Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Book ·239 of 348
"Revenge is a dish best served cold. — Klingon proverb."
They never said that.
What people say
"Revenge is a dish best served cold. — Klingon proverb."
What was actually said
"Earliest English print: 1846, Les Liaisons Dangereuses translation." Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, Les Liaisons Dangereuses (1782)
Why it stuck
The Star Trek II (1982) attribution made it a "Klingon proverb" in the public imagination. The line predates Klingons by two centuries — Laclos used it first.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.