I got $25 from Reader's Digest last week for something I never said. I get credit all the time for things I never said. You know that line in You Bet Your Life? The guy says he has seventeen kids and I say: 'I smoke a cigar, but I take it out of my mouth occasionally'? I never said that.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Complaint about being attributed to statements he never made, highlighting how public figures are misremembered.
- In plain terms
- People say I said things I never said.
- What can you take from it?
- Public figures get credit for words they didn't speak.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Who owns a quote?
- How do you handle misattribution?
Another view
It highlights the unreliability of public memory.
More from Groucho Marx
They say Allen got something from the Marx Brothers. He got nothing. Maybe twenty years ago, he might have been inspired. Today he's an original. The best, the…
Permalink to quote #13 I did a bond tour during the Second World War... We were raising money, and we played Boston and Philadelphia and most of the big cities. And we got to Minneap…
Permalink to quote #15 I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception.
Permalink to quote #12
Related quotes
There's not a day in my life I'm not proud of being gay but I just wasn't ready for that attention to be placed on it. I remember being on Oprah. Well, not on …
Nathan LaneNathan Lane quote #2 To become a celebrity is to become a brand name. There is Ivory Soap, Rice Krispies, and Philip Roth. Ivory is the soap that floats; Rice Krispies the breakfas…
Philip RothPhilip Roth quote #3 The idea that I would ever end up on David Letterman or Jay Leno is horrifying. I am such a freak in comparison to most other twenty-five-year-old guys. I have…
Jared LetoJared Leto quote #10