Victor de la Cruz

“I don’t like to smile unless I have a reason.”

From: Daria

Genre: Cartoons, Television

Who said it?: Daria Morgendorffer

The story behind the quote: Daria was one of my favorite cartoon on MTV, back when the channel would actually show some pretty cool and creative programming. Instead of having a perky teenager headline the show, Daria was a pessimistic, intelligent and sarcastic girl who saw the world for what it was. The show was a huge hit for MTV and garnered a loyal following during its run on the network.

The quote comes from the episode entitled Misery Chick. Daria’s parents got their hands on her yearbook photos and comment on why she doesn’t even try to smile in any one of them. Daria replies to them in the only way she can: intelligently and objectively.

Geek wisdom: People have the tendency to tell you how you should react to a certain topic. They’ll tell you that you shouldn’t be upset when something goes wrong. Or they’ll tell you that they just don’t understand why you feel a certain way since they wouldn’t feel that way if the same thing happened to them.No one should tell you how to feel on a certain topic. They have no idea of how it actually feels. How you choose to feel on a certain topic is entirely your own.

When this happens to others, try to understand why they feel that way. Don’t deny them the freedom to act a certain way.

“I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.”

From: Aliens

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Ellen Ripley

The story behind the quote: This is the first quote that was submitted by an outside source! And it comes from Andy Drop. Please check out his site (remline.de)!

The quote comes from Aliens, the second film from the Aliens film franchise. Ellen Ripley, the only survivor of the Nostromo, leads a crew of soldiers to the colony on planet LV-426 to investigate what happened there. After their initial devastating encounters with the Xenomorphs species, the survivors discuss tactics on how to handle the situation.

One of them wants to use gas on the creatures while another says they should just leave. Ripley, knowing what the creatures can do delivers the quote… as it seems to be the safe thing to do to make sure the aliens are taken out and to make sure they don’t harm anyone else.

Geek wisdom: If you can’t live on an planet full of aliens, live without it! Sometimes, if you want something unpleasant to end, you may want to skip negotiations or elaborate tactics and just employ a tactical warhead.

If someone ignores your attempts of telling him/her not to hurt you over and over again, it’s often better to leave that person with a bang instead of trying to reason with someone who will not listen to reason.

Once again, thanks to Andy Drop for this quote!

“Where’s the beef?”

From: 80’s Wendy’s commercial

Genre: Television

Who said it?: Old Lady/Clara Peller

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from a successful series of commercials made by Wendy’s. The reason why these ads were so successful was because people still remember its slogan.

The first ad shows three elderly ladies marveling at the size of the “fluffy” bun offered by Wendy’s competitors. However, after taking the top bun off, we actually see that the size of the hamburger patty is very small. While two of the ladies keep their mouth shut, the third old lady (Clara Peller) disgruntledly delivers the quote, which has become some sort of a catchphrase for her.

Geek wisdom: Like in the commercial, the bun may make the burger look big. But in reality, since the meat patty isn’t that big, you’re actually being shortchanged. Unfortunately, it’s easy to be fooled by appearances. In fact, sometimes, we only concern ourselves with appearances.

People these days are more concerned style over substance. We tend to forget that substance is definitely more important than superficial features.

“This one’s for you, Morph!”

From: X-Men (cartoon)

Genre: Cartoons, Television

Who said it?: Wolverine

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from the excellent animated X-Men animated series which ran from 1992 to 1997. The show is based on Marvel comics popular team of mutants. The show did a great job of translating some of the story lines from the comics it was based on, even if it did introduce some new elements…

One such element was the introduction of a character named Morph, who has the mutant ability to shapeshift. It was implied that he was a close friend of Wolverine. Unfortunately, Morph is killed in Episode 2. Wolverine does manage to get some manner of revenge by wrecking a couple of Sentinels. In fact, the quote comes from Wolverine while destroying one of the mutant hunting machines.

Geek wisdom: Just because someone dies, it doesn’t mean that they are gone from our lives. We still have the memories of our times with them. In fact, we can actually gain strength by the severe loss of a loved one. We can honor their memory by going through life and recalling happy memories with our dear departed ones once in a while.

“Let the wookie win.”

From: Star Wars

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: C3-P0

The story behind the quote: As much as I love the Star Wars films, it’s difficult to find clips on YouTube where the characters actually say the quotes since they’re usually taken down immediately. This was one of those quotes I wanted to write about when I started this site but I was never able to find a clip of the said quote… until now.

The quote comes from the first Star Wars film. R2-D2 and Chewbacca are playing a form of chess and Artoo is beating the wookie. Chewie starts “complaining” about losing and C3-P0 states that he has no right to complain. Han Solo then chimes in and says that there are certain “bad” things that can happen if you emerge victorious over Chewbacca’s species. It’s then Threepio delivers the quote to Artoo.

Geek wisdom: Winning isn’t everything. While it does feel good to actually display your dominance over someone during a game of chess or any other form of competition, it’s not the most important thing in the world. In the grand scheme of things, it’s still a game.

