"
Real Quote:
"It's life, Jim, but not as we know it." - "Star Trekkin", a song by The Firm
Fake Quote:
"Well-behaved women rarely make history.” - Marilyn Monroe
Real Quote:
“Well-behaved women seldom make history.” - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
But if Marilyn Monroe at some point misquoted Ulrich, you still have a famous person saying it the second way. So if the fun police call you out for misquoting Ulrich, you can just say, “I’m quoting Marilyn Monroe, you sock stretcher.”
Fake Quote:
“Walk softly but carry a big stick” - Theodore Roosevelt
Real Quote:
"Speak softly and carry a big stick." - Theodore Roosevelt
Fake Quote:
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." ― Mahatma Gandhi
Real Quote:
We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. 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. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.” ― Mahatma Gandhi
The fake quote summarizes the real quote into one, simple, easy to understand sentence. I think it's acceptable.
Fake Quote:
"Failure is not an option." - Gene Kranz
Real Quote:
"Failure is not an option." - Jerry Bostick
People say this all the time, I don't know anyone that would know who to credit it to, wrong or right.
Fake Quote:
"First, they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they attack you. Then you win." - Gandhi
Real Quote:
"First, they ignore you. Then they ridicule you. And then they attack you and want to burn you. And then they build monuments to you. And that is what is going to happen to the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America." - Nicholas Klein
Fake Quote:
"The lion shall lay down with the lamb."
Real Quote:
"The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together." - Isaiah 11:6
Fake Quote:
"All that glitters is not gold." - William Shakespeare
Real Quote:
"All that glisters is not gold." - William Shakespeare
JRR Tolkien did use glitters in a similar line from Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. "All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king."
Fake Quote:
"Hello, Clarice." - Dr. Lecter in "The Silence of the Lambs"
Real Quote:
"Good evening, Clarice." - Dr. Lecter in "The Silence of the Lambs"
Fake Quote:
"The only two certainties in life are death and taxes." - Mark Twain
Real Quote:
"The only two certainties in life are death and taxes." - Edward Ward or Christopher Bullock
I thought that this was Ben Franklin, I could definitely be wrong though.
Fake Quote:
"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure." - Mark Twain
Real Quote:
"I have never killed anyone, but I have read some obituary notices with great satisfaction." - Matt Blum
Fake Quote:
"The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated." - Mark Twain
Real Quote:
"The report of my death was an exaggeration." - Mark Twain
Fake Quote:
"Life is like a box of chocolates." - Tom Hanks in "Forrest Gump"
Real Quote:
"Life was like a box of chocolates." - Tom Hanks in "Forrest Gump"
Can someone please rewatch the movie to check on this. I am pretty sure the fake quote is correct…
Fake Quote:
"He's alive." - Dr. Henry Frankenstein
Real Quote:
"It's alive!" - Dr. Henry Frankenstein
Again, I've never seen the fake quote. "it's alive" is definitely the more used version.
Fake Quote:
"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." - William Congreve
Real Quote:
"Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned/Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned." - William Congreve
Adding in the word “hath” just gives the fake quote a little extra oomph. It allows you to shout it in that old-timey hell-and-brimstone preacher voice and still be socially acceptable.
Fake Quote:
“If you can't handle me at my worst, you don't deserve me at my best.” - Marilyn Monroe
Explanation:
No one can prove that Marilyn Monroe ever actually said this.
If you can't handle me at my Borderlands The Pre Sequel, you don't deserve me at my Borderlands 2. (I know, weirdly specific joke for a very niche franchise)
Fake Quote:
"Don't fire 'til you see the whites of their eyes." - Andrew Jackson
Real Quote:
"Don't fire 'til you see the whites of their eyes." - Israel Putnam relaying orders from Colonel William Prescott
I've never heard this attributed to Andrew Jackson. It was always about the battle of bunker hill
Fake Quote:
“Greed is good.” - Gordon Gekko in "Wall Street"
Real Quote:
“The point is, ladies and gentlemen, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good." - Gordon Gekko in "Wall Street"
Fake Quote:
"The ends justify the means." - Niccolò Machiavelli
Real Quote:
"Men judge generally more by the eye than by the hand, because it belongs to everybody to see you, to few to come in touch with you. Every one sees what you appear to be, few really know what you are, and those few dare not oppose themselves to the opinion of the many, who have the majesty of the state to defend them; and in the actions of all men, and especially of princes, which it is not prudent to challenge, one judges by the result." - Niccolò Machiavelli
I don’t know about this one. I have to say, I hear the real quote in its entirety at least once a week. Much more common than the fake quote.
Fake Quote:
"Me Tarzan, you Jane." - Tarzan
Explanation:
“You Tarzan, me Jane” were never used in any of the Tarzan movies or stories, or books written by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Right because the quote is Me Tarzan, you Jane, under your explanation you have it backwards, big thumbs down just for being stupid. And yes they never actually said the misquote but whoever wrote this needs their writing privileges stripped for such a stupid oversight. Imo
Fake Quote:
"Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him well." - Hamlet
Real Quote:
"Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio; a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy; he hath borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is!" - Hamlet
Fake Quote:
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - Voltaire in "The Friends of Voltaire"
Real Quote:
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - Evelyn Beatrice Hall
Fake Quote:
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined.” - Henry David Thoreau
Real Quote:
"I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours… In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness." - Henry David Thoreau
Maybe it’s misquoted because solitude, poverty, and weakness aren’t as popular today as they were in Thoreau’s day.
