Month: September 2018

“I believe there’s a hero in all of us…”

From: Spider-Man (specifically, Spider-Man 2)

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Aunt May

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from Spider-Man 2, the 2004 film starring Tobey Maguire as the Marvel superhero Spider-Man. The plot has Peter Parker giving up his role as Spider-Man as he has been having difficulty taking on his regular/normal life and balancing it out with his role as protector of New York.

The quote comes from the middle of the film. Aunt May (played by Rosemary Harris) is moving out of her house when Peter drops by to apologize for dropping a bombshell that he part of the reason why Uncle Ben was murdered. Aunt May forgives her nephew and comments that he was brave to do so.

The kid that was helping Aunt May pack recognizes Peter as the man who takes pictures of Spider-Man and asks Peter what happened to the superhero. Aunt May then comments that Spider-Man inspired the kid as well as herself. This is when she delivers the quote and that Spider-Man was an example for us to follow.

Geek wisdom: It may be cliche to say but you don’t need superpowers to be a hero. Heroism is doing the right thing and the brave thing, even when things look hopeless. Being a hero means that you have to keep on fighting when you know what you’re doing is righteous.

“It means your future hasn’t been written yet. No one’s has! Your future is whatever you make it. So make it a good one!”

From: Back to the Future: Part III

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Doc Brown

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from the the final film of the Back to the Future trilogy. The film series focuses on Marty McFly and Doc Brown who use a time machine (built out of a Delorean) and get into various adventures because of it.

The quote comes from the final scenes of the third installment. Marty McFly (played by Michael J. Fox) takes his girlfriend Jennifer (played by Elizabeth Shue) to the remains of the Delorean. Suddenly, Doc Brown (played by Christopher Lloyd) comes back from the future using a time machine built into a train. Jennifer asks Doc Brown why one of the messages she took home from the future has been erased. This is when Doc Brown explains the reason and the quote.

Geek wisdom: We are in control of our own destiny. No matter our initial circumstances, we have the power to make the future are bright as we want it to be.

“Never forget what you are. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor. It can never be used to hurt you.”

From: Game of Thrones

Genre: Television

Who said it?: Tyrion Lannister

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from the HBO series Game of Thrones. It is a medieval fantasy series based on the book series “A Song of Fire and Ice” by George R. R. Martin. The books focus on several families/houses vying for the Iron Throne and the right to control all of Westeros.

The quote comes from the very first episode of the series, “Winter is Coming.” Tyrion Lannister (played by Peter Dinklage) runs across Jon Snow (played by Kit Harrington). Tyrion Lannister recognizes Jon Snow as the illegitimate son of Ned Stark and calls  him a “bastard.” This does offend Jon Snow to a great degree. This is when Lannister gives him some advice…

Geek wisdom: We live in a world where people will try to ridicule you for what you are and we have a tendency to hide our true selves from the world. What most of us don’t realize that, if we do this, then we are not accepting ourselves for who we really are.

If we are honest with ourselves and allow ourselves to express our true nature, others, despite them trying to make fun of us for whatever it is, won’t be able to hurt us.

“But what is happiness? It’s the moment before you need more happiness.”

From: Mad Men

Genre: Television

Who said it?: Don Draper

The story behind the quote: This week’s quotes are actually from the same speech/rant but the entire thing is a bit too long so the quote is just the ending bit, which is the most important bit. Anyway, the quote comes from the AMC show, Mad Men. The show is set in the roaring ’60s and focuses on the staff of an advertising agency, mainly on Don Draper, the egotistical advertising executive and protagonist of the show.

The quote comes from the fifth season episode entitled “Commision and Fees.” In the episode, Don Draper (played by Jon Hamm), along with Roger Sterling (played by John Slattery), head to Dow Chemical in an attempt to get the conglomerate as a client. When the people at Dow Chemical tell Don and Roger they’re happy with their current advertising, Don Draper then proceeds to tell them his version of happiness.

Geek wisdom:  Happiness and contentment are two different things and we can confuse the two things. The weird thing is, when we feel content, we tend to let life pass us by. Once we are content with our life, we forget that there can be bigger and better things for us out there and real happiness may just be in our reach but we have to actually strive to reach out for it.

“You’re so hurtful!”

From: The Amanda Show / Moody’s Point

Genre: Television

Who said it?: Misty

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from the Nickelodeon show The Amanda Show. The Amanda Show started in 1999 and was a sketch comedy show much like in the vein of Saturday Night Live and even Nickelodeon’s own All That. In fact, the show is named after Amanda Bynes, who also starred in All That when she was much younger.

As The Amanda Show was a sketch comedy show, there were some recurring skits. One of them was Moody’s Point, a parody of teen dramas of the time. One of the characters in Moody’s Point is a girl named Misty, a rather homely girl who is incredibly sensitive and delivers the quote because of her fragile ego.

On a side note, this isn’t Misty’s only “catch phrase.” Her other one is “What’s that supposed to mean” and is usually uttered because of the same reason.

Geek wisdom:  Thin skinned people have difficulty taking any criticism. If we are that way and take any constructive feedback and just tell the critic that we feel offended, then we cannot grow and improve. While there are some people who will try to hate on you, you should always be ready to listen to both good and bad feedback as we can learn from them both.