Victor de la Cruz, Author at My Geek Wisdom

“Merry Christmas, you filthy animal… and a Happy New Year!”

From: Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: “Johnny”

The story behind the quote: Thanks to thegreatiaino for the huge correction regarding the movie as noted in the comments section below.

The quote comes from Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. The first Home Alone movie was very successful and it actually spawned two more feature length movies as well as two made-for-TV films. However, this was the only other film to feature Kevin McCalliseter (portrayed by Maculay Culkin); the other films featured a different family and a different kid. Also, Home Alone 2 is the only movie in the series that didn’t take place in the protagonist’s home.

The quote comes from, apparently, a mobster film called Angels with Even Filthier Souls, which is the sequel to Angels with Filthier Souls, a mobster movie that Kevin was watching in the first Home Alone. Johnny, the head mobster, accuses a woman of cheating with other men. Kevin uses this scene from the movie as a distraction to escape from the hotel staff.

Geek wisdom: It’s the holidays! Don’t forget to wish people a Merry Christmas! And a Happy New Year as well!

“Kick! Punch! It’s all in the mind!”

From: PaRappa The Rappa

Genre: Video Games

Who said it?: Chop Chop Master Onion

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from one of the first games to come out for the original PlayStation, PaRappa The Rappa. It became a big success for Sony’s new console because of its very unique look as well as having some pretty memorable songs. The game tells the story of PaRappa, an anthropomorphic dog who has a crush on Sunny Funny. Throughout the story, PaRappa goes through different events in his quest to impress Sunny Funny.

The quote comes from the very first stage of the game, entitled I Need To Be A Hero. After watching a superhero film, PaRappa and his friends go hang out at their local burger joint. They get accosted by the local bully before they are “rescued” by a person named Joe Chin, who seems to have impressed Sunny Funny. PaRappa then imagines becoming a hero and taking down the bullies. But, before he’s able to do that, he realizes he needs to be good at fighting. So, he visits Chop Chop Master Onion to learn karate from him.

Geek wisdom: Sometimes, we can set limitations with the things we can do. We can have self-doubt tell us that something is impossible. Bashfulness and shyness can actually prevent us from doing great things. And the fear of failure can stop up from even trying something.

But, like Chop Chop Master Onion said, “It’s all in the mind!” Self-doubt, shyness and fear of failure are pretty much barriers from achieving greatness. So, kick and punch out these things from your thoughts!

“The power is yours!”

From: Captain Planet and the Planeteers

Genre: Television and Cartoons

Who said it?: Captain Planet

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from the animated series, Captain Planet and the Planeteers. It was one of, if not, the first cartoon to feature an environmental superhero. Captain Planet himself is not a person in the traditional sense. He is actually the personification of the four natural elements, Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, as well as the power of caring, which is Heart.

These elements are carried by the Planeteers, four teenagers from different parts of the world. Kwame, from Africa, controls Earth. Linka, from the Soviet Union/Eastern Europe, controls the element of Wind. Wheeler, from the United States, is in charge of the Fire element. Gi, from Asia, manipulates Water. And Ma-Ti, from Brazil, controls Heart. In order to summon Earth’s greatest champion, Kwame, Linka, Wheeler, Gi and Ma-Ti have to combine all of the elements. These elements then form Captain Planet.

Captain Planet usually dispatches the villain for the week and, before splitting up into the elements, he usually tells the Planeteers the quote.

Geek wisdom: The power is indeed yours! We all have the power to make good and bad decisions. Claiming that we weren’t given any options is simply a cop out and shrugging off our our responsibilities of our actions. It is us who decides our fate and how much effort we put into a task and no one else.

“To infinity and beyond!”

From: Toy Story

Genre: Movies, Cartoons

Who said it?: Buzz Lightyear

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from one of the main characters from the Toy Story films, Buzz Lightyear. The films revolve around Andy’s favorite toys, one of which is Buzz Lightyear, a Space Ranger action figure, and the other is of Woody, an old style cowboy with a pull string. Although they may seem to be inanimate objects (they are just toys after all), they are actually alive and take great pains to keep this secret.

