“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.

“Life is like a hurricane”

From: Duck Tales

Genre: Television and Cartoons

Who said it?: Opening Song

The story behind the quote: The song comes from the one of the most popular cartoons from the late 80’s, Disney’s Duck Tales. While we were generally familiar with Donald Duck and his animated shorts, Disney decided to put out new 30 minute adventures instead, with more complex storylines as well as more action. During the first episode, it’s explained that Donald will be out sea for an extended period of time (he’s a sailor, remember?) so he will not be able to take care of his nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie. He leaves them in the care of Scrooge McDuck, his uncle and who also happens to be the richest duck in the world.

They all go on fantastic adventures around the world to find new treasures to increase Uncle Scrooge’s wealth. They come across new new friends like Launchpad McQuack, “ace” pilot and come in contact with new memorable foes such as Flintheart Glomgold, the second richest duck in the world who always schemes to eventually surpass Uncle Scrooge in wealth.

The quote, as you all probably know, comes from the extremely catchy theme song of the show, which you can hear below.

Geek wisdom: Life can be hard and unpredictable. It will throw various challenges and difficulties at you during the most unexpected times. The best thing to do is to take on these challenges as they come rather than just complain about them and do nothing about it.

Besides, when you do tackle them and succeed in overcoming your problems, like Uncle Scrooge and his friends, you’ll have your own fantastic tales to tell later!

“I’m Commander Shepard and this is my favorite store on the Citadel”

From: Mass Effect 2

Genre: Video Games

Who said it?: Commander Shepard

The story behind the quote: Mass Effect 2 is the second installment of the Mass Effect trilogy. In the games, you take control of Commander Shepard, the first human Spectre. In the first game, Shepard learns of the Reapers, a sentient race of machines that wipe out all organic life in the galaxy after a certain amount of time has passed. Shepard does manage to prevent the initial invasion from happening. However, it only postponed the inevitable.

In the second game, Shepard is proclaimed a hero after the events of the 1st game. Shepard decides to capitalize on this to get discounts from the various stores of the Citadel. The Commander simply delivers the same quote as a personal endorsement at different shops.

Geek wisdom: We see celebrities endorse products all the time and we do get the urge to buy whatever product it may be because the person using it is popular and well-known. But, here’s the thing: are they being honest when they do it? Or are they just doing it because they are getting paid to do it?

Here, Commander Shepard goes around different stores on the Citadel and makes a recording that they are his/her “favorite store” in the area. Which is not true. He/She is doing it to get a discount!

People lie. It’s up to us to try to tell the lies and the truth apart.

“I volunteer as Tribute!”

From: The Hunger Games

Genre: Movies/Books

Who said it?: Katniss Everdeen

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from the first book of the Hunger Games trilogy. The book has been made into a successful film as well. The story takes place in a dystopian future in the country of Panem. The Capitol and its residents live carefree lives while 12 Districts serve under its rule. The hero of the book is Katniss Everdeen, a resident of District 12.  In order to ensure that the Districts understand their place in the world, the Capitol forces each of the 12 Districts to send one boy and one girl to fight in a duel to the death known as The Hunger Games.

The quote comes early on in the story. During the selection, Katniss’ younger sister, Primrose, is selected at random. Katniss, wanting to protect her sister from competing in the Hunger Games, steps out of the crowd and volunteers herself, delivering the quote in the process.

Geek wisdom: We have to be prepared to make sacrifices to protect what we feel are important. It can be hard to actually do this since there will usually be a some risk involved. It could be something as serious as protecting your family from harm to something smaller, such as standing up to a bully.

No matter how great or small it may be, stepping up to a challenge can be daunting, especially if you’re used to keeping quiet and playing it safe. Still, it’s best to recognize when facing the challenge may be the best thing to do in a situation.

“I eat pieces of s#!t like you for breakfast!”

From: Happy Gilmore

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Shooter McGavin

The story behind the quote: I’ve already posted something about Happy Gilmore before so I won’t go into much detail about the plot of the film. Basically, Happy Gilmore is a former hockey player who becomes a golfer in order to earn enough money to get his grandmother’s house back. Still, like most movies, there is still a central antagonist. And that person is Shooter McGavin (played by Christopher McDonald). He hates Happy (played by Adam Sandler) because the former hockey player doesn’t take the game of golf seriously.

The quote comes quite late into the movie. Shooter wins the auction for Happy’s home. In order to get his house back, Happy makes a bet with Shooter. If Happy ranks higher than Shooter, he gets his house back. If Shooter beats him, Happy will need to quit golf. After they agree to the terms, Shooter turns to his rival and delivers the quote. Happy laughs at what he said, especially regarding his apparent meal choices.

