# Unexpected wisdom in pop culture **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 27, 2003, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpected-wisdom-in-pop-culture/164604 "2003-03-27T20:36:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Omorka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/50afbb/32.png) [@Omorka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omorka)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2003, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpected-wisdom-in-pop-culture/164604/81 "2003-04-05T05:55:47Z")
Heard a nice one on the last DVD of _Excel Saga_ today: “Love and loyalty are the same to me!” ---
**Author:** ![Pixiesnix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Pixiesnix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixiesnix)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2003, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpected-wisdom-in-pop-culture/164604/82 "2003-04-05T06:53:44Z")
“I’d rather have one minute of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special.”–_Steel Magnolias_ “Meddle? Of course we should meddle! Always do what you’re best at!”-- _Dr. Who_ “Even the smallest person can change the world.”–_FOTR_ “Anyone who tells you that life is fair is trying to sell you something.”–_The Princess Bride_ “That boy lives in his heart. That’s an awful big place to live.”–_Sling Blade_ ---
**Author:** ![Simbelmyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Simbelmyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simbelmyne)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2003, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpected-wisdom-in-pop-culture/164604/83 "2003-04-05T07:13:14Z")
Question: If you could live forever, would you and why? Answer: I would not live forever, because we should not live forever, because, if we were supposed to live forever, we would live forever, but we cannot live forever, which is why I would not live forever. ~Miss Alabama, 1994 Miss USA pageant. ?Whenever I watch TV and see those poor, starving kids all over the world, I can?t help but cry. I mean, I?d love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff.?~Mariah Carey ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2003, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpected-wisdom-in-pop-culture/164604/84 "2003-04-05T08:17:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Simbelmyne \* > \*\*Whenever I watch TV and see those poor, starving kids all over the world, I can?t help but cry. I mean, I?d love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff.?~Mariah Carey \*\* [False.](http://www.snopes.com/quotes/carey.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2003, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpected-wisdom-in-pop-culture/164604/85 "2003-04-05T16:11:01Z")
A couple of quotes from Lois McMaster Bujold’s Miles Vorkosigan saga: > [@](#): > > ``` > "Men can move mountains, but ideas move men." > > "A weapon is a tool for making your enemy change his mind." > > ``` ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2003, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpected-wisdom-in-pop-culture/164604/86 "2003-04-05T18:29:46Z")
> [@](#): > > **gobear:** I find J. Michael Straszinski’s dialogue in _Babylon 5_ to contain a lot of profundity… I’ve never watched _Babylon 5_, but Straczynski has a masterful way of hiding philosophical gems in the pudding of popular forms. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out his radio-play series, [_City of Dreams_](http://www.scifi.com/cityofdreams/prev_episodes/prev_episodes.html). _Samuel Beckett, Your Ride Is Here_ is brilliant. Hell, they’re all brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![look\_ninjas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@look\_ninjas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/look_ninjas)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2003, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpected-wisdom-in-pop-culture/164604/87 "2003-04-05T18:46:01Z")
Solichnaya: The Brandon Lee quote you gave is (I think) actually taken from SHELTERING SKY by Paul Bowles. But it’s still good. “I mean This is prose Not poetry But I want To be sincere.” - Jack Kerouac, “MacDougal Street Blues: Canto Uno.” ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2003, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpected-wisdom-in-pop-culture/164604/88 "2003-04-06T17:35:40Z")
Billy Joel, in his song _Getting Closer_, from his album _The Bridge_: > [@](#): > > If I see it as experioence, it hasn’t gone to waste ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2003, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpected-wisdom-in-pop-culture/164604/89 "2003-04-06T17:36:54Z")
Damn misspellings…should be “experience” ---
