What Are the Most Misquoted Movie Lines Of All Time?

I love it when you're out in public and people start quoting movies. It shows the indelible impact of what we do in entertainment and how much we can connect with the general public. But what's even better than that is laughing at misquoted movie lines.

Today, I want to give you the quotes that people get wrong all the time and what they actually said in the movies.

Let's dive in.

Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

The Misquote: "Luke, I am your father."

The Actual Line: "No, I am your father."

This is arguably one of the most famous misquotes in cinema history. The addition of "Luke" at the beginning is pervasive, though Darth Vader's actual line is a direct, impactful denial.

Casablanca (1942)

The Misquote: "Play it again, Sam."

The Actual Line: Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) says, "Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By.'" Later, Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) says, "You played it for her, you can play it for me!... If she can stand it, I can! Play it!"

The exact phrase "Play it again, Sam" is never uttered by any character in the film, though it has become indelibly linked to it, even inspiring the title of a Woody Allen movie.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

The Misquote: "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?"

The Actual Line: "Magic mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?"

The Evil Queen actually addresses her enchanted object as "Magic mirror," not by repeating "mirror." The rhythm of the misquote has made it incredibly popular.

Dirty Harry (1971)

The Misquote: "Do you feel lucky, punk?"

The Actual Line: "You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?"

Clint Eastwood's iconic line as Harry Callahan is often shortened, losing some of its original setup.

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

The Misquote: "Hello, Clarice."

The Actual Line: "Good evening, Clarice." (in their first meeting)

While Hannibal Lecter does address Clarice Starling, "Hello, Clarice" isn't how he greets her. He does say "Well, Clarice..." when he calls her at the end of the film.

Jaws (1975)

The Misquote: "We're gonna need a bigger boat."

The Actual Line: "You're gonna need a bigger boat."

Police Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) says this line to Quint, making it a personal observation rather than a collective statement because he wants to go home now.

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

The Misquote: "Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore." or "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."

The Actual Line: "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."

Dorothy's realization of her new surroundings is slightly more formal in the actual script.

Wall Street (1987)

The Misquote: "Greed is good."

The Actual Line: "The point is, ladies and gentlemen, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good."

Gordon Gekko's (Michael Douglas) infamous declaration is part of a longer sentence, though the punchier misquote has become a mantra symbolizing '80s excess.

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

The Misquote: "I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille."

The Actual Line: "All right, Mr. DeMille. I'm ready for my close-up."

Norma Desmond's (Gloria Swanson) iconic line has a slightly different lead-in, but this is all in the way you deliver it.

All About Eve (1950)

The Misquote: "Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy ride."

The Actual Line: "Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy night."

Margo Channing (Bette Davis) anticipates a turbulent evening, not specifically a ride anywhere.

Field of Dreams (1989)

The Misquote: "If you build it, they will come."

The Actual Line: "If you build it, he will come."

The mysterious voice initially refers to a singular "he" (Shoeless Joe Jackson, and ultimately Ray Kinsella's father), not the plural "they."

Star Trek (Various series and films)

The Misquote: "Beam me up, Scotty."

The Actual Line: This exact phrase was never said by Captain Kirk. Variations like "Scotty, beam us up," or "Beam them up, Mr. Scott" were used, but never with Scotty.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

The Misquote: "Badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges!"

The Actual Line: "Badges? We ain't got no badges! We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinkin' badges!"

The bandit "Gold Hat" (Alfonso Bedoya) delivers a longer tirade that is often condensed in people's minds.

Aliens (1986)

The Misquote: "Stay away from her, you bitch."

The Actual Line: "Get away from her, you bitch!"

To me, this is one of the all-time best lines, so I don't care how you say it.

King Kong (1933)

The Misquote: "'Twas beauty that killed the beast."

The Actual Line: "Oh, no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast."

I really think this boils down to the scene and might be better than the way it is originally written.

Apocalypse Now (1979)

The Misquote: "I love the smell of napalm in the morning. It smells like victory!"

The Actual Line: "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."

I love a long speech. But I do think it's every funny only one line gets remembered from it.

The Graduate (1967)

The Misquote: "Mrs. Robinson, are you trying to seduce me?"

The Actual Line: "Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me. Aren't you?"

A lot of these truncated quotes get right to the point of the scene. We're excited to say them out loud so we get them wrong.

Planet of the Apes (1968)

The Misquote: "Get your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape."

The Actual Line: "Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape."

This is only a word switch, so I think these older movies had to live on in people's memories before you could stream everything and check the lines.

Titanic (1997)

The Misquote: "I'm king of the world!"

The Actual Line: "I'm the king of the world!"

I think there's so much wish fulfillment in this movie that people just hear what they want to hear.

Apollo 13 (1995)

The Misquote: "Houston, we have a problem."

The Actual Line: "Ah, Houston, we've had a problem."

The movie line itself is a slight alteration of the real-life phrase, "Okay, Houston, we've had a problem here." Great writers like to alter history to sound better.

Let me know what you think in the comments.