Geek wisdom: Always be careful of what you say to people. Even if they are meant to be jokes, people can misunderstand your actual intentions. Shooter just wanted to emphasize that he’ll be able to beat Happy easily. But, because of his choice of words, Happy made it sound like he eats crap every morning… literally!

So, when delivering a message, try to be as clear and detailed as possible. You never know how these things can be misinterpreted.

“These go to 11.”

From: This Is Spinal Tap

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Nigel Tufnel

The story behind the quote: This Is Spinal Tap is a comedy film shown through a fake documentary on an equally fake band known as Spinal Tap. The “documentary” focuses on the band’s concert tour promoting their latest album. While the movie was only a modest hit when it was released way back in 1984, it became a cult classic when it was made available in the home video market. In fact, the band actually released three real albums in total.

The quote comes from a scene where the lead guitarist of Spinal Tap, Nigel Tufnel (played by Christopher Guest) is showing off his specially made Marshall amplifiers to the director of the documentary, Marty DiBergi (played by Rob Reiner). Nigel explains that the amplifiers are much more powerful than regular amplifiers since they exceed the regular limit of 10. Marty questions this and asks why didn’t they make the regular 10 louder. Nigel doesn’t seem to get the logic and once again explains that the amplifiers he has are more powerful.

Geek wisdom: Everyone likes to show off and prove they have the best stuff. In the rush to be better, we sometimes don’t really understand in what way they are better. What’s worse, we can sometimes think that something is better because of misleading information. The sad thing is, when this is pointed out to us, we can foolishly cling on to our original mistaken belief.

It’s okay to be proud of having great stuff. But, if you’re going to announce it to everyone, make sure it’s something to be proud of.

“I’m bad. And that’s good. I will never be good. And that’s not bad. There’s no one I’d rather be than me.”

From: Wreck-It Ralph

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Various video game baddies

The story behind the quote: Wreck-It Ralph is a CGI Disney movie released in 2012. The titular character is a “bad guy” in a fictional video game called Fix-It Felix, Jr. Ralph’s job in the game is to wreck an apartment building while the “good guy,” Fix-It Felix, Jr., fixes whatever he destroys. Being the villain of the game (and since his job is to wreck the building), no one in the apartment complex really likes Ralph. Wanting acceptance, he believes that, if he gets a medal just like the one Felix gets when be beats the game, he will finally earn some respect.

The quote comes early in the movie where Ralph attends a Bad Guy support group which other video game villains like Zangief (?) and M. Bison from the Street Fighter series and Clyde from Pac-Man meet. At the end of the meeting, after Ralph expresses his want to stop being the bad guy, they stand up and give the Bad Guy Affirmation.

Geek wisdom: A lot of people miss the point of the quote. It’s actually okay to try to better yourself. The message here is more of accepting oneself for who we are and not how others think of you. In fact, the last line of the Bad Guy Affirmation says this pretty clearly: There’s no one I’d rather be than me.

There are a lot of people that are not satisfied with their race, color, gender or whatever. And they hate themselves for it.

You are who you are. Trying to pretend that you’re something else is not the answer. The best thing to do is to accept who you are and love yourself because you are unique and special because of what you are.

“That’s my secret, Captain. I’m always angry.”

From: Marvel’s The Avengers

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Bruce Banner

The story behind the quote: The Avengers is a movie released in 2012. It is the culmination of Marvel’s long string of movies, starting with the first Iron Man film (released in 2008). The basic premise is that Loki, Thor’s brother, has allied with a race of aliens who plan to take over the Earth. Earth’s mightiest superheroes, which include Iron Man and Captain America, have to team up to prevent this from happening.

The quote comes from Bruce Banner, the scientist who becomes the Hulk when angered. Iron Man has managed to lead a giant monster towards the rest of the heroes. Captain America suggests to Bruce Banner that he needs to get angry immediately to take the monster down. Bruce Banner calmly turns to the Captain, delivers the quote and instantly turns into the Hulk to take the beast down.

Geek wisdom: Emotions are actually powerful tools. Being angry can help motivate people to do things immediately. It can help you get results. But, since anger is an emotion, and emotions are tools, we have to be able to control it. The problem is we usually let our emotions control us.

While Bruce Banner may always be angry, he manages to control the monster within himself by controlling the emotion. He only lets it out when it is necessary. We should also be that way.