Oops! You’ve Been Getting These Quotes Wrong Your Whole Life

How often do you find yourself quoting famous sayings? Are you sure you are quoting them correctly? These are some of the most commonly misquoted sayings out there. Some come from movies, some from famous playwrights, and some are just sayings that we have heard our entire lives. Check these quotes out and make sure you’re getting them right.

The Quote Not Heard Through Space

“That’s one small step for man, and one giant leap for mankind.” How many times have you heard or quoted this saying from Neil Armstrong? It was supposedly the first thing he said when he stepped onto the moon. Unfortunately, you have been wrong your entire life. So what is the actual quote?

The Real Quote

Neil Armstrong really said “One small step for a man,” when he first set foot on the moon. The transmission was blurred because, well, the moon is very far away. The quote was misinterpreted. Researchers have tried to determine if he really said “for man” or “for a man,” but they can’t come to a definitive conclusion.

Machiavelli

If you have heard of Machiavelli, you have most likely heard the quote “The ends justify the means.” Machiavelli wrote The Prince, but he did not write the above quote. It is a condensed version of what he actually did write. Read on to see the real quote.

Machiavelli and Law

Machiavelli believed strongly in law. When it comes to the quote, he actually wrote “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.” Basically, he is reminding people that rulers make tough decisions to keep order. These tough decisions may seem cruel, but in the long run, they will bring stability and happiness.

The Lion and The Lamb

If you are religious or hang around religious people, you may have heard the quote “The lion shall lay down with the lamb.” The quote is talking about a prophecy of the Golden Age, a utopia coming to earth. However, the quote is completely wrong.

The Wolf and The Lamb

The passage is from Isaiah 11:6 and says “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.”

Gandhi

Gandhi is quoted throughout the world, so it is no surprise he is frequently misquoted. “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” It is an inspiring quote, but too bad he didn’t actually say it. What did he actually say?

Gandhi’s Long Quote

“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 changes towards him…We need not wait to see what others do.” It essentially has the same meaning, just a longer and more accurate version of it.

Shakespeare

Surely Shakespeare could not be misquoted, right? Well, he has been. Do you know the quote “A rose by any other name smells just as sweet?” It is from Shakespeare’s most famous play, “Romeo and Juliet.” But that is not the actual quote.

Act II Scene II

The real quote comes from Act II, Scene II when Juliet talks about Romeo’s house, Montague. The real quote is “What’s in a name? that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.” The quote means that the person is not what they are just because of what they are called.

Don’t Scorn a Woman

“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” This is a common quote that most people have heard a few times in their life, especially if you are a woman. It was supposedly written by William Congreve in the late 17th century. He was a poet and a playwright. What did he actually write?

The Mourning Bride

“The Mourning Bride” was Congreve’s play in which the famous quote was written. It is “Heaved has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.” It was spoken by Zara in Act II, Scene VIII. Most people actually think it came from Shakespeare, which is not true.

Marilyn Monroe

You probably have seen this quote floating around the internet, either as a meme or as an inspiring quotation on someone’s wall. “Well-behaved women rarely make history.” The fact is, Marilyn Monroe did not say this at all. It is time we give credit to the real author of this quote, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich.

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich is the woman who originally said this quote. It was written in 1976 in a scholarly article about Puritan funeral services where she said “well-behaved women seldom make history.” She wrote a book with this title in 2007.

A Few Good Men

The most famous line from the movie A Few Good Men is the quote “You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth.” While Jack Nicholson’s character does say the last line, half of the quote is missing. So how does it really go in the movie?

The Real Few Good Men

Nicholson asks “You want answers?” Cruise says “I think I’m entitled to them!” Nicholson then repeats “You want answers?” Thne Cruise says “I want the truth!” Nicholson then says part of the famous quote “You can’t handle the truth!” It is probably one of the famous misquoted movie lines of all time.

Theodore Roosevelt

“Walk softly, but carry a big stick.” Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th president of the United States. He was in office from 1901 to 1909 and was the leader of the Republican Party. So what did he actually say?

Teddy Roosevelt

“Speak softly and carry a big stick.” He actually wrote the letter to Henry L. Sprague on January 26, 1900. Sprague was the governor of New York at the time. The quote later became a trademark for Roosevelt’s foreign policy, although it is commonly misquoted.

Confucius?

“The journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step.” Many people attribute this quote to Confucius, but he was not the one who actually said this and it is not the real quote. Sometimes it is even said to be a Chinese proverb or Mao Zedong. So who actually did say the quote?

Lao Tzu

“A journey of 400 miles begins beneath one’s feet,” was said by Lao Tzu in the Tao Teh Ching. That translation has even come into question, with people saying that the real quote was “The journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one’s feet.” Either way, you need to take the first step.

