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“Life is like a box of chocolates: You never know what you’re gonna get.”
We all know that quote – Forrest Gump, right? Wrong! Forrest never actually said that. He got close, and his mom got close, but that exact quote was never said.
There are so many famous misquotations, I’m making this a two-parter: misquotations from fictional characters and misquotations from real-life events. Today will be the fictional version, because I can’t imagine you guys would be too happy with me if I told you that Forrest Gump quote was wrong and then didn’t bother to tell you what it really is until tomorrow.
1. “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” There are two real sayings from the movie, but not quite that one. Here are the two:
• “My momma always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get,” said by Forrest.
• “Life is like a box of chocolates, Forrest. You never know what you’re gonna get,” said by Forrest’s mom.
2. “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him well.” According to Shakespeare’s original work, Hamlet actually says, “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy.”
3. “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” Supposedly said by Perez in William Congreave’s play Mourning Bride, except not. He really said, “Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.”
4. “A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.” Yeah, it sounds like something John Wayne would say. But he didn’t, at least not in those words. In Hondo, The Duke says, “A man oughta do what he thinks is best.”
It’s also often thought to be from the Alan Ladd movie Shane, but he didn’t say it, either. There are two similar quotes from the movie, though:
• “I couldn’t do what I gotta do if I hadn’t always knowed that I could trust ya”
• “A man has to be what he is.”
5. “Play it again, Sam.” Probably one of the most famous movie quotes of all time never actually happened. Ingrid Bergman’s actual quote is, “Play it, Sam. Play As Time Goes By.” And later Humphrey Bogart says, “You played it for her, you can play it for me!”
6. Another insanely famous quote that is wrong: “Luke, I am your father.” Darth says it, sure, but not quite like that. He leaves off the “Luke” part and simply says, “No, I am your father.”
7. “Do you feel lucky, punk?” Well, do ya? Probably not, if you thought that quote was accurate. Clint Eastwood really says, “You’ve got to ask yourself one question. ‘Do I feel lucky?” Well, do ya, punk?”
8. “Hello, Clarice.” I’ve seen Silence of the Lambs probably 100 times, and I’ve definitely quoted that non-existant line. Dr. Lecter does greet Clarice, but the actual words are, “Good evening, Clarice.”
9. Paul Hogan (AKA Crocodile Dundee) never said, “Throw another shrimp on the barbie!” He was doing American commercials for the Australian Tourist Commission and actually offered to grill for you, not demanding more shrimp for himself. The real quote? “I’ll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for you.”
10. “Badges? We don’t need no steenking badges!” The real quote from The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is, “Badges? We ain’t got no badges! We don’t need no badges! I don’t have to show you any stinkin’ badges!” (or “badgers,” if you’re a Weird Al fan)
Comments (63)
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GWTW–”Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” I believe Clark Gable actually said, “Frankly, Scarlett, I don’t give a damn.” Nor did Cary Grant ever say, “Jutee, Jutee, Jutee.” That was Rich Little imitating Cary Grant. (As a Judy, my recaptcha is ironic here–smashed Vanity)
posted by Judy on 9-16-2008 at 2:29 pm
Welcome to Raul’s Wild Kingdom!
I’m most definitely am a Weird Al fan, and I can’t hear that quote without hearing “badgers” instead of “badges”, and in a Hispanic accent. Awesome…
posted by Jeff on 9-16-2008 at 2:34 pm
“Badges? We don’t need no steenking badges!”
Well, actually this line IS used in the Mel Brooks movie “Blazing Saddles” :)
posted by Nicki on 9-16-2008 at 2:38 pm
actually, i believe it IS “frankly, my dear, i don’t give a damn.” just checked it on youtube. now he could have said “frankly scarlett i don’t give a damn” in the book, but I don’t have that one on me to check…
posted by Katie on 9-16-2008 at 2:39 pm
I thought number 10 was from Blazing Saddles (which, of course, parodied everything).
posted by Paul on 9-16-2008 at 2:39 pm
My favorite misquote which should be included:
“Luke, I am your father”
it really went…
“No, I am your father”
posted by Don on 9-16-2008 at 2:42 pm
Don – check out #6 :)
posted by stacy on 9-16-2008 at 2:45 pm
Ah, thanks.
