# The Douglas Adams memorial thread: Post your favorite quotes here! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 12, 2001, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-douglas-adams-memorial-thread-post-your-favorite-quotes-here/65223 "2001-05-12T16:52:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![hypergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/49beb7/32.png) [@hypergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hypergirl)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2001, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-douglas-adams-memorial-thread-post-your-favorite-quotes-here/65223/41 "2001-05-13T09:36:08Z")
I’m not sure of the exact quote and I can’t look it up because someone has my copy of the more than complete guide, but the quote has something to do with the tendency of humans to overstate the obvious. It has something to do with the fact that if our lips stop moving our brains start working. It’s from the Hitchiker’s Guide, around when Arthur and Ford first find themselves on the Vogon ship. If someone could post it for me that’d be nice. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2001, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-douglas-adams-memorial-thread-post-your-favorite-quotes-here/65223/42 "2001-05-13T09:45:50Z")
I think digital watches ARE pretty neat. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2001, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-douglas-adams-memorial-thread-post-your-favorite-quotes-here/65223/43 "2001-05-13T15:22:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Qadgop the Mercotan \* > \*\*“this must be some usage of the word ‘safe’ with which I wasn’t previously familiar” > \*\* The one Qudgop posted above is easily my favorite by a long marign. But there’re so many runners-up. To name just one: > [@](#): > > Here’s what the Encyclopedia Galactica has to say about alcohol. It says that alcohol is a colourless volatile liquid formed by the fermentation of sugars and also notes its intoxicating effect on certain carbon-based life forms. > The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy also mentions alcohol. It says that the best drink in existence is the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster. It says that the effect of a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster is like having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick. > > The Guide also tells you on which planets the best Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters are mixed, how much you can expect to pay for one and what voluntary organizations exist to help you rehabilitate afterwards. > > The Guide even tells you how you can mix one yourself. Take the juice from one bottle of that Ol’ Janx Spirit, it says. Pour into it one measure of water from the seas of Santraginus V- Oh that Santraginean sea water, it says. Oh those Santraginean fish!!! Allow three cubes of Arcturan Mega-gin to melt into the mixture (it must be properly iced or the benzine is lost). Allow four litres of Fallian marsh gas to bubble through it, in memory of all those happy Hikers who have died of pleasure in the Marshes of Fallia. Over the back of a silver spoon float a measure of Qualactin Hypermint extract, redolent of all the heady odours of the dark Qualactin Zones, subtle sweet and mystic. Drop in the tooth of an Algolian Suntiger. Watch it dissolve, spreading the fires of the Algolian Suns deep into the heart of the drink. Sprinkle Zamphuor. Add an olive. Drink … but … very carefully … > > The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy sells rather better than the Encyclopedia Galactica. the “slice of lemon wrapped around a large gold brick” and the “sells rather better” parts crack me up every time. Fenris Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2001, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-douglas-adams-memorial-thread-post-your-favorite-quotes-here/65223/44 "2001-05-13T15:29:08Z")
The Nutramatic beverage machine - it produces something which is almost , but not quite , entirely unlike tea. The Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster - like having your brain bashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a gold brick. ---
**Author:** ![Peregrine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a6a055/32.png) [@Peregrine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peregrine)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2001, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-douglas-adams-memorial-thread-post-your-favorite-quotes-here/65223/45 "2001-05-13T16:09:59Z")
For **hypergirl** : In chapter 5 of THGTTG, after Arthur has been going on about it being dark: “One of the things Ford Prefect found hardest to understand about humans was their habit of continually stating and repeating the very very obvious, as in _It’s a nice day,_ or _You’re very tall,_ or _Oh dear you seem to have fallen down a thirty-foot well, are you all right?_” Ford’s two theories on the reason: 1)If human beings don’t keep exercising their lips their mouths probably seize up. 2)If they don’t keep on exercising their lips, their brains start working. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2001, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-douglas-adams-memorial-thread-post-your-favorite-quotes-here/65223/46 "2001-05-13T16:43:08Z")