**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpected-wisdom-in-pop-culture/164604/90 "2003-04-06T18:48:00Z")
I’ve quoted this dialogue on this board before, but it bears repeating (from _ **Unforgiven** _): **Bill Munny:** Hell of a thing, killin’ a man. Take away all he’s got and all he’s ever gonna have. **Schofield Kid:** Yeah, well, I guess he had it comin’. **Bill Munny:** We all got it comin’, kid. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2003, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpected-wisdom-in-pop-culture/164604/91 "2003-04-07T05:38:42Z")
I tried to post this before, but it apparently didn’t go through. In one of the later Myth Adventures books (MYTH Inc Link, IIRC), Skeeve explains why he doesn’t like being the boss. What it boils down to (and I agree, though I understand why others don’t.) is: a) If things go well, all you get is the guilty feeling of taking credit for someone else’s work. b) If they don’t you’re left holding the bag even if you’re not actually to blame. ---
**Author:** ![Hobie\_the\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e99b99/32.png) [@Hobie\_the\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hobie_the_One)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2003, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpected-wisdom-in-pop-culture/164604/92 "2003-04-07T19:15:12Z")
“If you cannot say what you mean, you will never mean what you say” **Peter O’Toole** in _The Last Emporer_ ---
**Author:** ![Hobie\_the\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e99b99/32.png) [@Hobie\_the\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hobie_the_One)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2003, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpected-wisdom-in-pop-culture/164604/93 "2003-04-07T19:16:46Z")
Of course I meant _The last **Emperor** _ And I even previewed. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2003, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpected-wisdom-in-pop-culture/164604/94 "2003-04-07T19:34:23Z")
“Dyin’ is easy. It’s living that’s hard” “If you’re going to shoot, don’t talk. Shoot!” “Yeah, you can live on it but it tastes like shit.” “But you can’t hold a whole fraternity responsible for the behavior of a few, sick twisted individuals. For if you do, then shouldn’t we blame the whole fraternity system? And if the whole fraternity system is guilty, then isn’t this an indictment of our educational institutions in general? I put it to you, Greg - isn’t this an indictment of our entire American society? Well, you can do whatever you want to us, but we’re not going to sit here and listen to you badmouth the United States of America.” ---
**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:** [April 7, 2003, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpected-wisdom-in-pop-culture/164604/95 "2003-04-07T23:21:29Z")
“Throughout life people will make you mad Disrespect you and treat you bad Let God deal with the things they do Cause hate in your heart will consume you too” - Will Smith “Don’t let the bastards grind you down” - U2 “The god I believe in isn’t short of cash, mister” - U2 If I were to do it properly, I would need to quote the entire book Catch 22 by Joseph Heller, but I’ll try to pick out the best of the best; > [@](#): > > “They’re trying to kill me,” Yossarian told him calmly. > “No one’s trying to kill you,” Clevinger cried. > “Then why are they shooting at me?” Yossarian asked. > “They’re shooting at _everyone_,” Clevinger answered. “They’re trying to kill everyone.” > “And what difference does that make?” > [@](#): > > “Anyone who wants to get out of combat duty isn’t really crazy.” > There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one’s own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions… > “That’s some catch, that Catch-22,” he {Yossarian}observed. > “It’s the best there is,” Doc Daneeka agreed. > [@](#): > > “Like Olympic medals and tennis trophies, all they signified was that the owner had done something of no benefit to anyone more capably than everyone else.” > [@](#): > > “Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.” ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2003, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpected-wisdom-in-pop-culture/164604/96 "2003-04-08T01:13:43Z")
Some bits of wisdom that seem to have more immediate pertinence these days: “There are hardly any excesses of the most crazed psychopath that cannot easily be duplicated by a normal kindly family man who just comes in to work every day and has a job to do.” - Terry Pratchett, _Small Gods_ “It was so much easier to blame it on Them. It was bleakly depressing to think that They were Us. If it was Them, then nothing was anyone’s fault. If it was us, what did that make Me? After all, I’m one of Us. I must be. I’ve certainly never thought of myself as one of Them. No one ever thinks of themselves as one of Them. We’re always one of Us. It’s Them that do the bad things.” - Terry Pratchett, _Jingo_ “The Spice must flow.” - Frank Herbert, _Dune_ ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2003, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpected-wisdom-in-pop-culture/164604/97 "2003-04-08T02:26:53Z")
“Even a used Mercedes still has leather seats.” - Cordelia Chase [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpected-wisdom-in-pop-culture/164604.md?page=4)