Questions tagged [quotes]
Questions about popular quotes from a work.
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What is the origin behind the line "You have not experienced Shakespeare until you have read him in the original Klingon."
Famously, in The Undiscovered Country has this line by Chancellor Gorkon, in response to Spock quoting Hamlet:
You have not experienced Shakespeare until you have read him in the original Klingon.
...
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Text and origin of the original "always be Batman" quote
I found different forms of the quote on the internet, and mostly without sources. Which one is the original Batman quote?
Remember to always be yourself. Unless you can be Batman. Then always be ...
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Origin of quote along the lines of "Q: Where do you get your ideas from? A: I get them from Saskatchewan."
Looking for the author and exact words of a quote.
A science fiction writer was asked too many times "Where do you get your ideas from?"
He came up with a sarcastic reply along the lines of:...
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Who is to be credited for Aaron Satie's wisdom in "The Drumhead"?
The following quote is from one of my favourite Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes, "The Drumhead" (4x21). It is cited by Picard and attributed to the fictional Judge Aaron Satie:
With ...
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Is this Peter Pan quote attributable to J.M.Barrie?
The following quote is spoken at the very beginning of the 1953 Peter Pan Movie:
All this happened before, and it will happen again. But this time it happened in London.
This is similar to the line ...
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Looking for quote and source
The book covers such a long period of time, history up to current time is covered in one sentence, something like,”It was a time of great religious and political turmoil.”
I was sure it was from “Last ...
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What are all the times Gandalf was either late or early?
Gandalf, who is ever-quotable is well known for saying:
A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.
I often cite this to re-assure my friends who're being harsh ...
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Source of Heinlein quote, “I don’t see how an article of clothing can be indecent. A person, yes.”
I came across this quote
I don’t see how an article of clothing can be indecent. A person, yes.
In the context I saw it used, it was clearly a quotation of someone else, but unattributed. I searched ...
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In what context did Garak (ST:DS9) speak of a lie between two truths?
In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, there were a number of scenes of conversations between Garak and Dr. Bashir. I'm pretty sure there was one in which Garak says something like "a lie is most ...
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Is this quote from Robert Heinlein's writing? "I never learned from a man who agreed with me"
Can anyone provide a source for this quote, supposedly from Robert Heinlein or from one of his works? "I never learned from a man who agreed with me." Or similar wording. I don't recognize it, and I'...
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Where does this (supposedly) Gibson quote come from?
Where does "The future is already here, it's just not very evenly distributed" come from?
It has been attributed to Gibson, usually supposedly in The Economist of Dec 4th, 2003, which I'm ...
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What is Qubit's equivalent to the Doctor's "Allons-y"?
In the Irredeemable comic universe, at one point, Qubit uses a German phrase with a connotation very similar to the "Allons-y" used by the Doctor of Doctor Who.
What is that phrase, and in ...
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What is the RotS Yuuzhan Vong quote?
I’ve seen it be referenced several times on this website, and despite reading my copy of Revenge of the Sith, couldn’t find it.
Edit:
My copy of the book is Scholastic, written by Patricia C. Wrede “...
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What does "My shoes are too tight" mean?
On Babylon 5, episode 7 ("War Prayer"), Londo Mollari says, "My shoes are too tight, and I've forgotten how to dance."
The scene:
LONDO: ...My shoes are too tight.
VIR: ...Excuse me?
...
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Where did "you shall not pass" come from?
One of the most memorable lines from the Lord of the Rings movies is when Gandalf stands before the Balrog and says "you cannot pass". It's commonly quoted as "you shall not pass" ...
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Immature or wise beyond your years quote from the Ender's Game books
I've been searching for tens of minutes for this quote from the Ender's Game series of books by Orson Scott Card, but can't find it.
The son of the family Ender befriends is mentioned by the elders to ...
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Which Terry Pratchett book starts with "Zoom in"?
This is driving me crazy. I think it's one of the Bromeliad Trilogy, where the narration starts like.
