Victor de la Cruz

“Never tell me the odds!”

From: The Empire Strikes Back

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Han Solo

The story behind the quote: I don’t think this film needs much of an introduction… but I’ll give one anyway. The Empire Strikes back is the second film of the original Star Wars trilogy. The story takes place a few years after the first film where the Rebel Alliance destroyed the first Death Star. Even with this set back, the Empire is still extremely powerful and the Rebels still have to fight back.

The quote takes place while Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca and C3-P0 escape from an Empire assault on the Rebel base they were stationed. Unfortunately, the ship they’re on, the Millennium Falcon, has a malfunctioning hyperspace drive and they are unable to just to light speed to evade their pursuers. Han Solo decides to hide out in an asteroid field but C3-P0 nervously informs Han that the odds are against him if he were to make the attempt. This is when Han delivers the quote.

Geek wisdom: People will tell you your dreams and aspirations are going to be just that: dreams and aspirations. They will tell you they are impossible to achieve. But they never see that people do manage to fulfill their dreams.

A lot of us tend to focus on people’s failures and spend the rest of their life playing it safe. We actually should be recognizing the people who did become successful by chasing their dreams and trying really hard to reach their goals… despite the rest of the world telling them the odds are against them.

“Dead dove. Do not eat.”

From: Arrested Development

Genre: Television

Who ~~said~~ wrote it?: Gob Bluth

The story behind the quote: Arrested Development is a critically acclaimed sitcom. The show features the Bluths, a family of crazy characters. However, it is this craziness that made this show get a cult following. Arrested Development was initially cancelled at the end of their 3rd season. However, because of the show’s cult following, as well as gaining popularity after the series ended, a 4th season was developed by Netflix… 6 years after season 3 ended!

The quote comes from the second episode of the first season. Gob, the eldest of the Bluth siblings and failed magician, buys a dove but accidentally kills it as he is exiting the store. He, however, hopes to return the dead bird to the store so he stores it in a brown bag, puts a note on it, in the refrigerator. Michael Bluth, the “responsible” brother, reads the note but is still astonished with its contents.

Geek wisdom: We can sometimes not trust a lot of things until we see it in front of us. Even when the evidence overwhelmingly supports something, we just have to see it for ourselves to believe it. And then when we actually do experience it, we think to ourselves that it was stupid to think otherwise.

We all have these moments once in a while. The important thing to do is to realize is that there are going to be times that we have to believe something, not because we have seen it, but because logic tells us it’s true.

“That’ll do, pig. That’ll do.”

From: Babe

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Arthur Hoggett

The story behind the quote: Babe is about an unusual pig. Babe (voiced by Christine Cavanaugh) was actually won in a state fair by Arthur Hoggett (played by James Cromwell). However, because of Babe’s natural ability of sorting and herding animals, the titular pig was raised not to be eaten. Rather, it became Babe’s job to herd the sheep on the farm.

By the way, if you haven’t seen the movie, this is going to be a bit of a SPOILER! So, don’t read on or play the clip if you don’t want the ending spoiled.

The quote comes from the very end of the film. Babe manages to win a sheepherding contest and, pleased, Arthur Hoggett turns to Babe to deliver the quote.

Geek wisdom: It’s always important to show our appreciation for the nice things that people do for us. A thank you when someone does you a favor. A good job for someone who accomplishes something for you. Even the smallest of praise is always going to be welcome.

We tend to forget that it’s important to affirm someone’s good work. A lot of the time, we tend to only focus on the bad things that a person does and we berate and call them out on it. While that’s okay, we forget to acknowledge the good things people have does for us.

Don’t forget to acknowledge the fantastic things people do for us.

“Life is like a mop.”

From: UHF or The Vidiot from UHF

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Stanley Spadowski

The story behind the quote: This film was released in the United States under the title “UHF.” However, in the international scene, it was renamed to “The Vidiot from UHF” because other countries weren’t familiar with UHF channels (since they weren’t used often).

The film stars parody musician “Weird Al” Yankovic as George Newman. George is given a UHF station that is pretty much broke but he tries to run the station as best as he can. Unfortunately, even with the new programs he created, not many people tune in to watch the channel. Despondent about his situation, he gives his hosting duties of a kid-friendly show to the station’s janitor, Stanley Spadowski (played by Michael Richards), so he and his friend can get a drink to drown their sorrows.

