10 Famous Quotes Everyone Always Gets Wrong

Quotes are one of the most memorable things that people encounter throughout their lives. A strong and interesting quote can live on in the memory long after a movie, novel or television has ended, giving fans a quick and easy way to remember their favorite characters and entertainment products. Unfortunately, the truth is that we aren’t quite as good at remembering quotes as we would like to think. In fact, some of the most famous and most frequently quoted examples are ones that we get wrong almost all the time.

Sherlock Holmes

“Elementary, my dear Watson” has become a staple of Sherlock Holmes, with fans constantly quoting the phrase when discussing the stories. Holmes though, never uttered those words in any of the official novels by Arthur Conan Doyle and has instead become well known from various adaptations.

All About Eve

“Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy ride” is one of the most famous movie quotes of all time and yet the real quote was really “Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night.”

Dirty Harry

Although most people believe that that the film Dirty Harry features the quote “Do you feel lucky, punk” it isn’t completely accurate. The movie actually has a longer version “Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya punk?”

Michael Caine

Ask anyone to say a famous phrase that Michael Caine has uttered and they are likely to say “Not a lot of people know that” despite the fact that he has never actually said it. The quote came from Peter Sellers while he was doing an impression of the actor and it has simply stuck in the public’s eye ever since.

The Wizard of Oz

After Dorothy arrives in Oz from her home town of Kansas she says the immortal line “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore, Toto.” Only she doesn’t as the character actually says the line “Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore” instead.

Wall Street

Many people quote the phrase from Wall Street is “Greed is good” when that is actually just a shortening of the sentiment that was meant by the much longer phrase “The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works.”

Spider-Man

Almost everyone knows the words that Uncle Ben says to Peter Parker in Spider-Man to teach him about being careful with his powers. The phrase is often quoted as “With great power comes great responsibility.” However, none of those words were spoken by Ben or any other character in the comic and have now just become part of the mythos of the character.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

“Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” is the quote most often attributed to the dastardly Queen says when looking in her mirror. It has become so well known that many people have forgotten entirely that the real quote is “Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?”

The Graduate

Almost everyone believes that the quote from The Graduate said by Dustin Hoffman is “Mrs Robinson, are you trying to seduce me?” when it is truthfully “Mrs Robinson, you’re trying to seduce me. Aren’t you?”

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

The shocking twist at the end of The Empire Strikes Back reveals that Darth Vader is actually Luke Skywalker’s dad with the apparent quote of “Luke, I am your father.” The truth is though that this is a complete misquote that is repeated by even the most ardent fans of the franchise. The actual quote is “No, I am your father.”