Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Play ·111 of 348
"Heavy is the head that wears the crown."
They never said that.
What people say
"Heavy is the head that wears the crown."
What was actually said
"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown." King Henry IV — Henry IV, Part 2 (III.i)
Why it stuck
"Uneasy lies" is Elizabethan phrasing that modern ears reorder into a heavier, more straightforward sentence. The meaning drifts from insomnia to physical burden.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.