People often like to state a famous historic quote to emphasize a point. While this is usually OK, unless the quote is being used for financial gain, far to often people state the quote incorrectly.
This should never happen, especially in the 21st Century. This is a time where information is literally at our fingertips. People can literally look up the famous quote they want to use in a matter of minutes if not seconds from their smartphone, tablet, and other portable devices. Most people carry at least one type of these devices with them everywhere they go. The demographic that now use these devices range from 80+ yr old grandparents to a 5yr old child.
Some classic examples are these quotes, correctly stated in this article, (the correct quote is in italics):
" Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." This was stated by George Santayana. The most common incorrect quote used is this one: "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it."
Another incorrectly stated quote is this one:
"I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country." This was stated by Nathan Hale before he was executed by the British during the American Revolution. When people use this quote they leave entire words out and add words that are part of the original quote which can change its meaning.
Previous articles in the series:
An aversion to using historic quotes for financial gain.