While at the bar, they notice all of the patrons are intensely watching Stanley’s wacky antics. Stanley eventually gives an enamored speech about his mop and how to deal with life, which is where the quote comes from.

Geek wisdom: Just like Stanley said, there’s a lot of things in life we cannot control. You are going to encounter good times and encounter bad times and a lot of it will be out of our hands. But we cannot simply give up and let the bad things control us. We have to tackle these problems head on.

No one said life was going to be easy. But just because it isn’t, it doesn’t mean we cannot overcome the problems we encounter.

“Honey badger don’t care. Honey badger don’t give a shit!”

From: The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: “Randall”

The story behind the quote: YouTube is filled with a lot of videos that went on to be extremely popular just by being funny. One of these videos is “The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger.” The video is actually from a National Geographic special and was a normal documentary about the creature known as the honey badger. Despite it’s cute name, it is a pretty fearless and tough animal that can do a lot of things that would probably kill a lesser creature, such as survive a bite of a cobra.

The documentary was given a funny slant when “Randall” replaced the serious voiceover with his effeminate sounding descriptions of the actions of the creature. Ever since then, the video spread like wildfire and people became more aware of this desert dwelling creature.

Geek wisdom: There’s a lot a person can accomplish if he or she just goes for it. It can be difficult, of course, since we are naturally filled with self doubt and the things we want to do can be difficult to accomplish in the first place. But, if we let those thoughts stop us from even trying, then we’ve already failed.

The honey badger got it’s reputation by being tough and vicious. But it also became that was because, as the narrator said, “honey badger doesn’t give a shit.” If you want to be a success, you have to put yourself out there and do it.

“You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”

From: Jaws

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Martin Brody

The story behind the quote: Jaws was Steven Spielberg’s first major hit. While he was already acclaimed as a good director, it was this film that garnered him mainstream success. In fact, Jaws is noted to be a pivotal film since it created the “formula” for a summer blockbuster movie.

Jaws tells the story of a great white shark terrorizing a summer resort town, attacking all swimmers that enter the water. Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), along with marine biologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and professional shark hunter, Quint (Robert Shaw) to stop the shark.

The quote comes from the scene where Brody, onboard Quint’s ship, the Orca, is adding chum into the water to attract the shark. The shark appears out of nowhere and is much larger than what they expected. Brody retreats into the quarters of the Orca, turns to Quint and delivers the quote.

Geek wisdom: It’s easy to underestimate a problem. We let ourselves be confident with our abilities to resolve issues and concerns immediately. What happens is that we don’t plan for contingencies if (and when) our plans fail. Basically, we do have the habit of underestimating problems when it’s actually better to overestimate them.

The initial plan to fix a problem may work, but what if it doesn’t? It’s always better to be overly prepared for a situation rather than having to scramble when you realize that you don’t have enough resources when you encounter the issue.

“We just finished level 3 and need to tighten up the graphics a little bit.”

From: Westwood College

Genre: Internet

Who said it?: “Game Designer #1”

The story behind the quote: Gaming became a very big thing during the 90’s and kids who played video games really dreamed about working in the gaming industry in one form or another. Because of this, a lot of schools decided to offer gaming-centric courses. One of these colleges would be Westwood College.

The quote comes from its commercials that was produced, showing that they have a course of game design. The commercial shows two people having fun playing a game, when a woman (supposedly a supervisor) tells them that she needs another game tested. This is when “Game Designer #1” turns to the woman and delivers the quote.

As a bonus, I think that the games “Game Designer #1” and “Game Designer #2” did get made. You can see their games in Action 52. You can see the Angry Video Game Nerd give his thoughts on them below.

Geek wisdom: If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. What is problematic about this commercial is that gamers can see through it as fake almost immediately. It looks like the person who wrote the commercial for Westwood College has very little knowledge on actually how much work it takes to get a game created. And it shows as no one in the gaming industry uses the term “tighten up the graphics.”

Sometimes, though, we can still fall for those tricks, such as “get rich quick” schemes. We just have to be aware of these lies and not fall for them.

