Poet Maya Angelou says a paraphrased version of a quotation inscribed in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington makes the civil rights leader sound like an "arrogant twit" because it leaves out key words to the quote's meaning, according to The Daily Beast.

The quote in the memorial is, “I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness.” It is a shortened version of King's famous "drum major" quote from a 1968 speech. The longer quote is, “If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice,” ABC reports.

Angelou said the paraphrased version “makes him seem like an egotist,” and that leaving out the “if” clause completely alters the context, according to The Daily Beast.

The words were from a sermon King delivered at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church two months before he was assassinated in which he spoke about how he wanted to be remembered, writes the Boston Herald.

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