Vol. 08 · Shakespeare ·Macbeth, Act IV.i ·Second Witch
"Something evil this way comes."
Not quite the line.
How it's usually quoted
"Something evil this way comes."
What Shakespeare actually wrote
"By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes." Second Witch — Macbeth, Act IV.i
Why it matters
The full couplet is a prophecy; cropping it loses the "pricking of my thumbs" superstition that signals it. Ray Bradbury's novel fixed the short form in pop memory.
More from the canon.
Browse the rest of the shelf, or try a cold reading.