The quote in question is actually the catchphrase of Buzz Lightyear. It’s something that the animated character (the basis of the action figure) is fond of saying, so it was programmed into Buzz’s psyche. He usually says this before attempting something daring, such as proving he could fly…

Geek wisdom: It’s always important to strive beyond your current limits. Because if you think you’ve reached your limit and you believe you cannot improve, then that’s true; you will not get better. The only way to get better at something is to actually try to become better!

“We are who we choose to be!”

From: Spider-Man (2002)

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Norman Osborn/Green Goblin

The story behind the quote: The Spider-Man film that was released in 2002 was both a critical and financial hit. And it came at a very opportune time since it was released at a time when superhero films were hitting a slump in terms of ticket sales.

The film tells the story of Peter Parker and how he was given the abilities of a spider, enabling him to become the superhero known as Spider-man. However, his best friend’s father, Norman Osborn, performs an experiment on himself and, while it does give him enhanced strength, speed and agility, it also drive Osborn mad and takes on the guise of the Green Goblin.

In his quest to destroy Spider-man, the Green Goblin kidnaps Peter’s girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson and a cable car full of children. The Green Goblin threatens to drop them both from the top of the Queensboro Bridge and says Spider-man must have to choose who to save. While Spider-man pleads for the villain to not go through with it, the Goblin delivers the quote and releases them.

(Sorry for the obviously poor quality of the clip; it was the only one I could find online.)

Geek wisdom: The quote is pretty ironic since this doesn’t only apply to Spider-man, but also to the Green Goblin. Norman Osborn actually had the choice to become a force for good but he decided to take the darker path. Spider-man, while he initially used his new powers selfishly, he changed his ways because of his Uncle Ben’s death… which he could have saved earlier.

Even though it may seem that fate might push us to do bad, we always have the choice to do the right thing.

“My cabbages!”

From: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Genre: Television and Cartoons

Who said it?: The Cabbage Merchant

The story behind the quote: Now, this is a quote that is fairly recent and wasn’t even given by any of the main characters of the show. In fact, the person who delivers this quote doesn’t even have an official name as far as I know. However, he does say it a lot and I realized there is some wisdom you can get from those two simple words of despair he exclaims often.

The quote comes from Nickelodeon’s animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender. The series tells the story of Aang, the latest Avatar of the world and destined to bring peace and order to it. However, since he is just a child, he runs away because of the pressure of the role and gets encased in ice for a hundred years. That is, until two children from the Water Tribes, siblings Katara and Sokka, release him from his icy tomb. The two help Aang try to fulfill his destiny of mastering bending of all four elements (water, earth, fire and air) while being pursued by the exiled prince of the Fire Nation, Prince Zuko.

Like I said, the quote comes not from any of those characters that I mentioned but from a man simply known as The Cabbage Merchant. He pops in a lot of episodes, trying to sell and trade his produce by something always happens to them, which is why he always delivers the quote out of anguish.

Geek wisdom: Life can be full of misfortune and disappointment. This is displayed very prominently by the cabbage guy from the show as it seems to be whenever he encounters Aang and company, his harvested cabbages get devastated. However, it’s how you persist after these hardships that prove yourself as a person.

While the first series never really showed what happened to the cabbage merchant, the sequel to the series, The Legend of Korra shows that the cabbage vendor created his own company and his son is now prosperous because of it. If he didn’t pick himself up after all of the hardship he went through, the cabbage vendor wouldn’t have been able to build a successful company.

“If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.”

From: Star Wars

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Obi-Wan Kenobi

The story behind the quote: I’m not sure if I should even be describing where this quote came from since you probably know where it came from… here goes!

The quote comes from the very first Star Wars film which is, oddly enough, the fourth chapter chronologically story-wise. When I mean “first” I really mean it was the first one to be made and actually the film that made Star Wars the franchise it is today. The quote comes when Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C3-P0, R2-D2 and Obi-Wan Kenobi board the Death Star to rescue Princess Leia. Obi-Wan splits up from the group to disable the tractor beam that trapped the Millennium Falcon on the space station.