Thats what I get for trying to sneak in some floss at work.
posted by Don on 9-16-2008 at 2:51 pm
Great list. I have nothing to add other than the fact that on the case of the original DVD version of The Big Lebowski, the blurb claims that The Dude’s rug really “made the room hang together” which is a ridiculously unnecessary reinvisioning of “really tied the room together.”
posted by Reed on 9-16-2008 at 2:56 pm
Great post. It always bugs me when people misquote great plays or films.
I would add Fight Club to the list. We never actually know the name of the main character. Tyler Durden is only what he thinks he wants to be and Jack is just the name used in the National Geographic or whatever magazine he reads from (”I am Jack’s ragine bile duct”). People always think it is Rupert or Jack or Tyler, it is just ‘narrator’.
posted by J on 9-16-2008 at 3:04 pm
In the book version of Gone With The Wind, the line is “My dear, I don’t give a damn.”
No ‘frankly’ in there. I’m not 100% sure what he says in the movie because I dislike the movie quite a bit in favor of the book.
posted by Rachel on 9-16-2008 at 3:08 pm
Cagney never said ,, “O You Dirty Rat!” (not in the movies at least)
And did Kirk ever say “Beam me up Scotty” ?
posted by Paul on 9-16-2008 at 3:08 pm
A lot of people misquote “The Graduate” (I’m guilty of it, too). They say, “Are you trying to seduce me, Mrs. Robinson?” or “Mrs. Robinson, I think you’re trying to seduce me” instead of the correct line, “Mrs. Robinson, you’re trying to seduce me.”
posted by Jenn on 9-16-2008 at 3:19 pm
Hannibal Lecter does say “Well, hello, Clarice” — in Hannibal, the sequel to Silence of the Lambs.
posted by Paul P. on 9-16-2008 at 3:26 pm
typo in #8 “non-existant”
“A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do” is a real quote now, from Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. I only mention this because the quote/song has been stuck in my head for weeks.
The Horatio-less version of that Shakespeare quote drives my friend crazy.
posted by pc on 9-16-2008 at 3:28 pm
“Luke, I am your father” may not have happened in Star Wars, but it definitely was uttered into a fan by Chris Farley the misquoting Tommy Boy.
posted by rnast on 9-16-2008 at 3:33 pm
To J– the magazine they are reading from is Reader’s Digest who did a whole series on the different parts of the body… “I am Jack’s Heart.” “I am Joe’s Liver.”
My favorite line in Fight Club… I Am Jack’s Nuked and Peeling Flesh
Awesome.
ReCaptcha: Charma Taining
Yes I am Charmataining today.
posted by Val on 9-16-2008 at 3:52 pm
#10 is parodied in “Gotcha!” as well.
“Don’t show me your badges, we don’t know nothing about no stinking badges.”
posted by DoggyDad on 9-16-2008 at 4:18 pm
yeah, when i say the badges phrase, I’m quoting Mel Brooks’ movie.
posted by m on 9-16-2008 at 5:32 pm
Whenever I hear #10 quoted, I think a out a bit that was in The Drew Carey Show way back when.
the gang was reshingling Drew’s house and Lewis brandishes two nail guns shouting “Permits? We don’t need no stinkin’ permits!”
Then he lowers them and shoots himself in the leg.
Random? Yes. Funny? Kinda. Misquote? Heck yeah.
posted by heather on 9-17-2008 at 1:17 am
Number ten – “Badges? We don’t need no steenking badges!” actually comes from Mel Brook’s film, “Blazing Saddles.” They be misquoting The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, but I used to have the audio clip from Saddles.
posted by Dave on 9-17-2008 at 10:43 am
“‘A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do’ is a real quote now”
Actually it already was, Paul said it in “Help!”
posted by Jay on 9-17-2008 at 11:21 am
How about “Music soothes the savage beast.”
No it doesn’t. It soothes the breast.
“Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast, To soften rocks or bend a knotted oak.”
That’s the opening line to “The Mourning Bride”, by William Congreve
posted by Frac on 9-17-2008 at 11:44 am
My favorite misquote is:
“And the winner is… Al Gore!”
Worst movie ever.
posted by Ben on 9-17-2008 at 11:45 am
A lot of these are misquoted because they were misquoted in other movies.
“Luke, I am your father.” is from Tommy Boy.
“Hello Clarice.” was from another comedy, I can’t recall.
“Throw another shrimp on the barbie!” from Dumb & Dumber.
