Misinterpreted Quotes - Bus

Page 1 of 6

+ (//PLUS.GOOGLE.COM/+BUSINESSINSIDER/POSTS)

(//WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/TODAY/BUSINESSINSIDER.COM)

Tech (/sai)

Finance (/clusterstock)

Politics (/politics)

Search

Strategy (/warroom) Life (/thelife) Entertainment (/thewire) All (/) (http://oascentral.businessinsider.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/businessinsider/thelife/post/284221206/x02/default/empty.gif/65466937426c49714579304143796 x)

7652860482476689&adurl=http://oascentral.businessinsider.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/businessinsider/thelife/post/L28/1102257536/Top/BI/INT0400 RYW24iRdAISg93pNGYR0SvJWtALgzWSnAm18_e0bQ6g5w4AQBoAYU&num=0&sig=AOD64_2ppZ3cNEHt0IS6vbV3Bp77z6CJpQ&client=ca4AIAqAMBqgSqAU_Qgx22Te3kS_xg5MwyxwXEfM-eUX-0lJxHj1V2Jep_HxZQxdycMqrrIIeB9K_U7n0VsT0HtvGGyUHYIz3P8D3s8J8HFigeEt4CoBeuvrPMFAAAQASAAUJGEg11g5YKAgLwOggEXY2EtcHViLTc2NTI4NjA0ODI0NzY2ODnIAQKpAhS8y31VdVAkpglf5vqpZvD6933JlO6mOVf8fwm2VvsSSzvYComq5jchgZcKctm-Ba0dSGqLue2lY11rTrCSAfRe__jehoGxPvd2GnT3Fhttp://www.lifehacker.co.in/work/How-Can-I-Communicate-Better-at-the-Office/articleshow/21559224.cms) (http://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=L&ai=CJHEPwxMqUrnpub-

LIFE (HTTP://WWW.BUSINESSINSIDER.COM/THELIFE)
More: Culture (/category/culture)

12 Famous Quotes That People Always Get Wrong

d

CHRISTINA STERBENZ SEP. 6, 2013, 9:08 AM 17,503

(HTTP://WWW.BUSINESSINSIDER.COM/AUTHOR/CHRISTINASTERBENZ) (HTTP://WWW.BUSINESSINSIDER.COM/MISINTERPRETEDQUOTES-2013-9#COMMENTS) 12 (HTTP://WWW.BUSINESSINSIDER.COM/MISINTERPRETEDQUOTES-2013-9#COMMENTS)

Recommend 844 Share 28 Tweet 134 31

 EMAIL

+ MORE

Wordsmiths like Shakespeare and Robert Frost loved their sarcasm. But when you take comments like that out of context, they can mean the exact opposite of the author's intention.

That hasn't stopped us from spouting famous fit.

Wikimedia Commons

(http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shakespeare.jpg)

lines, many from classic literature, however we see

We created a list of some frequently used quotes that people just don't understand. Some came from this Quora (http://www.quora.com/Quotations/Whatare-some-quotes-that-have-been-significantlymisused-abused-or-misinterpreted) post. Others, we added from bits and pieces of our high school lit classes.
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

(http://www.businessinsider.com/excelAnswering What-If Situations goalSuper Easy seek(http://www.businessinsider.com/exce 2013-8)

This Excel Trick Makes Forecasting Outcomes And

goal-seek-2013-8)

Powered by Sailthru (http://www.sailthru.com/concierge)

http://www.businessinsider.com/misinterpreted-quotes-2013-9

06-09-2013

Misinterpreted Quotes - Bus

Page 2 of 6

1. "I took the road less traveled." In Robert

+ (//PLUS.GOOGLE.COM/+BUSINESSINSIDER/POSTS)

(//WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/TODAY/BUSINESSINSIDER.COM)

Tech (/sai) Finance (/clusterstock) Frost's culturally omnipresent poem, "The RoadPolitics Not(/politics)

Search

Taken," he tries to decide which of two paths heEntertainment (/thewire) Strategy (/warroom) Life (/thelife) should take. He looks down one but chooses the second, "just as fair" and "worn really about the same." If you read the entire poem, the last stanza regales a dinner party Frost will attend where he'll say "with a sigh" that his decision "made all the difference." In reality, Frost arbitrarily chose his path, which didn't matter in the long run. He just wants to hide his pessimism from his dinner partners. Of course everyone today uses the quote as evidence of "forging your own path," "going your own way" and all those other tautologies about fate and individualism. 2. "Money is the root of all evil." Not really. The love of money is the root of all evil, according to Timothy 6:10 from the King James Bible. (http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1-Timothy-610/) 3. "Nice guys finish last." Nice guys actually finish seventh. Leo Durocher, nicknamed Leo the Lip, served as the field manager for the Brooklyn Dodgers during the height of the Giants-Dodgers rivalry. He made some comment about Mel Ott, right-fielder for the Giants, being too nice, which made the team finish in seventh place. "Baseball Digest" later reprinted the column in which his quote appeared but changed "seventh" to "last place," according to Freakonomics blog. (http://freakonomics.com/2010/05/14/quotesuncovered-where-do-nice-guys-finish/) Leo's misquoted words soon became a credo for overaggressive coaches and guys with no romantic game everywhere.