“How you doin'”

From: Friends

Genre: Television

Who said it?: Joey Tribbiani

The story behind the quote: Friends was a extremely popular NBC sitcom during the 90’s. Even today, all 10 seasons of the show are still replayed in syndication throughout the world. Each episode revolves around 6 friends: the fashion conscious Rachel Green, free spirit Phoebe Buffay, the sarcastic Chandler Bing, the perfectionist Monica Gellar and her somewhat arrogant brother Ross Gellar, and the struggling actor, Joey Tribbiani.

Please take note that the rundowns for each character is a pretty barebones description for all of them. One of the things that made Friends so memorable is that each and every one in this group of friends are all different yet interact well with each other. Not only that, they all grow to some degree and some of them even get romantically involved with each other.

The quote comes from Joey Tribbiani. He has an uncanny knack of picking up beautiful women because of his confidence. All he has to do to hook up with a girl is to walk up to her and say the quote in the way he says it and they will (most of the time) fall for him.

Geek wisdom: There’s actually two pieces of wisdom you can pull from these simple three words. First, let’s talk about the words themselves. Sometimes, simply asking someone how they’re feeling can make them feel better. It’s a simple act of concern that we tend to forget to do in our daily lives.

The second piece of wisdom we can derive from Joey catchphrase is by the way he delivers it. The reason why Joey manages to use these words so effectively when meeting women is not because of the words themselves. Rather, it’s the confidence he displays when delivering them. A lot of times, when you present yourself as a person with confidence, you can gain much needed respect from others. This in turn will also increase your self-respect.

“I’m the one that’s cool!”

From: The Guild (kinda)

Genre: Web Series

Who said it?: Felicia Day

The story behind the quote: The Guild is an web series about a group of people who play an MMORPG. The initial premise of the show is that Codex (played by Felicia Day), the priestess of her guild, gets her life turned upside down when another guild member, Zaboo (portrayed by Sujan Balakrishnan Goldberg), mistakes Codex’s private chats with him as flirting and he decides to move in with Codex.

Because of this thing happening, Codex calls for her other guildmates to meet each other, in real life, for the first time to discuss her problem with Zaboo. This in turn makes the team closer to each other as they are now friends in the real world and not just in the game.

The quote comes from the music video of the same name. While it’s generally out of the continuity of the show, the video and song shows all of the other guild members how they were bullied when they were young and how they think they are “the cool people” now.

Geek wisdom: Some of you may remember a time when comics, cartoons and superheroes were “childish fantasy.” Well, what about now? The Avengers was one of the biggest movies of last year, being released to great reviews. The Walking Dead television show has become so big that I’ve seen people trying to buy the original comics to just find out what happens. Even old cartoons like the Transformers and G.I. Joe become blockbusters once they get remade into films. Even a “nerdy” fantasy book series like A Song of Fire and Ice has now become one of the most anticipated and most watched show when HBO created Game of Thrones.

Even though it took some time, maybe some people now understand how “cool” it was to fall in love with the things we were in love with. And that’s a good start.

“But, there is, unseen by most, an underworld. A place that is just as real, but not as brightly lit… a DARKSIDE!”

From: Tales from the Darkside

Genre: Television

Who said it?: The narrator

The story behind the quote: The show falls along the vein of other horror anthology programs such as Creepshow and The Twilight Zone. Each episode of Tales from the Darkside would be a self-contained story, usually delving in horror and science fiction. Most of the stories are actually adaptions of stuff that was written by popular horror authors, such as Stephen King and Clive Barker.

Since each episode usually doesn’t have any connection with any of the other episodes in the series, there is no steady cast of actors. The only real constant of the series would be the opening narration, which is where the quote comes from.

Geek wisdom: As with the quote, there is always a good and bad side to everything. Even the nicest person you know has some deep, dark, unspeakable secret he or she would like to keep hidden from everyone. I mean everyone, even you, the person that’s reading this right now. But here’s the thing: we keep this part of us hidden.

Keeping this “darkside” hidden is something we all wrestle with as this is what actually gives order to society. Imagine if we just unleashed this part of ourselves to society. It’s not a pleasant thought.

We have to restrain ourselves from a lot of our most heinous thoughts because, if we don’t, anarchy would reign.