“Worst. Episode. Ever.”

From: The Simpsons

Genre: Cartoons, Television

Who said it?: Comic Book Guy

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from The Simpsons’ very own Jay Albertson. You may not know him by his birth name but you probably know him better as Comic Book Guy, the overweight proprietor of the Android’s Dungeon comic book store.

The quote originally came from the episode “The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show.” As the Itchy & Scratchy showed the episode introducing a new character, Poochie, Comic Book Guy was the first to immediately bash the new character on message boards.

Unfortunately, I can’t find the exact clip on YouTube. However, since the phrase has become Comic Book Guy’s catchphrase, I was able to get this clip…

And, just in case the clip gets yanked off YouTube, here’s a pic of the quote:

Geek wisdom: People have opinions. Some of these opinions will be in direct contrast from your own. You may like a particular television show or episode while the entire world may see things differently and hate it with a passion. These variations can be due to a huge number of reasons.

But it’s not really important to know the reason for these differences. What is important is to know that there are going to be different points of view on the same topic and you’re opinion is as valid as the rest of the world.

“Carpe diem. Sieze the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.”

From: Dead Poets Society

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: John Keating

The story behind the quote: The world is still reeling from Robin Williams’ passing. So, even though I posted a quote from the man himself, I decided to give another quote from his movies. But, which in itself, I feel has a deeper meaning…

The quote comes from Dead Poets Society. The film is about an unorthodox teacher, John Keating, played by Robin Williams. His teaching style is different from the “standard” way of teaching as, while he was hired to instruct his students about how to read poems and literal works, he tries to teach them how to live life to the fullest.

In a pivotal scene, John Keating holds his class in the halls of the school and has one of the students read the first stanza of “To the Virgins, To Make Much of Time” by Robert Herrick. The then informs the students of the meaning of the poem is “Carpe Diem,” which means “Seize the day.” Keating then elaborates on the deeper meaning of the poem as shown in the clip below.

Geek wisdom: Our time in this world is limited. We all have an expiration date and we will eventually pass from this world. The thing is, we have no idea when our time on this world will end. So, while we’re still alive, we have to live life to the fullest.

“Na-nu, na-nu!”

From: Mork & Mindy

Genre: Television

Who said it?: Mork

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from Mork & Mindy, a sitcom that ran from 1978 to 1982. The show stars the late Robin Williams as Mork, an alien from the planet Ork, sent to Earth to observe human behavior… or so he thought. In fact, Orson, Mork’s superior actually sent him away from Ork as humor is not allowed on the planet. Mork encounters Mindy on the planet and she agrees to shelter the alien during his stay on Earth.

The quote is actually the Orkian way of greeting as well as saying farewell to someone. When it is used to say hello to someone, Orkians will give the quote and extend their hand like an ordinary handshake. But when used to say goodbye to someone, Orkians must twist both earlobes while giving the quote as seen in the intro of the show.

Geek wisdom: No matter the language we use, it’s important to be cordial with each other. A friendly handshake is definitely unmistakable way to extend your intention of friendship with another.

RIP Robin Williams. You will be missed.

“Pop quiz, hot shot…”

From: Speed

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Howard Payne

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from the first Speed film. The film has an interesting premise, to say the least. Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves) witnesses a nearby bus explode. He is then contacted by the film’s antagonist, Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper) who wants revenge on Traven for foiling his last scheme. He informs Traven that he’s equipped a bomb on another bus and that bomb will explode if the vehicle slows down to 50 miles per hour. The race is on for Traven to catch Payne before that could happen.

The quote is actually Payne’s way of taunting Traven. He will deliver the quote and explain the situation afterwards.

Geek wisdom: Life will throw unexpected curve balls at us when we least expect it. Most of the time, we’ll be caught unaware. We have to make incredibly quick choice, even though we have very little data to make an informed decision.

Be ready for the unexpected.

“I Knew I Should’ve Taken That Left Turn At Albuquerque!”

From: Looney Tunes

Genre: Cartoons, Television

Who said it?: Bugs Bunny

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from Bugs Bunny, probably one of the most popular animated characters in the world. His popularity and the longevity of the character has made him the default mascot for Warner Bros animated project.

He may be clever enough to outwit red-haired cowboys, bald hunters with a speech impediment and even alien conquerors from the planet Mars. But Bugs Bunny sure has a bad sense of direction! Whenever he travels to far away locations, he burrows through the earth in a attempt to get to his destination. Unfortunately, he keeps on making the same wrong turn in New Mexico…

Geek wisdom: Have you ever gotten lost or gotten so turned around that you have no idea where you are? Or have you ever gone on a trip and then lost your way? The best thing to do in these situations is to just ask for directions. A lot of times, though, we don’t. We try to figure where we are by backtracking. While this may help out sometimes, we do waste a lot of time doing this.

There’s no shame in asking for help when you get lost. If you’re unsure, stop and ask for directions.