All (/)

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

(http://www.businessinsider.com/excelAnswering What-If Situations goalSuper Easy seek(http://www.businessinsider.com/exce 2013-8)

This Excel Trick Makes Forecasting Outcomes And

goal-seek-2013-8)

Powered by Sailthru (http://www.sailthru.com/concierge)

http://www.businessinsider.com/misinterpreted-quotes-2013-9

06-09-2013

Misinterpreted Quotes - Bus

Page 3 of 6

4. Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou,

Techschool (/sai) Finance (/clusterstock) Romeo? In most high adaptations of

+ (//PLUS.GOOGLE.COM/+BUSINESSINSIDER/POSTS)

(//WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/TODAY/BUSINESSINSIDER.COM)

Politics (/politics) All (/)

Search

Shakespeare's well-known play, Juliet Strategy (/warroom) Liferaises (/thelife) a hand Entertainment (/thewire) to her furrowed brow, searching for her lover from a balcony. But "wherefore art" doesn't mean "where." It means "why." Juliet questions why fate made Romeo a Montague, her family's sworn enemy. 5. I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. Most attribute this insight to Voltaire. In reality, Evelyn Beatrice Hall, a writer born two hundred years later, paraphrased a quote from Voltaire's "Treatise on Tolerance," which begged for understanding between religions. Still, some report the original reads, "Think for yourselves and let other enjoy the privilege to do so too." But those words never appear in Voltaire's essay either. 6. "Love makes the world go 'round." The Duchess, a hideous character in Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland," makes this comment in passing right after she advocates beating her baby for sneezing. In context, the author meant the sweet quip sarcastically. But that didn't stop Ashlee Simpson from making a terrible song. 7. "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em." In Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," Maria writes a letter to Malvolio, trying to convince him that another character, Olivia, loves him dramatic, right? Maria uses the quote to appeal to Malvolio's ego, that Olivia (the false author) cannot deny his greatness. Thanks, Sparknotes. 8. "Oh East is East and West is West and never the twain shall
meet. Talking heads in foreign policy sometimes use this quote as evidence that opposite sides of the globe will never see eye-to-eye. But if they read just a little farther in Rudyard Kipling's ballad, the next lines

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

(http://www.businessinsider.com/excelAnswering What-If Situations goalSuper Easy seek(http://www.businessinsider.com/exce 2013-8)

This Excel Trick Makes Forecasting Outcomes And

goal-seek-2013-8)

Powered by Sailthru (http://www.sailthru.com/concierge)

http://www.businessinsider.com/misinterpreted-quotes-2013-9

06-09-2013

Misinterpreted Quotes - Bus

Page 4 of 6

read, "But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor

+ (//PLUS.GOOGLE.COM/+BUSINESSINSIDER/POSTS)

(//WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/TODAY/BUSINESSINSIDER.COM)

(/sai) Finance (/clusterstock) Politics Birth/When two strong menTech stand face to face, tho' they come from the (/politics)

Search

ends of the earth."

Strategy (/warroom)

Life (/thelife)

Entertainment (/thewire)

All (/)

Essentially, world colonization will happen regardless of geo-political borders, and we should all just get along.

9. "The Devil is in the details." Lazy people somehow bastardized a brilliant German architect's words to mean the exact opposite. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe really said, "God is in the details." He's also credited with another famous aphorism: "Less is more." 10. "Good fences make good neighbors." Once again, Bobby Frost wrote a widely misunderstood poem. In "Mending Wall," a fence separates two neighbors' yards. Every spring, they collaborate and fix it. But in the process, they disagree on whether they need a barrier at all. Frost makes the last line of the poem ironic. These two curmudgeons simply keep their fence out of tradition, even though it means more work for them. 11. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" More than one slick love letter has included this phrase. But arguably Shakespeare's most famous sonnet praised a man, not a woman. He actually wrote hundreds of sonnets about this guy, his dearest friend. 12. "Blood is thicker than water." This gets uttered around awkward family photos on the mantel of nearly every home in the country. The original phrase, however, meant the opposite. An earlier proverb (http://www.cracked.com/article_20251_the-5most-frequently-misused-proverbs.html) preached, "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb." In this case, "water of the womb"
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