Obi-Wan does sabotage the tractor beam but comes face to face with his former apprentice, Darth Vader. They both “unsheathe” their lightsabers to prepare for a duel. During their fight, Obi-Wan warns Darth Vader about what would happen if his former student does best him.

Geek wisdom: There are no immortals in the world and everyone will eventually die… even you. But, even though we do leave the physical world, there is still a way anyone can live forever. And that is to live on in the memories of others.

Think of all the people in history. They may have died but they are still talked about even to this day because of their contributions to the world while they were still in it. Think of your childhood friends and you can see that, even if you don’t have contact with them, you still remember them in one way or another.

Leave your mark on the world and don’t let your time here be for nothing.

“Say my name!”

From: Marvel’s San Diego Comic-Con 2013 Panel

Genre: Comics and Internet

Who said it?: Tom Hiddleston/Loki

The story behind the quote: This is a bit of an odd quote since I’m not really sure who’s saying the quote. Also, it’s totally not canon but I just had to put it up since it is pretty fun to watch.

During this year’s Comic-Con in San Diego, Marvel held a panel in Hall H showing their plans for future film franchises. However, mere minutes into the panel, the host’s mic got cut and the lights went out. Loki, the villain from the Thor and Avengers films (played by Tom Hiddleston), appeared on stage. He then proceeded to berate the audience for attending Comic-Con. As the fans chanted his (Loki’s) name, he commended them to be quiet and bully the host to cowering in the corner. He then commands the audience to once again say his name.

Geek wisdom: Take ownership of everything that you do. Make sure whatever you do, you’ll be proud to put your name next to it. You have to ensure that your actions do not make you ashamed of what you’ve done in the future.

Even though Loki is a bad guy and tried to take over the world in The Avengers, fans became extremely enamored with him. This is why Tom Hiddleston got a big reaction when he reprised his role for the Comic-Con panel. He took on the role and totally owned it and, because of that, we loved Loki (even though we’re supposed to hate him since he is the villain).

“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”

From: The Godfather: Part III

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Michael Corleone

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from the third installment of The Godfather films. In this film, Michael Corleone (played by Al Pachino) tries to change his ways and actually attempts to turn over a new leaf. He goes through great lengths in an attempt to legitimize his businesses and restore his good name. Unfortunately, the people around him don’t seem to agree with his change of heart.

In one of the most pivotal scenes in the movie, Michael returns back home after an attempt on his life. He realizes at that point that, even with all of the good he’s done and all the things he’s done to actually go legit, most people see him as a threat and an evil person. He utters the quote, acknowledging he cannot change since the people around him will not let him leave the mafia world.

Geek wisdom: It’s very difficult to escape your reputation. In fact, sometimes we let our reputation define who we are instead of the other way around. It’s sort of like the toughest guy in school; even though he may try to change his personality (or he may actually be a nice guy underneath), he may not ever show this side since it becomes expected of him to be the tough guy even as times goes by.

We actually shouldn’t let this happen. We are the ones who define who we are, not anyone else.

“So you’re telling me there’s a chance!”

From: Dumb and Dumber

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Lloyd Christmas

The story behind the quote: Dumb and Dumber is a film from the mid-90’s that tells the story of two best friends, Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne. Lloyd (Jim Carrey) works as a limo driver who was hired to drive Mary Swanson (Lauren Holly) to the airport and immediately falls in love with her. Seeing Mary leave a suitcase at the airport terminal, he picks it up with the plan of returning it to her, not knowing that it was left there intentionally as it contains the ransom money for her kidnapped husband. Lloyd travels with Harry (Jeff Daniels) travel to Aspen to return the briefcase to Mary… and hopefully the two of them will fall in love.

The quote comes from when Harry confronts Mary about his feeling for her and asks her if they have a future together. Mary tells Harry frankly that the odds are not good… which makes Lloyd pretty happy.

Geek wisdom: Looking at only the bad side of life can really be taxing on a person. Sometimes, it’s great to look at the good side of life. Your life is not so bad that there was nothing that good that came from it. There will always be something nice that has happened to you.

Life is not just misery. There is always a chance that life can give you good luck… even if the odds are one in a million.