Famous non-quotation

A famous non-quotation is a well-known phrase attributed to someone who, in fact, did not say it.

It may not be known how these phrases came about, but when possible their type of origin is noted in this way:

• [P] Parody or satire of the original.
• [C] A corruption or mistranslation of the original phrase, possibly accidental, which became better known than the original.
• [M] A deliberate misquoting or made-up quote intended to discredit the alleged speaker.
• [A] Attributed to a well-known person to improve the appearance of the phrase or the person.

Famous non-quotations by actual persons

• "A few acres of snow"---Voltaire, referring to Canada [C]
  • Actual quote refers to Acadia, not Canada.
• "Let them eat cake!"---Marie Antoinette [M]
  • The original quote came from Jean-Jacques Rousseau: "Finally, I remembered the way out suggested by a great princess when told the peasants had no bread: 'Well, let them eat cake'." He was not speaking of Antoinette.
• "I cannot tell a lie. It was I who chopped down the cherry tree."---George Washington [A]
• "Judy, Judy, Judy!"---Cary Grant [P]
• "Houston, we have a problem." [C]
  • This is a minor misstatement of the actual communication between the Apollo 13 astronauts and Mission Control in Houston immediately after the explosion that aborted the intended mission. The actual quote was "Okay, Houston, we've had a problem here," uttered by Jack Swigert, soon followed by "Houston, we've had a problem" by Jim Lovell.
• "I invented the Internet."---Al Gore [C]
  • Distortion of Gore's claims to have been a significant political promoter of the development of the internet. The attribution was perpetuated and altered by the media echo chamber effect.
• "Anything that can go wrong, will" (and variations on this theme) – Edward A. Murphy, Jr. [C]
  • Actual quote uncertain. Variously, "If that guy has any way of making a mistake, he will," and "If there's more than one way to do a job, and one of those ways will result in disaster, then somebody will do it that way."
• "Religion is the opiate of the masses."---Karl Marx [C]
  • Actual quote: "Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people." Marx's intended meaning is subtler than the misquote would suggest.
• "The only good Indian is a dead Indian."---Philip Sheridan [C]
  • Actual quote is said to be "The only good Indians I ever saw were dead," though Sheridan denied ever saying it.
• "Money is the root of all evil."---1 Timothy 6:10, the Bible [C]
  • Actual quote: "For the love of money is the root of all evil" (King James Version) or "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil" (New International Version).
• "Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely" - Lord Acton [C]
  • Actual quote: "Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely".
• "Gild the lily" -- William Shakespeare, King John
  • Actual quote: "To gild refined gold, to paint the lily"
• "The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic." -- Joseph Stalin [M]
  • This quote has popularly been attributed to Stalin but, at this stage, there is no clear evidence as to whether it is genuine or not.
• "Et tu, Brute?" -- Julius Caesar
  • This quote was invented by Shakespeare for his play; there is no evidence that Caesar said anything at all when he was assassinated.

Famous non-quotations by fictional persons

• "Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him well."---Hamlet, by William Shakespeare [C]
  • Actual quote: "Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: a fellow of inifinte jest, of most excellent fancy."
• "Just the facts, Ma'am."---Jack Webb as Sgt. Friday on Dragnet [C]
• "Beam me up, Scotty."---William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek [C]
  • Actual quote typically used in the series: "Scotty, beam me up."
• "Play it again, Sam."---Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine in Casablanca [C]
  • Actual quote: "Play it, Sam. Play As Time Goes By"
• "Oooh, you dirty rat!"---James Cagney [C]
  • Actual quote: "Mmm, that dirty, double-crossin' rat," in 1931's Blonde Crazy.
• "Elementary, my dear Watson."---Sherlock Holmes [C]
  • Holmes used the phrases "elementary" and "dear Watson" on several occasions, but never together.
• "Luke, I am your father."---Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back [C]
  • Actual quote: "No, I am your father."
• "Now is the winter of our discontent."---Richard III, by William Shakespeare [C]
  • Actual quote in context: "Now is the winter of our discontent / Made glorious summer by this son of York." The meaning differs significantly when taken out of context.

See also