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Have you ever quoted a book you've never read?

The other day I was talking to my dad about something and he started quoting a book that I know for a fact he's never read.

He admitted to knowing nothing about the book but heard the quote on the radio and thought it sounded cool. He's a bit odd like that.

And that got me wondering. Have any of you ever quoted something that you've never read, or seen on TV?

I do it quite a bit I realized.

Update:

I think I quote Shakespeare a lot, even though I haven't read some of the plays/poems that I'm quoting.

I've also recommended books that I haven't read. Then after I read them I realize that a lot of them weren't really what the person was looking for.

14 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    I think everyone's quoted "To be or not to be" without even knowing which Shakespeare play it was from. Eventually people find out from having to read it in class or something, but they had it on Bugs Bunny or something and I saw it when I was, like, seven or something, and all I knew about it was that it was famous. And my dad has quoted that a few times, and he's never even touched Shakespeare. (EDIT: Oh, my god, how annoying is that? Or something. Or something. Or something.)

    Other than that, I can't really think of a time when I've quoted something I haven't read. Oh, wait, I think I quoted "Something wicked this way comes," again from Shakespeare. But it was because it was in that song in HP3, the movie, and yeah. But I think that's it.

  • 1 decade ago

    All the time especially when I went through this reading quotation book phase. Actually I still like them. Yeah I know they aren't 100% accurate but I still find quotes so much fun. I use a couple of quotation websites as well. Thus I end up quoting from several books I've never read and hoping I'm not butchering the author's reputation.

    "Misquotation is, in fact, the mark of the educated. A widely read person never quotes rightly, for the rather obvious reason that he has read too widely." ~~Pearson (or something along those lines, guess I might have misquoted).

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    Oh, I thought I was the only one who recommended book i've never actually read! Good to hear that i'm not.

    I usually try to keep myself from quoting books i've never read. I almost used a quote from Pride and Prejudice and Zombies in an answer to a question by Rowan, but decided not to for fear of someone who has actually read it trying to start a conversation with me about it. I'd feel completely foolish.

    So I guess my answer is no. I can't recall quoting a TV show, movie, or book that I haven't first watched or read.

  • 1 decade ago

    Yeah, but not usually from books. I quote from Star Trek often, even though I've never seen the TV series, or the 11 movies xD.

    I say "Live long and prosper, Spock" a lot to my friends, but none of them ever gets it.

    "Seize the time. Live now, make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again" is one I say too, from the Star Trek: The Next Generation. It took awhile to memorize.

    NOTE: Also, I sometimes recommend books I've never read. Only when people ask for a specific genre or type of book though, not general questions.

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  • Kelly
    Lv 5
    1 decade ago

    No, but I've recommended books I've never read. And I once asked a question that was "What's your opinion on temptation?" and I asked that because of a book that I'd only heard a few paragraphs of. I don't even know who it was by.

    Actually, before I read the book Tuck Everlasting, I quoted it anyway. I'd seen the movie before I read the book, and so I quoted that. So since I did that, there's no doubt in my mind that I've done it with other books.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    I do quote things from books and movies, but it's always things i've read or seen. Now that I think about it, I mainly quote things with my sister because she's read/seen most of the same things as me.

  • Methos
    Lv 4
    1 decade ago

    I'm certain that I do!

    I misquote Star Trek all the time (never seen the original series).

  • "Peace and long life" Star Trek Quote!

    I am guilty on both accounts! But, if there is any serious doubt in my mind, I'll check it out first.

  • 1 decade ago

    One of my favorite quotes is, "Big brother is watching you," although I've never actually read 1984 (I really should, though).

    Best wishes!

  • 1 decade ago

    haha yes my mate loved lolita so much that she always went on about it i loved the fire of my loins bit (which caused me to read it eventually) i used it when expressing my fondness for someone (in a jokey way) and i was like wait i havnt even read it! haha

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