(http://www.businessinsider.com/excelAnswering What-If Situations goalSuper Easy seek(http://www.businessinsider.com/exce 2013-8)

This Excel Trick Makes Forecasting Outcomes And

goal-seek-2013-8)

Powered by Sailthru (http://www.sailthru.com/concierge)

http://www.businessinsider.com/misinterpreted-quotes-2013-9

06-09-2013

Misinterpreted Quotes - Bus

Page 5 of 6

refers to family while "blood of the covenant" means trump your siblings and parents. Strategy (/warroom)
Life (/thelife)

+ (//PLUS.GOOGLE.COM/+BUSINESSINSIDER/POSTS)

(//WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/TODAY/BUSINESSINSIDER.COM)

TechSo (/sai) Finance (/clusterstock) blood shed by soldiers. really, military bondsPolitics (/politics) Entertainment (/thewire) All (/)

Search

SEE ALSO: 18 Obsolete Words That Should Have Never Gone Out Of Style
\ Share

Alerts (/register?action=index&first=alerts&from_post=5228e0986bb3f751308b4570)  Newsletter (/newsletter?source=sharebox) URL

Recommended For You

(http://www.busin (http://www.busin (http://www.busin (http://www.busin putin-photomeeting-g20summit-2013-9) batali-favoritebooks-2013-8) picturesvladimir-putintough-2013-9) gear-hands-onvideo-2013-9)

Obama Gives Putin Historic Death Stare At The G20 Summit (http://www.busi putin-photomeeting-g20summit2013-9)

Mario Batali Reveals His 10 Favorite Books (http://www.busi batali-favoritebooks-2013-8)

Here's Your 43 Photos That First Look At Samsung's Show Vladimir New Smart Putin Doesn't Watch In Mess Around (http://www.busi Action (http://www.busi picturesgear-hands-onvladimir-putinvideo-2013-9) tough-2013-9)

Neil deGrasse Tyson: Don't Be Fooled, Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic Barely Takes You Into Space (http://www.businessinsider.com/neildegrasse-tyson-on-richard-branson-2013-8)
Please upgrade your browser to view HTML 5 content

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

More:

(http://www.businessinsider.com/excelAnswering What-If Situations goalSuper Easy seek(http://www.businessinsider.com/exce 2013-8)

This Excel Trick Makes Forecasting Outcomes And

goal-seek-2013-8)

Powered by Sailthru (http://www.sailthru.com/concierge)

http://www.businessinsider.com/misinterpreted-quotes-2013-9

06-09-2013

Misinterpreted Quotes - Bus

Page 6 of 6

Culture (/category/culture)

(//PLUS.GOOGLE.COM/+BUSINESSINSIDER/POSTS)

(//WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/TODAY/BUSINESSINSIDER.COM)

Get Alerts for these topics Tech (/register? (/sai) quotes-2013-9)

Finance (/clusterstock) Life (/thelife)

Politics (/politics) Entertainment (/thewire) All (/)

Search

action=index&first=alerts&from_post=5228e0986bb3f751308b4570&redirect=/misinterpretedStrategy (/warroom)

(http://www.businessinsider.com/author/christinasterbenz)

Christina Sterbenz (http://www.businessinsider.com/author/christina- (mailto:csterbe sterbenz)

Advertisement:

Mini Quotes
zigwheels.com/Cars-OneStop Check On-Road Price in Your City! Read Specs, Features & Reviews.

New Nestle Alpino

www.facebook.com/Nestle_Alpino India's First Premium Chocolate! To Love is to Share.

Rakesh Jhunjhunwala Picks

rjstocks.in Park your money in high quality small & mid cap stocks!

Join The Discussion Comments (http://www.businessinsider.com/misinterpreted-quotes2013-9/comments.rss)

Insiders
0

All Comments

13

Apply To Be An "Insider" (/register? first=index&pundit_request=1)

Click to read all comments

* Copyright 2013 Business Insider, Inc. All rights reserved. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service (/terms) and Privacy Policy (/privacy-policy). Disclaimer (/disclaimer) Commerce Policy (/commerce-on-business-insider) Stock quotes by YCharts (http://ycharts.com) Made in NYC (http://nytm.org/made)

Powered by MongoDB (http://www.mongodb.org)

Ad Serving by 24/7 Open AdStream (http://www.247media.com/en-us/technology/capabilities.html)

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

(http://www.businessinsider.com/excelAnswering What-If Situations goalSuper Easy seek(http://www.businessinsider.com/exce 2013-8)

This Excel Trick Makes Forecasting Outcomes And

goal-seek-2013-8)

Powered by Sailthru (http://www.sailthru.com/concierge)

http://www.businessinsider.com/misinterpreted-quotes-2013-9

06-09-2013