They Said What? 12 Famous Misquotations

Turns out some of the most famous phrases have been misattributed! We think it's time to set the record straight.

1. "Let Them Eat Cake!"

Marie Antoinette was thought to have told starving peasants, "S’ils n’ont plus de pain, qu’ils mangent de la brioche," - commonly translated as, "If they have no bread, let them eat cake!"

This made a lot of people pissed, to say the least, and so it was bye-bye to the French monarchy and off with her head!

Turns out, the origins of "Let them eat cake" has been linked to Maria Theresa of Spain instead. Oops.

2. "There's a sucker born every minute."

Oh yeah, that old P.T. Barnum classic?

Sorry folks, it was actually said by one of the showman's biggest competitors, commenting on one of Barnum's exhibits!

3. "The End Justifies the Means."

Niccolo Machiavelli, famed renaissance philosopher, wrote about a dark triad of personalities in his book 'The Prince.'

He described someone with a Machiavelli personality as narcissistic, manipulative and psychopathic. "The end justifies the means" has long been attributed to his work, but the phrase itself never actually appears in any of his writings.

4. "I Invented the Internet."

Al Gore made a pretty bold statement claiming he "invented the Internet."

Or did he?

Turns out this was just a common case of miscommunication. Gore actually said, "During my service in the U.S. Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet." His quote was misinterpreted and taken out of context by Wire News author Declan McCullagh and it spread like wild fire.

Even though the original quote in its entirety was later featured on CNN Late Edition, the incorrect version has endured.

5. "Elementary, My Dear Watson."

Who would've known that the most famous quote to ever come out of the Sherlock Holmes series was made up!

Not a single character, Sherlock included, ever uttered the phrase in any of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's written work. The words "elementary" and "my dear Watson" do appear in the novels, but never in one succinct sentence.

6. "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility."

This inspiring quote is often assumed to be the quote of Ben Parker dating back to the original Spider-Man comic in 1962!

*Cough, cough* mistakingly assumed, that is.

Although it made an appearance in the 2002 film version, it wasn't a spoken line by any character in the original comic.

7. "I Disapprove of What You Say, But I Will Defend to the Death Your Right to Say It!"

Thinking about slipping this little gem into your paper on Voltaire? Think again!

These were not the words of Voltaire, rather they were actually written by Evelyn Beatrice Hall. You go girl!

8. "No Rest for the Wicked."

The band 'Cage the Elephant' might not be please by this revelation.

Seems like this saying is just a misinterpretation of a passage from Isaiah 57:21 "There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked."

Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue as well, though.

9. "Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble."

Another one of Shakespeare's great creations, this chant from 'Macbeth' has been used time and time again in depictions of witches.

Unfortunately, they usually get it wrong. The words are, "double, double, toil and trouble," unlike the popular version, which uses the word "bubble."

10. "Greed is Good."

Michael Douglas plays a cunning, young stockbroker in the 1987 hit, 'Wall Street.'

While his character often throws around the word greed, he never explicitly says, "greed is good." This shortened version of the quote likely came from a similar line in the film.

11. "Luke, I Am Your Father."

Aside from the infamous "NOOOOOOOOO," (thanks a lot for that one, George) this is probably Darth Vader's most recognizable quote from the Star Wars saga.

But Daddy Vader never said this to Luke in 'Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.'

This is the correct quote, although it doesn't have the same impact as our abridged version.

Darth Vader: Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father.

Luke Skywalker: He told me enough! He told me you killed him!

Darth Vader: No. I am your father.

Luke Skywalker: No... that's not true! That's impossible!

12. "All That Glisters Is Not Gold."

This one just boils down to simple misquotations. William Shakespeare gave us this lovely phrase from 'The Merchant of Venice,' meaning things are not always what they seem.

However, if you want to be a stickler to Shakespeare's fine wordplay, the real quote features the word "glitters" not "glisters."

13. "Well That Escalated Quickly."

The popular Internet meme with the catchphrase, "well that escalated quickly," wasn't created on the Internet it seems.

Actually, the original phrase came from the movie "Anchorman," following a fight between Ron Burgundy and a local anchorman. However, the correct quote is, "boy, that escalated quickly."

Don't act like you're not impressed.