Tag: morgan freeman

“So, how do we change the world? One random act of kindness at a time.”

From: Evan Almighty

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: God and Evan Baxter

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from the 2007 fantasy comedy, Evan Almighty. A sequel to Bruce Almighty, this movie focuses on Evan Baxter, a former news reporter now Congressman, moves to a new town. Evan prays to God that he changes the world. God then goes to Evan and tasks him to build an ark as in the story of Noah in the Bible, despite the fact the town is landlocked.

The quote is actually foreshadowed early on in the film. God (played by Morgan Freeman) manages to convince Evan (played by Steve Carell) he is God. Evan complains that he has no idea on how to even begin to build an ark. God replies this is like how some people want to change the world but don’t know how to begin. God then states the way to change the world is through “one act of random kindness“.

At the end of the film, the ark does prove its worth when the local dam bursts and manages to save the residents of the town. Evan then meets up with God and he relates how he resisted throughout the entire process but, because everyone was saved, he is relieved he followed God’s instructions. God then says Evan did change the world in other ways, such as spending time with his family and saving a dog. Evan dismisses this as these were very tiny things. This is when God delivers the first part of the quote and Evan replies with the second part.

Geek wisdom: We do not have to make big moves to make an impact. Even the smallest actions, despite feeling miniscule, can affect the world at large. Never minimize the things that you do as what you do does matter.

“What’s in the box?”

From: Seven (stylized “Se7en”)

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Detective David Mills

The story behind the quote: This quote comes from the climactic scene of the crime thriller, Seven, which revolves around a serial killer mimicking the seven deadly sins of the Bible. Oddly enough, the line itself, already mundane by itself, is only said verbatim once or twice in the scene. However, thanks to brilliant directing and storytelling, this rather ordinary quote has become incredibly memorable.

In the final moments of the movie, the serial killer John Doe (played by Kevin Spacey) leads Detectives David Mills (played by Brad Pitt) and William Somerset (played by Morgan Freeman) to the middle of the desert where they receive a package. Mills guards Doe while Somerset checks out the package. When the grizzled detective opens it, he is shocked and disturbed. While this is happening, Doe tells Mills that he envies his life and implies that he beheaded the detective’s wife, implying that is what’s in the box. Somerset tries to placate Mills but the young detective asks his partner what was in the package they received…

Geek wisdom: We like to think we’re ready for everything and anything. However, this is just not true. There are even some questions we don’t want to hear the answers to because we know how devastating they can be.

“Get busy living, or get busy dying.”

From: The Shawshank Redemption

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Andy Dufresne

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from the critically acclaimed film, The Shawshank Redemption. The movie follows Andy Dufrense, who was wrongfully convicted of killing his wife and the man she was having an affair with. He is imprisoned in Shawshank, where he befriends Ellis “Red” Redding, who is serving a life sentence. While not a commercial hit when it was first released, The Shawshank Redemption has become a classic due to near universal approval.

The quote comes after Andy Dufresne (played by Tim Robbins) is released from solitary. He meets up with “Red” Redding (played by Morgan Freeman) and Andy dreams of what he would do if he ever does make it out of prison. Red tells Andy that he shouldn’t keep dreaming about life on the outside. That’s when Andy turns to Red and delivers the quote

Geek wisdom: When in times of deep despair, we can feel that life is hopeless and there is no meaning to living anymore. It can be easy to think that life is all about suffering and pain during these trying times. However, the only time life is actually not worth living is when we give up on the hope that things will never get better.

We should never give up on life and try to move past the hard times. That’s the only way things will actually get better.