Victor de la Cruz

“Friendship means little when it’s convenient.”

From: John Wick: Chapter 4

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Shimazu Koji

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from the 2023 action film, John Wick: Chapter 4. The final entry in the John Wick series, the film stars Keanu Reeves as the titular assassin, closing out his attack on the High Table for trying to kill him.

The quote comes near the very start of the movie. After he had successfully killed The Elder (the head of the High Table), John Wick seeks refuge in the Osaka Continental, which is owned by his close friend, Shimazu Koji (played by Hiroyuki Sanada). John is troubled as him merely staying there will bring Shimazu Koji in direct conflict with the High Table and he comments on this. Koji calmly reassure John by delivering the quote.

Geek Wisdom: Friends will stick with you in the good times and, more importantly, the bad. In fact, it is when you are in dire need you will know who your true friends are.

“…When it blooms, it will be the most beautiful of all.”

From: Mulan

Genre: Movies, Cartoons

Who said it?: Ron Swanson

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote from 1998 Disney animated film Mulan. Based on the stories of the Chinese folk hero, Hua Mulan, this has Mulan disguise herself as a man in order to save her elderly father from being conscripted into the army.

The quote comes near the start of the movie. Mulan feels ashamed after throwing her meeting with a matchmaker into disarray. Her father, Fa Zhao (voiced by Soon-Tek Oh) tries to comfort her inadvertently by commenting on the blooming flowers. He then points out one that has not opened up yet and this is when he delivers the quote.

Geek wisdom: People have to go at their own pace. We cannot rush things nor can we intentionally slow things down to wait for others.

“I’m your density… I mean, your destiny.”

From: Back to the Future

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: George McFly

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from the 1985 sci-fi comedy, Back to the Future. The film has Marty McFly (played by Michael J. Fox) travelling back in time in a time machine created by Doc Brown (played by Christopher Lloyd). While stuck in the past, he accidentally prevents his parents from ever getting together. So, in addition to Marty and the Doc trying to find a way to get him back to the future, they also have to make sure that Marty’s parents end up together or else he will be erased from the timeline.

The quote comes in the middle of the movie. Marty manages to convince his future father, George McFly (played by Crispin Glover) to try to talk and woo his future mother. He tries to give him pointers on what to say. When he does try to talk to her, he initially flubs his line but, as he has been infatuated with her for quite a while, he does recover to say it correctly.

Geek Wisdom: When there is a connection between two people, little mistakes can always be ignored. After all, the point is for the two of them to be together. So, words ultimately don’t matter.

“Men: We Don’t Know What We Did”

From: Family Guy

Genre: Television, Cartoons

Who Said It?: Jingle singers?

The Story Behind The Quote: This week’s quote comes from the Fox animated sitcom, Family Guy. Created by Seth MacFarlaine, Family Guy revolves around the Griffin family, usually around Peter Griffin, the patriarch and the titular “family guy” of the show. One of the main features of the show is the use of non-sequitur cutaway gags sprinkled throughout the episode.

This week’s quote does come from a cutaway gag shown in the Season 9 episode entitled “Brothers and Sisters.” It shows a teenage girl walking up to a boy and asking him if he’ll be going to class. When the boy says he will be, the girl runs off in tears and jumps out a window. Her friend then tells the boy how awful he is while the boy is clueless as to what happened. This is when the narrator chimes in and a jingle plays with the quote in question.

Geek Wisdom: Communication is always key. We cannot read minds so, if we do something wrong, we can only make corrections if someone can explain what we did. This goes for both men and women, by the way.

“I have enjoyed parts of our time together.”

From: Parks and Recreation

Genre: Television

Who said it?: Ron Swanson

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote from the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation. The show generally revolves around the small town of Pawnee, Indiana. Specifically, the tiny Parks Department, led by Leslie Knope (played by Amy Poehler), of the town.

The quote comes from the episode entitled “Ann and Chris,” which has Ann Perkins (played by Rashida Jones) and Chris Traeger (played by Rob Lowe) leaving the town. Leslie throws the two a farewell party and, as Ann receives well-wishes from everyone. She then talks to Ron Swanson (played by Nick Offerman) who delivers the quote, making Ann break down in tears from the sentiment.

Geek wisdom: No relationship is perfect. We will all have our ups and downs and we will share good and bad times together. Still, we have to focus on the good times while remembering the bad as it’s this mixture of both experiences which bonds people together.

“Maybe this is what happens when you grow up. You feel less Joy.”