“I got an award for designing Norway you know” " I don’t want to go to heaven with a headache , I’ll be cross and won’t enjoy it " " Every time you go to the lavatory you have to get a receipt ". ``` Some of these quotes come from the original off-air radio recordings and may not appear in the books. ``` ---
**Author:** ![Verrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/46a35a/32.png) [@Verrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Verrain)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2001, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-douglas-adams-memorial-thread-post-your-favorite-quotes-here/65223/47 "2001-05-13T17:08:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Folkie \* > \*\* > > I believe he wrote the “City of Death” episode of Dr Who which makes him responsible for this line I am probably misquoting: > “You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.” > “If you made an omelet I would expect to find a destroyed kitchen and an unconcious chef.” > \*\* “You can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs.” “If you wanted an omelet, I’d expect to find a pile of broken crockery, a cooker in flames, and an unconscious chef.” That episode also gave us the quotes: “Do you know what I don’t understand?” “I expect so.” “Dougan, why is it every time I start talking to someone, you knock them unconscious.” “I don’t think he is as stupid as he seems.” “My dear, no one could be as stupid as _he_ seems.” ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2001, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-douglas-adams-memorial-thread-post-your-favorite-quotes-here/65223/48 "2001-05-13T17:27:13Z")
" The ravenous Bugbladder beast of Thrall , a creature so stupid it thinks that if it can,t see you , you can’t see it " “The first 6 million years were worst the next million years were worst also,after that things started to go downhill” ---
**Author:** ![Shmoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@Shmoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmoo)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2001, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-douglas-adams-memorial-thread-post-your-favorite-quotes-here/65223/49 "2001-05-13T18:45:13Z")
Superintelligent shades of blue- 42- Arthurs story told to Fenchurch on crackers, one of the many times I laughed outloud reading the Hitchikers series(just finished So Long & Thanks for All the Fish 3 days ago…) Quote"And as he drove on, the rain clouds dragged down the sky after him for, though he did not know it, Rob McKenna was a Rain God. All he knew was that his working days were miserable and he had a succession of lousy holidays. All the clouds knew was that they loved him and wanted to be near him, to cherish him and to water him." AH! so sad. Thanks & so long, Douglas Adams. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2001, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-douglas-adams-memorial-thread-post-your-favorite-quotes-here/65223/50 "2001-05-13T19:33:49Z")
I met my fiance because of Douglas Adams; I posted a personal ad with the title “Female: Mostly Harmless”, he was a huge Douggie Adams fan and responded, we found out we were basically soulmates, and the rest is history. Since I can’t narrow it down to one favourite, either, I decided to go with the exchange from the beginning of THHGTTG that hooked me on Douggie in high school; ‘But the plans were on display…’ ‘On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.’ ‘That’s the display department.’ ‘With a torch.’ ‘Ah, well the lights had probably gone.’ ‘So had the stairs.’ ‘But look, you found the notice didn’t you?’ ‘Yes,’ said Arthur, ‘yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying _Beware of the Leopard_.’ ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2001, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-douglas-adams-memorial-thread-post-your-favorite-quotes-here/65223/51 "2001-05-13T20:16:14Z")
I’ve memorized the whole entry on the Universe. But I will only repeat: > [@](#): > > Currency: None. > > Actually there are three freely convertible currencies in the Galaxy, but none of them count. The Altairian dollar has recently collapsed, the Flainian pobble bead is only exchangeable for other Flainian pobble beads, and the Triganic pu has its own very special problems. The exchange rate of eight ningis to one pu is very easy to understand, but as a ningi is a triangular rubber coin six thousand eight hundred miles to one side, nobody has ever collected enough ningis to own one pu. Ningis are not convertible currency as the Galactibanks refuse to deal in fiddling small change. From this it may be deduced that the Galactibanks are also the product of a deranged imagination. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2001, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-douglas-adams-memorial-thread-post-your-favorite-quotes-here/65223/52 "2001-05-13T22:39:56Z")
