Some of my favorite quotes…
[TOC]
Adam Savage (Mythbusters)
The difference between screwing around and science is writing it down
Anonymous
The definition of insanity is to repeat the same process, expecting a different outcome.
The definition of science is to repeat a process in order to verify the outcome.
Therefore, there is a thin line between science and insanity.
Arthur C. Clark
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic
Daft Punk
From the Song, “Technologic”
Buy it, use it, break it, fix it,
Trash it, change it, mail, upgrade it,
Charge it, point it, zoom it, press it,
Snap it, work it, quick, erase it,
Write it, cut it, paste it, save it,
Load it, check it, quick, rewrite it
Plug it, play it, burn it, rip it,
Drag and drop it, zip, unzip it,
Lock it, fill it, curl it, find it,
View it, code it, jam, unlock it
Surf it, scroll it, pose it, click it
Cross it, crack it, twitch, update it,
Name it, read it, tune it, print it,
Scan it, send it, fax, rename it,
Touch it, bring it, pay it, watch it,
Turn it, leave it, stop, format it.
Buy it, use it, break it, fix it,
Trash it, change it, mail, upgrade it,
Charge it, point it, zoom it, press it,
Snap it, work it, quick, erase it,
Write it, cut it, paste it, save it,
Load it, check it, quick, rewrite it
Plug it, play it, burn it, rip it,
Drag and drop it, zip, unzip it,
Lock it, fill it, curl it, find it,
View it, code it, jam, unlock it
Surf it, scroll it, pose it, click it
Cross it, crack it, twitch, update it,
Name it, read it, tune it, print it,
Scan it, send it, fax, rename it,
Touch it, bring it, pay it, watch it,
Turn it, leave it, stop, format it.
Douglas Adams
In the book, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
After having continuously working for 7 and a half million years to compute the answer to the question of Life, the Universe, and Everything,
“Forty-two,” said Deep Thought, with infinite majesty and calm
When questioned about the veracity of the answer,
“I checked it very thoroughly,” said the computer, “and that quite definitely is the answer. I think the problem, to be quite honest with you, is that you’ve never actually known what the question is.“
Later, in the book, Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Arthur randomly pulls letter tiles from his satchel, in an attempt to glean the answer ostensibly imprinted on his brain as a descendant of the human race. The tiles spell out,
What do you get if you multiply six by nine?
Obviously, the wrong mathematical answer. After some dialog, Arthur proclaims,
You know, I’ve always felt there was something fundamentally wrong with the universe.
Futurama
In the episode “Godfellas”, Bender is hurled in to space. As he drifts, he’s struck by a meteor that eventually spawns a race of tiny beings who inhabit the surface of Bender’s body, and who worship him as a god.
No matter what Bender does to try to help them, he ends up causing larger problems. Eventually, the beings eradicate themselves with nuclear weapons.
Later, Bender encounters the “god-being”, and explains the difficulties he himself had experienced, being a god.
The god-being explains that if you help people too much, they become dependent, but if you do nothing, they lose hope.
The god-being further explains:
You have to use a light touch[..]
When you do things right, people won’t be sure you’ve done anything at all.
Note: Amongst many profound and well-written episodes of Futurama, this is by far my most favorite quote from my most favorite episode.
As with good parenting, leadership, design, engineering, and even writing an animated television series, “When you do things right, people won’t be sure you did anything at all“.
George Bernard Shaw
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
Jeremy Clarkson
In reference to the method devised to transit oneself to the rear of a stretch Panda:
It’s an ingenious solution to a problem that should never have existed in the first place.
Mark Twain
Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.
Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason.
Sherlock Holmes
(As written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.