Changes

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.'<br>

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.'<br>

It is not the narrative voice of the ''poem'' that says "Beauty is truth, truth beauty." It is the ''urn'' that says this ''to'' the narrator. The narrator is certainly ''moved'' by the perceived message of the urn, but it is by no means clear that the narrator fully agrees.

It is not the narrative voice of the ''poem'' that says "Beauty is truth, truth beauty." It is the ''urn'' that says this ''to'' the narrator. The narrator is certainly ''moved'' by the perceived message of the urn, but it is by no means clear that the narrator fully agrees. What the poem means&mdash;and what Keats himself believed, which of course is not necessarily the same thing&mdash;can be debated, but "Keats wrote 'truth is beauty, beauty truth'" distorts by oversimplifying.

Sometimes, even a subtle change in wording can radically change what the speaker meant to say. For example, Charles E. Wilson, president of General Motors from 1941 to 1953, is often slightly misquoted as having said

Sometimes, even a subtle change in wording can radically change what the speaker meant to say. For example, Charles E. Wilson, president of General Motors from 1941 to 1953, is often slightly misquoted as having said