Marie Antoinette

“Let them eat cake!” It was often repeated that Marie Antoinette said this during one of the famines in France while her husband, Louis XVI, was king. The fact is, Marie Antoinette never said this quote and that is not how it was phrased, either.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote “Let them eat brioche!” in his autobiography titled Confessions. Marie Antoinette was only nine years old at the time. The original phrase in French was “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche.” Another interesting fact is that there were no famines while Louis XVI was king.

Paul Revere

“The British are coming!” Paul Revere supposedly said this to let the colonial militia know that British forces were coming. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote a poem telling the tale of Paul Revere’s famous ride, which is actually where the quote originated.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

In the poem, Longellow wrote about Paul Revere’s ride when he warned about the British. The poem is historically inaccurate as well. William Dawes and Samuel Prescott rode by him, as well as 40 other men. Revere also never made it to Concord because he was overtaken by the British.

Hannibal Lecter

“Hello, Clarice!” is a famous quote from the horror flick Silence of the Lambs, except it was not actually in the movie. The quote supposedly originated when Clarice went to meet Dr. Lecter for the first time to talk to him about a spate of recent killings. So what exactly did happen?

Hannibal

The real quote is “Good evening, Clarice.” In the movie Hannibal, the writers did add the quote “hello Clarice.” This is a reference to the popular misquote of the Silence of the Lambs movie. Although Hannibal was made about ten years later, this was a very clever addition by the writers.

Dracula

“I want to suck your blood.” Dracula, who was played by Bela Lugosi, was supposed to have said this in the 1931 original Dracula film. But the line never happened. Furthermore, the original story “Dracula” by Bram Stoker never had this line in it either. So where did it come from?

Spoofs

After the “Dracula” movie was a big hit in 1931, there were many spoofs made. At some point, the line “I want to suck your blood” was added in. People heard it so much they just assumed it was in the original movie.

Winston Churchill

“Blood, sweat, and tears.” Winston Churchill is said to have said this during a speech in 1940, although this is not correct. He was giving a speech to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. So what did he say?

Winston Churchill’s Quote

“I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat.” It was a paraphrase from an original quote that was said by Giuseppe Garibaldi on July 2, 1849. Churchill was fond of Garibaldi, and the quote he was paraphrasing was “because of the blood and sweat and tears, the labor and the anguish…”

The Cherry Tree

George Washington allegedly chopped down a cherry tree when he was young and said “I cannot tell a lie. It was I who chopped down the cherry tree” when asked about it. Washington was supposedly an honest president, but his biographer may not have known what he said.

George Washington

Washington’s biographer, Mason Locke Weems, wrote a story about George chopping down a cherry tree, then confessing to it when he was asked about it. However, the biographer never really knew if Washington said this or not. Since it is written in Washington’s 19th-century biography, it is taken as the truth.

Shakespeare

Shakespeare seems to get misquoted pretty often. In his 1600 play “Hamlet,” Queen Gertrude is thought to have said “Methinks the Lady doth protest too much.” This is not what Queen Gertrude said, but it is pretty close to the original quote.

Shakespeare’s Hamlet

“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” This is referring to someone who tries too hard to proclaim their innocence… they come off as defensive when this happens and the person they are trying to convince doesn’t believe them.

Dorothy and Toto

“I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore,” is a line that is supposed to have come from the famous movie The Wizard of Oz. However, Dorothy didn’t say this line when she first landed in Oz. So what did Dorothy say?

Dorothy’s Quote

“Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” This line is ranked number four in the American Film Institute’s list of the top 100 movie quotations in American cinema, even though it is commonly bungled. It is still a good quote and has a timeless meaning, just use it correctly next time you say it.

Alexander Pope

“A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.” Alexander Pope supposedly said this, but it is not accurate. Alexander Pope was an 18th-century poet and is best known for his translation of “Homer.” Pope did say something close to this that has a similar meaning.

Pope’s Quote

In his poem titled “A Little Learning,” Pope wrote “A little learning is a dangerous thing.” The quote goes on to say “Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring. The shallow draughts intoxicate the brain.” The poem is saying that the more knowledge a person has, the better informed they are.

Luke…

“Luke, I am your father.” How many times have you quoted this from the Star Wars trilogy? The Empire Strikes Back came out in 1980 and has been misquoted ever since. So what did Darth Vader actually tell Luke Skywalker?

Darth Vader

“No, I am your father.” When Luke and Darth Vader are talking in The Empire Strikes Back, Darth Vader doesn’t actually say Luke’s name. Instead, when Luke confronts Darth Vader about killing his father, Darth Vader responds with that line. He is trying to manipulate Luke into joining the dark side.