Most misquoted quotes...

[cKy]

Originally Posted by DropIt

Also, 'Literally'

' That is like, literally, the biggest house evar'

Also, A famous Peter L. quote "Kipper is literally on fire"

I guess to add to this thread, anything Peter Lombardius says.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by carom

"Survival of the fittest" from Darwin when the closest he actually wrote was "Any variation, however slight...if it be in any degree profitable to an individual of any species...will tend to the preservation of that individual, and will generally be inherited by its offspring"

Oh hell yes. That drives me insane when people attribute that to Darwin.


And that reminded me, pretty much anything Machiavelli (real person, not poster) has ever said.

I've even had profs get The Prince entirely wrong. Machiavelli never said it is better to be feared and the ends always justify the means.

He said it is better to be loved to gain respect, but if that isn't possible then fear is definitely an option. Obviously I'm paraphrasing but it makes me so angry when people say Mach was pure evil and conniving.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by carom

Survival of the fittest" from Darwin when the closest he actually wrote was "Any variation, however slight...if it be in any degree profitable to an individual of any species...will tend to the preservation of that individual, and will generally be inherited by its offspring"

The former was actually said by Spencer, and preceded the whole eugenics movement that eventually inspired the holocaust.

[Montana Moe]

Suposably instead of supposedly...

"A government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have.

I've heard this attributed to Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, Gerald Ford, Barry Goldwater, and Ronald Reagan.

[Buff]

Originally Posted by ma-skis.com

tiny dancer...

it's "tony danza" and he's the damn boss

Oh. I thought it was "Hold my clothes and tie me down, sir"... which makes more sense when you consider who sings the song.

[carom]

Originally Posted by Montana Moe

Suposably instead of supposedly...

[The Yen Man]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

But he didn't mean one small step for all people, he meant a small step for himself.

It wasn't a small step for all man it was a small step for one man.

Adding the "a" just makes it a little more specific, while leaving it as man makes it more ambiguous.

I've always thought that "man" is short for mankind. For example, if you say "man has evolved throughout the centuries", you're specifically referring to mankind, not a specific person.

Anyways (), I've always thought people sounded ######ed when they say "mind as well" rather than "might as well". Mind as well? What the hell does that even mean?

[albertGQ]

I don't watch Star Trek, but is it true that the words "beam me up Scottie" was never uttered?

[Temporary_User]

He did a complete 360.

As in, "John was so upset upon losing his job, however once he checked his winning lotto ticket his mood did a complete 360"

Not the best example, but I don't ever use the saying myself (correctly or incorrectly). The phrase however is a 180. A 360 would bring you to your original place, a 180 means the opposite.

[Stumptown]

On the subject of mispronunciations, the one that I keep hearing that I fear is becoming proper is "strenth" instead of "strength." Unless you've got a bad cold or something, there IS a non-silent g in the word.

[Montana Moe]

I chuckle when I hear "strenf" or "stremf".

[STeeLy]

Originally Posted by albertGQ

I don't watch Star Trek, but is it true that the words "beam me up Scottie" was never uttered?

Never was.

[NBC]

Originally Posted by Buff

Oh. I thought it was "Hold my clothes and tie me down, sir"... which makes more sense when you consider who sings the song.

This made my morning!

I say!

[STeeLy]

From the Beatles' Lucy in the sky with diamonds
"The girl with colitis goes by."

From Steve Miller Band's Jet Airliner
"Bingo Jed had a light on"

[iggyntangs]

Originally Posted by stuck_in_chuk

On the subject of mispronunciations:

My mom says "Sareday" to describe the day of the week between Friday and Sunday. I have never been able to figure that one out, but both of her parents used to say it that way.

I get really annoyed when I hear the word "mischievous", since it is almost always pronounced incorrectly. It has 3 syllables, not 4. However, it is such a common mistake that it has become acceptable to say it with 4 syllables, and those who say it correctly are assumed by everyone else to be an idiot.

Ditto for "lackadaisical". Too many people pronounce it as "laxadaisical".


As for misquotes, there are far too many from the bible. The one I can think of is "Money is the root of all evil", which is a condensed version of the full quote "The love of money is the root of all evil".




I think what you are saying is that, in the context of the quote, 'man' means the same thing as 'mankind', so the way it is quoted suggests that the step was both small and giant for mankind.

Isn't it 4 syllables? I honestly thought it was...

[Blaster86]

No "Luke, I am your father" yet?

[Art Vandelay]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

One of the biggest ones that I forgot is from Empire.

Everyone always quotes it as "Luke, I am your father" when in fact the quote is "No. I am your father".

^^^^

[JohnnyB]

The proof is in the pudding.

[Mad Mel]

Darwin's "Theory of Evolution". Darwin didn't use the word 'evolution' in The Origin of Species until the sixth edition, when the word was in widespread use. Nor did it contain the phrase "survival of the fittest".*

* credit to Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything, which is a fantastic book.

[Mad Mel]

Originally Posted by JohnnyB

The proof is in the pudding.

"A proof is a proof unless it's a proof and..."

Ok, I can't remember the quote either, it was such a #######isation of the English language.