From: Inside Out 2

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Joy

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from the Pixar animated film, Inside Out. Released by Disney in 2024, the movie is a sequel to the first Inside Out. With Riley hitting puberty, she gains a bunch of new emotions, including Anxiety. Anxiety kicks the original emotions out of the control room as well as throw out Riley’s old Sense of Self. They now have to find a way back to regain control of Riley and try to give her back her original Sense of Self.

The quote comes near the end of the film, Joy (voiced by Amy Poehler) is dismayed as, while they did retrieve the Sense of Self, they have no way of returning to Riley’s control center. Unsure of what to do next and knowing that Anxiety may be destroying Riley’s life, Joy delivers the quote.

Geek Wisdom: Growing up can be painful. It’s when you have to realize life can be hard and you do have to shed some of your childish ways of thinking in order to make room for learning how to be responsible in life.

“Indiana… let it go.”

From: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Henry Jones Sr.

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes the 1989 action adventure movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Closing out the original Indiana Jones trilogy and directed once again by Steven Spielberg, the Last Crusade has Indiana Jones teaming up with his father, Henry Jones Sr. in a quest to find the Holy Grail.

The quote comes near the end of the film. The cave where the Holy Grail is contained starts collapsing and the cup falls into a crevasse. Indiana Jones (played by Harrison Ford) frantically tries to reach for it while his father (played by Sean Connery) holds onto him. His father pleads with Indy to give him his other hand (which is trying to grab the Holy Grail) but Indy believes he can get it. Henry Jones Sr. delivers the quote in order to get his son to change his mind.

Geek wisdom: In order to move forward, we do have to let go off the past.

“I was on this tour for one reason: money! But now I got a new reason: kicking your ass!”

From: Happy Gilmore

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Happy Gilmore

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from the sports comedy film, Happy Gilmore. The film stars Adam Sandler as the titular character who was a professional hockey player. When his grandmother’s house is about to be foreclosed, he starts joining the golf circuit as his powerful slapshot allows him to drive the golf ball further than anyone else.

The quote comes in the middle of the film as Happy Gilmore meets up with Shooter McGavin (played by Christopher McDonald) taunt Happy as all he can do is a powerful line drive. Happy takes issue but tries to walk away. Shooter further taunts Happy as he feels slighted how Happy has taken the limelight from him. This is when Happy Gilmore delivers the quote.

Geek wisdom: Your motivations for doing things may change but just because you change the reason, that doesn’t make the reason any less valid. As long as you have a why, then you have every right to do what you want.

“Gods? There are no gods here. Only monsters.”

From: The Witcher, specifically, The Witcher IV

Genre: Video Games

Who said it?: Ciri

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from the trailer of the upcoming video game, The Witcher IV. While details are slim regarding this upcoming game by CD Projekt Red, the trailer does hint that, this time around, you will not be controlling Geralt of Rivia. Instead, the trailer does make it appear you will now be controlling his adopted daughter, Ciri.

The quote comes at the very end of the trailer. After Ciri (voiced by Ciara Berkeley in this entry) returns to the village to check on the girl she saved, the Witcher finds her killed by the townsfolk. The people try to defend their actions by claiming she did not follow her duty to be a sacrifice to their so-called gods. This is when Ciri turns to them and delivers the quote.

Geek wisdom: There are times when people will do heinous acts but they will sometimes do this, not because they themselves are monsters, but because what they do is good. Whether it be for tradition sake, loyalty to an authority figure or because of an outdated belief system, people do need to stop and think to really see if what they do is good or bad. If not, then they become monsters themselves.

“If you focus on what you left behind, you will never be able to see what lies ahead.”

From: Ratatouille

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Chef Gusteau (in Remy’s mind)

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from the Disney/Pixar animated film, Ratatouille. The film is about a rat named Remy (voiced by Patton Oswalt) who loves fine dining and learns to become a great cook, thanks to watching his favorite chef, Chef Gusteau (voiced by Brad Garrett). He then accidentally becomes partners with a young man named Linguini, the son of Gusteau, and together they try to become one of the greatest chefs in all of France.

The quote comes very early in the film. After being forced out of his home, Remy finds himself living in the streets of France. As it was his actions which led to him and his family leaving their home, Remy feels guilty. This is when Chef Gusteau (or, at least, Remy’s image of Chef Gusteau) tries to get him to pick himself up by delivering the quote.

Geek wisdom: While it is good to learn from our past and our mistakes, we should never let them control our lives. All of us has a future to live for and we should always look towards tomorrow and not yesterday. This is especially true for the upcoming new year.