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Janaki Jitchotvisut
- Sometimes we misremember movie quotes because a sequel or the book version was different.
- Other times, a misquote gets reinforced by other movies and TV shows misquoting it and reinforcing an incorrect memory in our minds.
- Other times, the misquote we remember changes the meaning of the line significantly — see Chief Brody's quote in "Jaws."
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Human memory is fallible — and even if you think you have a better grip on pop culture than on, say, what you ate for lunch last Thursday — you probably don't.
The American Film Institute listed their 100 greatest movie quotes of all time — and you might be surprised to see what you're remembering wrong.
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Darth Vader may be the father in this situation — but he doesn't even use his son's given name when calling him out.
The movie: "Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back" (1980)
The misquote: "Luke, I am your father."
The real quote: "No. I am your father."
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We're most certainly not remembering the correct line from one of the greatest American film classics.
The movie: "The Wizard of Oz" (1939)
The misquote: "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto."
The real quote: "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."
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Either way you remember this iconic Bette Davis line, safety first is key.
The movie: "All About Eve" (1950)
The misquote: "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy ride."
The real quote: "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night."
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Perhaps the greatest trick the evil queen ever pulled was giving us all that "Mirror, mirror" collective false memory.
The movie: "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937)
The misquote: "Mirror, mirror, on the wall — who's the fairest of them all?"
The real quote: "Magic mirror on the wall, who's the fairest one of all?"
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This quote has aged well — although we rarely get it right.
The movie: "Network" (1976)
The misquote: "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore!"
The real quote: "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!"
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Anthony Hopkins never said "Hello, Clarice" in "The Silence of the Lambs."
The movie: "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991)
The misquote: "Hello, Clarice."
The real quote: "Well, Clarice."
For what it's worth, he does say this in Hannibal (2001). AMC also has clips of him saying "Good evening, Clarice." in "The Silence of the Lambs" — which still isn't "Hello, Clarice."
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Great satire is an art form — and this film raised the bar, even if its most memorable line gets misquoted all the time.
The movie: "Sunset Boulevard" (1950)
The misquote: "I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille."
The real quote: "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up."
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We might all be mad for misremembering this quote from a famous Disney film.
The movie: "Alice in Wonderland" (1951)
The misquote: "We're all mad here."
The real quote: "Most everyone's mad here."
Of course, if you read the book in addition to watching the Disney film adaptation, that line is very much accurate — and could be why you think you heard it in the movie.
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It might be remembered as an early American classic, but our memories often remember its famous quote wrong.
The movie:"Casablanca" (1942)
The misquote: "This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
The real quote: "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
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People often misquote Chief Brody in "Jaws."
The movie: "Jaws" (1975)
The misquote: "We're gonna need a bigger boat."
The real quote: "You're gonna need a bigger boat."
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