Start with the earth. Find somewhere green. Zoom in, zoom in further. A tree. Zoom in even more. ...
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Need source for the inverse of "Clarke's Third Law"
I'm looking for the source of a quote that is the inverse of the third of Clarke's Three Laws. It was in a book, article or short story from the late 1990's to early 2000's.
I remember that the ...
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What did Professor Bernardo de la Paz mean exactly in his quote from The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress?
One of the many famous quotes from Professor Bernardo de la Paz in Robert Heinlein's The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress is the following, originating from his discussion with Wyoming on what they believe in....
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Do the androids need to kill their owners in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
I'm writing my BA thesis on Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. In the Polish translation of the book, there is an indication that an android needs to kill its owner to get from ...
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What did Saruman mean by "Something festers in the heart of Middle-earth"?
In the extended version of the movie "The Return of the King", Saruman tells Gandalf from above Orthanc:
"Something festers in the heart of Middle-Earth, something you have not yet seen. But the ...
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In what context did Tolkien say "evil cannot create anything new"?
Evil cannot create anything new, they can only corrupt and ruin what good forces have invented or made.
I see this quote a lot in the comments under the new Amazon The Rings of Power teaser trailer.
...
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Was Douglas Adams specifically joking about British small talk?
There's this paragraph in the book:
“One of the things Ford Prefect had always found hardest to understand about humans was their habit of continually stating and repeating the very very obvious, as ...
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Need attribution of Spider-Man quote-Not everyone is meant to make a difference. But for me the choice to lead an ordinary life is no longer an option
I need correct attribution of the quote "Not everyone is meant to make a difference. But for me the choice to lead an ordinary life is no longer an option." Was this only for the movie? Or ...
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Why do many of Heinlein's characters despise gratitude?
In the novel "Stranger in a strange land" by Robert Heinlein there is this passage:
’Gratitude’ is a euphemism for resentment…The Japanese have five
different ways to say ‘thank you’—and every ...
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What is the significance of the title "Fiat Voluntas Tua" (a quote from the Latin "Our Father") as a section title in A Canticle for Leibowitz?
When Walter M. Miller Jr. originally wrote the novelettes that he later fixed up to become A Canticle for Leibowitz, they were titled:
"A Canticle for Leibowitz" (The Magazine of Fantasy ...
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Who said, "The only way to model an infinitely complex system is with the system, itself"?
I debated whether or not to ask this question here or on History. I concluded to try it here because I'm fairly sure it was said by someone like Arthur C. Clarke or Isaac Asimov, and a great many of ...
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Source of the quote "I will blurb your book, or I will read it, but not both"
This is a quote I heard in the mid to late 1980's, attributed to a famous SF author (I usually think it's Larry Niven).
But the quote appears to have fallen into the dreaded Internet Late 1980s ...
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Did Tolkien liken Aragorn to a wolf?
I seem to recall from somewhere that Tolkien likened Aragorn to a type of animal, I think a wolf, but I can't for the life of me remember where he may have said this. Did Tolkien actually make a ...
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How many times were there "Klingons on/off the starboard bow"?
There two excellent parodies contain either the phrase "Klingons on the starboard bow" or "Klingons off the starboard bow". How many times, if ever, did this exact phrase occur in ...
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What does this quote in Small Gods refer to?
In Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett, the following quote appears:
It was something he shared with tortoises. Watch any tortoise walking,
and periodically it will stop while it files away the ...
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Is Schönweiser, the author of the quote on religion in "The Screwfly Solution", a real person?
The Screwfly Solution is a short story by Raccoona Sheldon, in which men all over the world start killing women because they feel a religious voice is telling them it is the right thing to do.
...
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Does the quote "The spice must flow" appear in the original Dune series?
I just finished reading Chapterhouse: Dune, so I read the whole original series. I can't remember the quote "The spice must flow." that appears in the Lynch's Dune. Is it the books? If so, in which ...
