A Game of Telephone

Throughout history, there are many inspiring and admirable phrases that have made their way into legends. Then there are those phrases that have masqueraded as something else. If you’ve ever wondered what those figures were really talking about, this is the list for you.

NASA / Harrison H. Schmitt on Wikimedia

1. Machiavelli

Machiavelli is famously quoted as having said, “The ends justify the means,” but this is false. Instead, he stated, “One must consider the final result.” Interestingly, the poet Ovid said, “The result justifies the deeds.” How this mix-up happened is anyone’s guess.

Santi di Tito on Wikimedia

2. Neil Armstrong

Everyone quotes Neil Armstrong as saying, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” However, Armstrong claimed in interviews that he actually said, “one small step for a man,” emphasizing the “a.”

Unknown authorUnknown author on Wikimedia

3. Jack Swigert

One of the most famous lines associated with space travel is, “Houston, we have a problem.” This is pretty close to what was actually said in real life when Jack Swigert called Mission Control during Apollo 13 and said, “Okay, Houston, we’ve had a problem here.”

NASA on Wikimedia

4. Gandhi

Some people remember Gandhi famously saying, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” But in reality, The New York Times could only find this remotely similar quote: “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. We need not wait to see what others do.”

Elliott & Fry on Wikimedia

5. Queen Victoria

In typical regal fashion, Queen Victoria was thought to have said, “We are not amused.” However, this was made up by a courtier who heard it from a second-hand account.

K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash

6. Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette’s story is a sad one, as she was thought to be a selfish and cruel woman for saying, “Let them eat cake.” In reality, she said, “Let them eat brioche,” which is a kind of French bread.

Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun on Wikimedia

7. Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe is still considered an icon to this day. She was famously remembered as having said, “Well-behaved women rarely make history,” but the actual quote was from a Harvard professor named Laurel Thatcher, who said, “Well-behaved women seldom make history.”

Los Angeles Times on Wikimedia

8. Admiral Horatio Nelson

Admiral Nelson was a key player in the Battle of Copenhagen that secured victory over the Danish Navy. He was thought to have said, “I see no ships,” as he famously ignored signals from his commanding officer. However, he actually said, “I have a right to be blind sometimes. I really do not see the signal.”

Nicholas Pocock on Wikimedia

9. Henry Morton Stanley

Stanley was a Welsh-American journalist who led expeditions into Africa to find Dr. David Livingstone after his disappearance. When he happened upon him, Stanley supposedly said, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” But apparently, this is entirely made up.

Lina Loos on Unsplash

10. Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde is a famous author, poet, and playwright best known for works like The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest. People credit him with saying, “Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.” However, he never said this. The closest quote to this is, “Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinion, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.”

Napoleon Sarony on Wikimedia

11. Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill is best known for his leadership and tactical brilliance in fighting the Nazis. Some believe he said, “We shall fight them on the beaches,” in 1940, but he actually said, “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”

Kristina Gadeikyte on Unsplash

12. Gloria Steinem

Gloria Marie Steinem is best known for her work heralding the second wave of feminism in the United States and is also an exceptional journalist and social activist. Many people know her for the quote, “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle,” but she explained that the quote was pulled from writer Irina Dunn, with the original quote being, “God needs man like a fish needs a bicycle.”

Mindy Kittay of Boulder, Colorado on Wikimedia

13. Theodore Roosevelt

One of America’s favorite presidents is undoubtedly Theodore Roosevelt, who was a pivotal figure in shaping the country. He was remembered as having said the phrase, “Walk softly but carry a big stick,” but this is false. What he actually said was, “Speak softly and carry a big stick: you will go far.”

Pach Brothers (photography studio) on Wikimedia

14. The Bible

Misquoting the Bible is a common enough occurrence, but many people believe it to have stated that “Money is the root of all evil.” This is pretty close, as it actually says, “The love of money is the root of all evil.” This changes the perception and meaning of the quote.

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15. Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary who was jailed for a time before becoming the country’s first Black president. People believe he said, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” However, he did not say this, and it was actually a quote from Marianne Williamson.

South Africa The Good News on Wikimedia

16. William Congreve

While you may be unfamiliar with this 17th-century English writer, plenty of people credit him with saying, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” However, the actual line is, “Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.”

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17. Julius Caesar

Caesar was a Roman general, statesman, and dictator who had a profound effect on Rome. The play written by William Shakespeare popularized Julius Caesar saying, “Et tu, Brute?” in his final moments. However, historians are torn between him saying nothing or, “You too, young man.”

Nemanja Peric on Unsplash

18. George Washington

George Washington and his cherry tree scandal are actually fabrications of a 19th-century biographer. This biographer also added in Washington saying, “I cannot tell a lie,” but this too was never said.

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19. Confucius

Confucius was an influential Eastern philosopher who said many great things. However, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” is not one of his phrases. In fact, it was Lao Tzu who said, “A journey of 400 miles begins beneath one’s feet.”

Denise Bossarte on Unsplash

20. Alexander Pope

Alexander Pope was an English poet who created numerous prolific works in the 18th century. He was mistaken to have said, “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing,” but in reality, he said, “A little learning is a dangerous thing.” Close enough!

Michael Dahl on Wikimedia