Month: February 2016

“Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!”

From: Planet of the Apes (1968)

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: George Taylor

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from the sci-fi classic, Planet of the Apes. The film was successful enough to spawn several sequels and the film has been remade in 2001. The series was also rebooted into a new franchise of films starting with 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Essentially, all the films feature intelligent apes overtaking the humans as the superior race of the planet.

The quote comes from the middle of the film. After astronaut George Taylor (played by Charlton Heston) crash lands on the Planet, he is captured by the apes. Upon learning that Taylor possesses higher intelligence than the rest of the humans, Dr. Zaius orders the astronaut to be castrated. Taylor then makes an unsuccessful attempt at escape. As the apes grab Taylor, the human delivers the quote, surprising everyone.

Geek wisdom: It can be scary to fight against oppression, especially if the one doing the abusing is stronger and more powerful than you. But, there has to be a time when we all must fight back. We can’t always cower and take it. We will have to stand up against them if we want to stop being under the thumb of someone else. It will take courage to do so and it may be frightening but it’s much better to fight back than to live in constant fear.

“Stupid is as stupid does.”

From: Forrest Gump

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Forrest Gump

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from the critically acclaimed film of the 90’s, Forrest Gump. The movie is about a slow-witted man named Forrest Gump and all of the adventures he goes through as well as how he influenced the world around him. The movie won several awards, including Best Picture during the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes.

The quote comes from the middle of the film. Forrest Gump (played by Tom Hanks) has just been discharged from the Army. He proceeds to fulfill his promise to his friend Bubba, who he met during basic training, to start a shrimping business. Everyone around him, even Bubba’s family, is skeptical that the shrimping business would succeed and they think it’s an dumb idea. This is usually when Forrest delivers the saying that his mother taught him when he was younger.

Geek wisdom: It’s so easy to judge people by the way they look. Based on this, we automatically infer their intelligence as well as questions the decisions they make. But a person’s intellect, quick-wittedness and mental acuity is never determined by the way they look, but, rather, from the choices they make. Look at the decisions and the choices the person makes, not how they look like.

“You complete me.” AND “You had me at ‘hello.'”

From: Jerry Maguire

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Dorothy Boyd

The story behind the quote: As Valentines Day is just a few hours away, we’re doing something special. We’re presenting two quotes today instead of one! This week’s quotes comes from the critically acclaimed and box office hit Jerry Maguire. The film follows the titular character as he decides to quit his current company in order to open his own sports agency that will be more dedicated and focused on their clients and not just care for the money the athletes pay them. At the start of the film, Jerry Maguire (played by Tom Cruise) tries to rally the other employees to join him but only Dorothy Boyd (played by Renee Zellweger), a single mom, joins him.

The quote comes near the end of the film. Dorothy had broken up with Jerry as she feels he doesn’t feel the same way. After seeing his only client Rod Tidwell (played by Cuba Gooding, Jr.) call his family and say how much he loves them, Jerry gets an epiphany and flies back home to try to get Dorothy back…

Geek wisdom: Let’s first tackle the first quote, “You complete me.” This is how Jerry Maguire ended his speech, expressing how much he missed being with Dorothy. And this is true not just for your significant other but for anyone who’s ever been in any kind of relationship. Life just doesn’t feel complete unless we can share it with others. We need to be with other people at sometimes to get the most out of life and the world around us. Each and everyone you’re grown to love is, somehow, a part of you. They’ve influenced you in one way or another and now will be with you forever.

Now, for the second quote, “You had me at ‘hello.'” At times, we can try to string together a lot of words in an attempt to express our feelings. However, there are going to be times when this isn’t necessary. You don’t need too many words to express your love for someone or let them know you care.

“I’m not even supposed to be here today!”

From: Clerks

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Dante Hicks

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from the cult classic Clerks. The movie was written and directed by Kevin Smith. Filmed on a really shoestring budget, Clerks follow the misadventures of Dante Hicks, a clerk from the Quick Mart who is called in to work on his day off, and Randall Graves, a slacker clerk who works next door at a video rental store. The movie became a cult classic and launched Kevin Smith’s career.

The quote comes from Dante Hicks several times throughout Clerks. Whenever something unfortunate happens to him while on the job, he bemoans the fact that this was supposed to be his day off.

Geek wisdom: There are going to be bad days and there’s really no way to say how a day will turn out because it’s not something you can control sometimes. The best thing to do is to bear with it and try to get through the day the best you can.