Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Speech ·235 of 348
"Read my lips: no new taxes."
They never said that.
What people say
"Read my lips: no new taxes."
What was actually said
"Read my lips: no new taxes." George H. W. Bush — 1988 Republican National Convention acceptance speech, 18 August 1988
Why it stuck
Correct as delivered — but the phrase is routinely attributed to speechwriter Peggy Noonan, who wrote it. Bush raised taxes in 1990; the line returned to haunt him.
Noonan had lifted "Read my lips" from the 1957 Pete Seeger song "Talking Un-American Blues."
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.