Who really said it
Cool Hand Luke (1967), the Captain (Strother Martin). The Captain’s wording uses we’ve got rather than we have, and omits the article before failure.
Last verified 9 Nov 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?
For presentations
Disputed wording — copy with the correction
“What we have here is a failure to communicate” — Donn Pearce and Frank R. Pierson · Verbatim: “What we've got here is... failure to communicate.”
Can you use it?
Still under copyright (rights held by Rights holders in the 1967 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.
Image direction — grounded in this quote’s real context; paste into your image tool
In context
Evoking the world of Donn Pearce and Frank R. Pierson — Screenwriting credit. Theme: "What we have here is a failure to communicate". 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 "What we have here is a failure to communicate". 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
failure to communicate.
A short excerpt from the linked source, not a replacement for the full quotation above.
Read the documented evidenceHow we verified this
This screen dialogue is from a 1967 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.
Fact-check
The popular rendering changes the transcription. Shared screenplay credit is retained; no exclusive claim of coinage is made.
Cool Hand Luke (1967), the Captain (Strother Martin). The Captain’s wording uses we’ve got rather than we have, and omits the article before failure. Check the evidence
Explore
More provenance-checked quotes on the same theme, each with its reuse status.
Go further
Trusted places to keep pulling the thread — primary archives, fact-checks, and scholarship. We show how we used each one before you leave.
Read the evidence used here; the scope of the claim is stated in the provenance trail.
Read the evidence used here; the scope of the claim is stated in the provenance trail.
You’re skipping our source pages — these links now open the source directly. Show them again
The author
For writers & researchers
Cool Hand Luke. 1967. Evidence and bibliographical details reproduced in the linked source; no independent access to an original edition is claimed unless stated.
Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘What we have here is a failure to communicate’?” Last verified 9 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/what-we-have-here-is-a-failure-to-communicate/