“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” from X-Men (2?)
and “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” is very close the only difference is “Life IS” and “Life was”, and the “Momma always said” has been stripped off for an easier quote.
posted by Jacob on 9-17-2008 at 11:56 am
The badges line has been parodied everywhere. There is a whole wikipedia article chronicling the history of it. Search wikipedia, stinking badges(couldn’t post the link)
posted by jamEs - modsuperstar.ca on 9-17-2008 at 11:57 am
You are picky! The Forrest Gump quote is so close does it really matter? Sorry I don’t say Forrest in the middle of the sentence. #10 is from Blazing Saddles (one of the best comedies ever!) and is absolutely correct. #9 is from Dumb and Dumber, this is also correct.
posted by Jim on 9-17-2008 at 12:00 pm
Actually, Lecter does say “Hello, Clarice” in “Hannibal” when he calls her on the phone.
just thought you should know
posted by Michael Bravo on 9-17-2008 at 12:07 pm
The actual line in Gone With the Wind, the book, is “My dear, I don’t give a damn.” The “frankly” was added for the movie.
posted by ivy on 9-17-2008 at 12:07 pm
“Luke, I am your father.”
is actually:
“No. I am your father.”
posted by Zeus on 9-17-2008 at 12:11 pm
whether these are accurate or not, its some ridiculous nitpicking.
posted by lucas on 9-17-2008 at 12:19 pm
Actually if memory serves (and IMDB is any judge), Forrest’s mama actually says “Life is a box of chocolates.” That sticks in my memory because I like pointing out to people that slow-witted Forrest took it upon himself to turn Mama’s metaphor into a simile. Or is it the other way around? I always forget.
posted by Duane on 9-17-2008 at 12:27 pm
How is the quote from Forest Gump a misquote? Just because some choose to start quoting 4 words later, doesn’t make it a misquote. By your definition, then the example you gave is a misquote as well, because it didn’t use every single word from the movie.
posted by Willy on 9-17-2008 at 12:27 pm
I think a number of you are missing the point. The fact that the misquote was said in *another* movie doesn’t somehow make it correct. It’s still a misquote and it appeared (parodied) in other movies exactly *because* it was a popular misquote.
The article is about the origins of the misquotes, and revealing what the actual quotes were.
For example, the fact that “Luke, I am your father” appears in Tommy Boy is irrelevant. People have been saying that misquote ever since The Empire Strikes Back came out. Tommy Boy didn’t invent it, but merely repeated the pop culture misquote because out of context, “Luke, I am your father” is funnier than “no, I am your father.”
posted by Robert on 9-17-2008 at 12:31 pm
the Badges quote is from blazing saddles not Treasure of Sierra Madre and as far as I can remember it is the correct one!
posted by thatguy on 9-17-2008 at 12:35 pm
“Hello Calrice”. I remember it from the movie Cable Guy. Jim Carey at Medieval Times with the food on his face.
C’mon, you’ve all seen it… right?
posted by jim carey on 9-17-2008 at 12:53 pm
My favorite misquote is from War Games:
“A strange game, the only way to win is not to play.”
In the movie, Joshua actually says:
“A strange game, the only winning move is not to play.”
posted by ChaosFreak on 9-17-2008 at 12:59 pm
A collapsing economy and this is what you write about?
Complete semantic drivel.
posted by Tahko on 9-17-2008 at 12:59 pm
What about the famous quote from Apocalypse Now, “I love the smell of napalm in the morning, it smells like victory.”
What he actually says is, “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. “
posted by Dave on 9-17-2008 at 12:59 pm
Jon,
“Jack” is the narrator in the screenplay. It doesn’t matter. Like everyone, I am a victim of the IKEA nesting instinct.
Deliver me from Swedish furniture!
posted by jack's complete lack of surprise on 9-17-2008 at 1:08 pm
“Play it again, Sam” is the title of a Woody Allen film. In that film Bogie appears as an imaginary guide to Woody’s on-screen persona in his quest to be more macho and cool. The supposed misquote was popularized by the title of Allen’s film (I’m not sure if it’s every actually used in the dialogue) and took over from the original Casa Blanca version.
posted by Ted on 9-17-2008 at 1:21 pm
I had to post this whole quote because it is one of my all time favorites.
