There are some memorable quotes which have come down through the years, having remained popular for generations. However, when we examine these quotes we'll see that "memorable" may be the last word with which we should describe these gems. After all, as we'll see, the way we "remember" them is more about the poignant content, rather than the the actual words that were said.
I've listed several of the people whose words we like to mimic, and have included the phrases which they actually said. After reading each phrase, your job is to see if you can guess what famous quote each of these phrases are meant to be referring to. Answers are below for you to see how well you've done.
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1. Who: Sherlock Holmes
What he actually said:“My dear Watson.”
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2. Who: Lord Acton
What he actually said: “Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.”
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3. Who: CaptainJames T.Kirk (William Shatner)
What he actually said:“Beam us up home,” and “Two to beam up.”
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4. Who: Winston Churchill
What he actually said: "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat."
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5. Who: William Sakespeare's Julius Caeser
What he actually said: In fact this was said by another character, Anthony and not Caeser. (clue: something about countrymen and ears)
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6. What: The Bible
What was actually said: In reality, nothing close to this at all. This is an ancient proverb. (Clue: God help those who ---- -----)
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7. Who: William Shakespeare's Hamlet
What he actually said: "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."
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8. Who: Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca
What she actually said: "Play it Sam, for old times' sake, play "As Time Goes By"."
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9. Who: Mae West in "She Done Him Wrong"
What she actually said: "Why don't you come up sometime and see me?"
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10. Who: Dart Vader in "Star Wars" - Episode V
What he actually said: "No. I am your father."
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11. Who: Clint Eastwood as Harry Callahan in "Dirty Harry"
What he actually said: "Ah-ah, I know what you're thinking, punk. You're thinking, "Did he fire six shots or only five?" And to tell you the truth, I've forgotten myself in all this excitement. 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 a question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, PUNK?"
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12. Who: William Congreve, English Author and Playwight
What he actually said: "Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned."
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13. Who: Jim Lovell
What was actually said: "Okay, Houston, we've had a problem here,” by Jack Swiggert and then, “"Houston, we've had a problem. We've had a main B bus undervolt,” by Jim Lovell.
Now here are your answers
- Sherlock Holmes - Famous Quote: “Elementary, my dear Watson.”
- Lord Acton - Famous quote: "Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
- Captain James Kirk- Famous Quote: "Beam me up, Scotty"
- Winston Churchill - Famous Quote: "Blood, Sweat, and Tears"
- Julius Ceaser - Famous Quote: "Friends, Romans, Countrymen, Lend me your ears."
- The Bible - Famous quote:“God helps those who help themselves"
- Hamlet - Famous quote: "Methinks the lady doth protest too much"
- Ingrid Bergman - Famous Quote: "Play it again, Sam"
- Mae West - Famous Quote: "Why don't you come up and see me sometime?"
- Dart Vader - Famous quote: "Luke, I am your father."
- Clint Eastwood - Famous quote: "Do you feel lucky, punk?"
- William Congreve - Famous quote: "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned"
- Jim Lovell - Famous quote: "Houston, we have a problem"
How well did you do? I think eight correct guesses (or more) is a a very good score indeed. If you've used these quotes in the past, now you know that the person to whom it has always been attributed, did not actually say it in the way it's now been passed on to us. Happy quoting!
