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Who really said it

A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti

Written for the screen by Ted Tally Screenwriting credit
Verified In copyright

The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins). The film transcription contains the census-taker anecdote. Film credit does not establish which words originated in the underlying novel.

Last verified 9 Nov 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?

For presentations

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Verified quote & credit

“A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti” — Ted Tally

Can you use it?

Still under copyright (rights held by Rights holders in the 1991 motion picture and any underlying work). A short, credited quote is generally fine for talks, teaching, and internal decks; for commercial, published, or large-scale reuse, get permission.

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In context

Evoking the world of Ted Tally — Screenwriting credit. Theme: "A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.

Minimalist

Minimalist editorial slide for the quote "A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti". Clean background, a single muted accent color, generous negative space, subtle paper or linen texture, no literal illustration — let the words carry it. Reserve clear space for a serif quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.

Provenance

The source

Documented source
The Silence of the Lambs
Date
1991

a nice Chianti

A short excerpt from the linked source, not a replacement for the full quotation above.

Read the documented evidence

How we verified this

  • The transcription supplies the speaker and words in the film. Read the source
  • The production account identifies the film and its credited writers. Read the source
In copyright

This screen dialogue is from a 1991 film and remains copyrighted in the United States; quotation for identification does not grant broader reuse rights.

Rights status is our research, not legal advice — and copyright varies by country and edition. For commercial or published use, confirm with the rightsholder. See terms.

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Filed under

More provenance-checked quotes on the same theme, each with its reuse status.

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Dig deeper

Trusted places to keep pulling the thread — primary archives, fact-checks, and scholarship. We show how we used each one before you leave.

Film transcriptionen.wikiquote.org

Read the evidence used here; the scope of the claim is stated in the provenance trail.
Publication and creditsen.wikipedia.org

Read the evidence used here; the scope of the claim is stated in the provenance trail.

The author

About Ted Tally

Ted Tally

Screenwriting credit

Ted Tally is credited with the screenplay of this film. The character’s speech is fictional dialogue, not a personal statement by the performer.

For writers & researchers

Cite this

The primary source (Chicago)

The Silence of the Lambs. 1991. Evidence and bibliographical details reproduced in the linked source; no independent access to an original edition is claimed unless stated.

This verification page

Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti’?” Last verified 9 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/a-census-taker-once-tried-to-test-me-i-ate-his-liver-with/

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