Fake Quote:
“The most important thing is not winning but taking part.” - Pierre de Coubertin
Real Quote:
“The most important thing is not winning but taking part.” - Ethelbert Talbot
Fake Quote:
"The British are coming!" - Paul Revere
Real Quote:
"The British are coming!" - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Real quote: "The regulars are coming." - Paul Revere Explanation: The 13 colonies had not yet declared independence at the time of Paul Revere's ride. The uprising in New England that eventually turned into the American Revolution was still about taxation without representation in the House of Commons. The colonists all still considered themselves to be British and loyal subjects of King George, so "The British are coming!" would have been meaningless to them. The conflict was between British colonial militias who wanted representation and the regular army which was tasked with maintaining the status quo.
Fake Quote:
"That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." - Neil Armstrong
Real Quotes:
"One small step for a man." - Neil Armstrong
There is some debate as to whether he forgot to say the word "a" in the original recording, or if it was a transmission glitch. In any case, the "a" was not heard when he spoke the phrase.
Fake Quote:
"Dreams are the royal road to the unconscious." - Dr. Sigmund Freud in "The Interpretation of Dreams"
Real Quote:
"The interpretation of dreams is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind." - Dr. Sigmund Freud in "The Interpretation of Dreams"
Fake Quote:
"The only traditions of the Royal Navy are rum, sodomy, and the lash." - Winston Churchill
Real Quote:
"The only traditions of the Royal Navy are rum, sodomy, and the lash." - Anthony Montague-Browne
Whoever said it, I’m starting to get the impression that life in the Royal Navy was not all rainbows and unicorns.
Fake Quote:
“I did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels.” - Ginger Rogers
Real Quote:
“I did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels.” - Quote came from a comic strip in a newspaper
Fake Quote:
“Who doesn’t allow themselves, at least once in life, to flee from sensible advice [dies slowly.]” - Pablo Neruda
Real Quote:
“Who doesn’t allow themselves, at least once in life, to flee from sensible advice [dies slowly.]” - Martha Medeiros
Fake Quote:
"To gild the lily." - William Shakespeare
Real Quote:
"To gild refined gold, to paint the lily." - William Shakespeare
Fake Quote:
"Pride goes before a fall." - the Bible Proverbs 16:18
Real Quote:
"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." - the Bible Proverbs 16:18
"I feel like I have most of the sins, except for pride and lust, which are honestly the only ones that seem healthy" ~Willie Muse, probably misquoted
Fake Quote:
"Britannia rules the waves."
Real Quote:
"Britannia, rule the waves."
Fake Quote:
"A rose by any other name smells just as sweet." - Captain Kirk
Real Quote:
"That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet." - William Shakespeare in "Romeo and Juliet"
I have never heard Juliet's, "What's in a name?" soliloquy attributed to Captain Kirk.
Fake Quote:
"Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink." - Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Real Quote:
"Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink." - Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Fake Quote:
“Mrs. Robinson, are you trying to seduce me?” - Benjamin Braddock in "The Graduate"
Real Quote:
“Mrs. Robinson, you’re trying to seduce me, aren’t you?” - Benjamin Braddock in "The Graduate"
Actually, the quote is "Seduce Me!" and I think it's from Kanye, R Kelly, or some other musician who's a god awful person /j
Fake Quote:
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure." - Nelson Mandela
Real Quote:
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." - Marianne Williamson
Fake Quote:
“God is dead. Marx is dead. And I don’t feel so well myself.” - Woody Allen
Real Quote:
“God is dead. Marx is dead. And I don’t feel so well myself.” - Eugène Ionesco
Fake Quote:
“I’m ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille.” - Gloria Swanson in "Sunset Boulevard"
Real Quote:
“All right, Mr. DeMille. I’m ready for my close-up.” - Gloria Swanson in "Sunset Boulevard"
Fake Quote:
"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Real Quote:
"I will mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." - the first sentence was from a Facebook user Jessica Dovey
You have to cut people some slack on this one because MLK and Jessica Dovey are mixed up ALL THE HONKIN’ TIME.
Fake Quote:
“It’s a sin to think badly of others, but you often guess correctly.” - Giulio Andreotti
Real Quote:
“It’s a sin to think badly of others, but you often guess correctly.” - Pope Pius XI
Fake Quote:
"Fresh fields and pastures new." - John Milton Lycidas
Real Quote:
"Tomorrow to fresh Woods, and Pastures new." - John Milton Lycidas
Fake Quote:
“T’was beauty that killed the beast.” - Carl Denim in "King Kong"
Real Quote:
“It was Beauty killed the Beast.” - Carl Denim in "King Kong"
Fake Quote:
"I cannot tell a lie." - George Washington
Real Quote:
"I cannot tell a lie, Pa." - George Washington
If he said the real quote, he also said the "fake" quote. The only difference is adding the word "Pa". It just depends on where you cut off the quote.
Fake Quote:
"You want the truth? You can't handle the truth." - Jack Nicholson, in "A Few Good Men"
Real Quote:
"What is you want the truth you can't handle the truth from?" - Jack Nicholson, in "A Few Good Men"
Fake Quote: "I want to suck your blood." - Dracula was a quote from the parody with Leslie nelson. Dracula: Dead and Loving It
Fake Quote: "I want to suck your blood." - Dracula was a quote from the parody with Leslie nelson. Dracula: Dead and Loving It
