I had never heard that particular quote but do agree with you in your conclusion on Galileo. I learned a lot of similar things growing up in school that was wrong as well. Even in church I was misinformed on some of the most well known 'bible stories'. The biggest one probably being that Jonah ran away from Nineveh because he was afraid when really it was because he hated them and didn't want God to save them from destruction.
RE: The Truth About Galileo