When Arthur and the gang are on the ship they’ve “stolen” from Hot Black Desiato: “They said there was a whole lotta nothin’ they could do” ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2001, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-douglas-adams-memorial-thread-post-your-favorite-quotes-here/65223/53 "2001-05-13T22:59:57Z")
“So long and thanks for all the fish.” I think in this case we can say, “fish” = “fun”. TV ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2001, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-douglas-adams-memorial-thread-post-your-favorite-quotes-here/65223/54 "2001-05-14T04:27:55Z")
Just one–too many great ones to mention. “The major problem - one of the major problems, for there are several - one of the many major problems with governing people is that of whom you get to do it; or rather of who manages to get people to let them do it to them. To summarize: it is a well known fact, that those people who most want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it. To summarize the summary: anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job. To summarize the summary of the summary: people are a problem.” ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2001, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-douglas-adams-memorial-thread-post-your-favorite-quotes-here/65223/55 "2001-05-14T06:47:56Z")
Hey, maybe he’s just planning on spending a year dead for tax reasons!! ---
**Author:** ![Gregor\_Samsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@Gregor\_Samsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gregor_Samsa)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2001, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-douglas-adams-memorial-thread-post-your-favorite-quotes-here/65223/56 "2001-05-14T07:06:07Z")
Referring to earth: > [@](#): > > This planet has - or rather had - a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time…And so the problem remained; lots of the people were mean, and most of them were miserable, even the ones with digital watches. > Many were increasingly of the opinion that they’d all made a big mistake in coming down from the trees in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![JosephFinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3bc359/32.png) [@JosephFinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JosephFinn)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2001, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-douglas-adams-memorial-thread-post-your-favorite-quotes-here/65223/57 "2001-05-14T07:09:12Z")
“Slartibartfast?” “I told you it wasn’t very interesting…” Requisat in Pace, Mr. Adams. ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2001, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-douglas-adams-memorial-thread-post-your-favorite-quotes-here/65223/58 "2001-05-14T07:34:07Z")
“…what’s that strange thing you British play?” ‘Er, cricket? Self-loathing?’ * * * “My dear chap! My dear chap! My dear, dear chap! What was I saying?” 'Er, you were saying “My dear chap” ’ * * * “Ford, you’re turning into a penguin. Stop it.” * * * “Ford, there’s an infinite number of monkeys outside who want to talk to us about this script for Hamlet they’ve worked out.” * * * “And I demand that I am Vroomfondel!” ---
**Author:** ![Edwardina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Edwardina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edwardina)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2001, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-douglas-adams-memorial-thread-post-your-favorite-quotes-here/65223/59 "2001-05-14T07:34:32Z")
Imagine my uninformed self logging in and finding this thread without having any previous knowledge of the Master’s demise. this sucks royal. To summon an appropriate quote would require the use of resources which I currently lack. But, I just had to say this: No other books have made me squawk with laughter (out loud!) like those of Mr. Adams. I just don’t know how it’s possible to be so gifted, so funny, so consistently. What a loss! _sniff, sniff_ Bereaved, Eddy ---
**Author:** ![jesternl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bcef8e/32.png) [@jesternl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jesternl)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2001, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-douglas-adams-memorial-thread-post-your-favorite-quotes-here/65223/60 "2001-05-14T11:23:38Z")
And just as I was rereading THHGTTG He has too many gorgeous things to list them all, but here are two of my favorites. > [@](#): > > It was a time when men were still men, women were women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri and > [@](#): > > “Ford”, He said, “There’s an infinite number of monkeys outside who want to talk to us about this script for Hamlet they’ve worked out” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-douglas-adams-memorial-thread-post-your-favorite-quotes-here/65223.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-douglas-adams-memorial-thread-post-your-favorite-quotes-here/65223.md?page=4)