Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Speech ·125 of 348
"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds."
They never said that.
What people say
"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds."
What was actually said
"Oppenheimer is quoting his own translation of the Bhagavad Gita 11.32." J. Robert Oppenheimer — J. Robert Oppenheimer — 1965 TV interview
Why it stuck
The line is Sanskrit (kālo 'smi loka-kṣaya-kṛt) and scholars dispute the translation — "time" is a more literal gloss than "death." Oppenheimer's rendering became canon.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.