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What fantasy movie is this quote from?
with one cherry you may pass to the world behind the glass
I remember the girl moves into her grandmas house and she finds an old standing mirror. Behind the mirror, stuck to it, there are some ...
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Is it stated in Shadow or Mordor / War (outside the appendix) that Celebrimbor gave Sauron's One Ring it's own will
In the appendix of Shadow of Mordor for The One Ring it says
"The One Ring was forged at Orodruin and perfected by his captive, the Elven lord Celebrimbor. Sauron invested much of his power into ...
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What's the first movie in which an alien says "We come in peace"?
It occurred to me after yesterday's movie night that The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951) is the earliest movie I know of where the alien actually says this.
KLAATU
...
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Did Douglas Adams say "I always thought something was fundamentally wrong with the universe."?
I like the quote:
I always thought something was fundamentally wrong with the universe.
It seems to sum up some of the weird things and coincidences I encounter in life. The quote is allegedly from ...
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What is the linguistic challenge Louise uses in the beginning of "Arrival"?
What I remember is, in the beginning of the movie, Louise gives the military guy a linguistic challenge to give to the translator he is going to see next, after the military guy says he will give the ...
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What is the context of the quote "With great power comes great responsibility"?
Without a doubt, this is one of the most famous quotes from Spider-Man. I think that in the movie, it's Uncle Ben who says it.
However, was the quote also present in the comics? More importantly, what ...
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Which sci-fi book is this quote from? [duplicate]
I vaguely recall a quote that I was sure was from Ender's Game -- but it's not, as I just finished reading it. It could be from one of the other books in the saga.
It says something along the lines of:...
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Origin of quote in Abercrombie's The Blade Itself
In the first volume of Joe Abercrombie's First Law Trilogy the title of the first book "The Blade Itself" is attributed to a quote from The Odyssey by Homer "The blade itself incites to deeds of ...
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Need a quote from The Iron Dragon's Daughter by Michael Swanwick
Having read it 20+ years ago in a very different language, I can offer only my own translation back to English: "Hellgate is not a place, it's a state of mind." Appears close to the end of ...
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Is there a conversation regarding heroes and common people in "The Lord of the Rings"?
I recall an exchange early in "The Lord of the Rings" regarding heroes. One character laments that there is not a hero available to handle the task laid before them, and another character ...
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What is "DON'T PANIC" a reference to on the dashboard of Elon Musk's car?
SpaceX recently launched the Falcon Heavy into space while carrying Elon Musk's car to be sent into orbit around Mars. (News article reference) During the launch, footage was shown of a space suit ...
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What Marx Bros. production does Manhunter watch in "New Frontier"?
In DC's New Frontier, J'onn watches the Marx Brothers on TV. Is it an actual movie or show, and if so, what's the name? I'm trying to match the quote (specifically, who's speaking to Groucho), but ...
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You know this Ben Grimm/Thing quote?
I watched a Marvel AMV video on YouTube.
In one of the Marvel comics, the Thing teams up with a few superheroes to take down a villain. They were maybe the Hulk, Gladiator, and the Silver Surfer. The ...
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What author joked that his writing skill came from a magical amulet
About 10 years ago I read a great quote from a scifi/fantasy writer. Unfortunately I have forgotten both where I read it and who wrote it, but I would like to find it again.
The quote was, as far as I ...
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Looking for a Neal Stephenson passage on religion as inoculation / vaccination / prophylactic
I recall a section in a Neal Stephenson book where a couple that secretly went to church (or at least didn't make it known) with their kids. As I recall it, they did this not because they were ...
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Was Obi-wan ever taught by Yoda?
I found a quote whilst researching my previous question about Force Ghosts, about how Obi-Wan was trained by Yoda:
Yoda: [Looking away from Luke] I cannot teach him. The boy has no patience.
Obi-Wan: ...
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Heinlein, "Everything not compulsory was forbidden," in "Coventry?"
There is a satirical phrase, "Everything not forbidden is compulsory," which seems to have been a part of popular culture (in varied form) in the English-speaking world in the early 20th century. It ...
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