“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?” Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) in Dirty Harry
Oh, and I misquote Star Wars on a regular basis because my son’s name is Luc and I’m constantly saying “Luc, I am your father” in my best Darth Vader voice.
posted by Bill on 9-17-2008 at 1:23 pm
“Good Morning, Dave”
That was never said in 2001, HAL does say “Good Evening, Dave” though
posted by Avigrace on 9-17-2008 at 1:27 pm
One of my favorite misquotes is from Star Wars: A New Hope. Obi Wan Kenobi supposedly said “May the force be with you.”, right? Wrong. He says “The force will be with you, always.”. Han Solo says May the force be with you. As does General Dodonna.
posted by Tim on 9-17-2008 at 1:40 pm
The badges quote can be found in Blazing Saddles. It may not be the original source of the line and spoofed off like everything else in Blazing Saddles, but it’s there.
posted by Comrade on 9-17-2008 at 2:02 pm
I don’t know about your others – but I’m pretty sure the Hannibal quote is not wrong. It’s not from “Silence of the Lambs” though – it’s from the movie “Hannibal”.
He calls her and says, “Is this Clarice? Well, hello, Clarice.”
posted by Scott on 9-17-2008 at 2:04 pm
Actually number 10 is a real movie quote you just probably never saw blazing saddles
posted by Daniel on 9-17-2008 at 2:06 pm
side note on “badges” comments…in addition to Weird Al’s parody (awesome!) there was another one…maybe less known? In Shelly Long’s movie “Troop Beverly Hills”:
“Patches? We don’t need no stinkin patches.”
posted by realdeal on 9-17-2008 at 2:19 pm
Does anyone read the comments before commenting themselves? Anyone? And for the record, I’ll take semantic drivel over a collapsing economy for light lunch reading anytime. Mellow out, people.
posted by Megan on 9-17-2008 at 2:21 pm
“Badges, we don’t need no stinkin badges” also from Johnny Dangerously.
posted by Steve on 9-17-2008 at 2:41 pm
number ten is from the best scene in blazing saddles
posted by kevin on 9-17-2008 at 2:44 pm
This is poor.
It’s called paraphrasing. You have two maybe three actual misquotes at best.
posted by Steve on 9-17-2008 at 2:46 pm
How informative… Now for some Bushisms!
posted by Sam on 9-17-2008 at 3:19 pm
Thank you Robert for pointing out what I was going to say. Judging by the rest of the comments that followed yours, not many people paid attention to what you wrote. But I did! Original source material is what matters here, people, not parodies!
posted by Terry on 9-17-2008 at 3:38 pm
Megan – you are my hero for saying what I was thinking.
posted by Bill on 9-17-2008 at 3:48 pm
Here… this is much easier.
Go to wikiquote and search for List of misquotations. It will save you some time next go ’round.
posted by JD on 9-17-2008 at 3:49 pm
Guh! Why don’t you bloggers ever realize that “Badges, we don’t need no stinkin’ badges!” comes from Blazing Saddles, a Mel Brookes movie famous for it’s racial insensitivity. Stop with the movie misquote blogs. They’re old and incorrect.
posted by me on 9-17-2008 at 4:08 pm
I used to be a homeless rodeo clown but now I am a world class magician !
posted by FPM on 9-17-2008 at 5:55 pm
Today we’re teaching poodles how to fly.
posted by Lucas on 9-17-2008 at 10:51 pm
I can’t believe number 3! I have been fooled all of this time!
posted by Jazzy on 9-18-2008 at 12:45 am
One that I always remember is something that was said in real life and is most often misquoted in real life, but the misquote was then popularised by being used in the movie Apollo 13.
The line is usually quoted as ‘Houston, we have a problem’.
Astronaut Jim Lovell actually said ‘Houston, we’ve had a problem’.
Slight difference, yes, but a completely different implication. He said ‘had’ because at that point they thought the damage was only minor and that they’d been able to deal with it.
posted by Bob on 9-18-2008 at 8:09 pm
Catching up (was on holiday), and Megan – totally agree. Yep, I read all the comments and also? Love this site and this blog and will read anything – esp if it isn’t about the economy. =)
posted by Dawn on 9-28-2008 at 7:53 pm
Hondo does says a man oughta do what he thinks is best, has got out what he thinks right. Close enough for government work ,but hey if you love a quote,then quote it.
posted by keith on 12-20-2008 at 4:12 pm