Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Poetry ·316 of 348
"Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink."
They never said that.
What people say
"Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink."
What was actually said
"Water, water, every where, / Nor any drop to drink." The Ancient Mariner — The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Part II (1798)
Why it stuck
Coleridge wrote "Nor any drop" — not "and not a drop." The difference is rhythmic; "nor any" is iambic, "and not a" isn't. Coleridge built the poem's metre on that word choice.
The poem's marginalia were added in 1817. Coleridge tinkered with the poem for twenty years; the misquote still took over.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.