Misquotations

Misquotation is an inaccurate quotation or a quotation attributed to the wrong speaker. It can involve incorrect wording, omitted context, or misattributing the remark to another person. Misquotations can propagate through newspapers, books, or online media, often becoming accepted as fact.

Types include exact-word errors (slip of the tongue or transcription mistakes), decontextualization (quoting without critical context), misattribution (crediting the wrong person), translation errors, and deliberate alteration for rhetorical effect or satire.

Causes include memory lapses, hearing errors, poor transcription, reliance on secondary sources, and the rapid sharing culture of the internet. Quotations may be copied from unreliable references, then repeated, creating a chain of errors.

Effects include misinformation, reputational harm, and erosion of trust in sources. To avoid misquotation, verify against the primary source, cite exact wording with edition and date, and indicate any edits with brackets or ellipses. When uncertain, paraphrase rather than quote, or refrain from quoting.

Well-known misquotations include “Let them eat cake,” attributed to Marie Antoinette; “Play it again, Sam” from Casablanca, which never appears verbatim in the film; and “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” frequently cited with minor word changes from FDR’s original line.