5 Great Pieces Of R-Rated Life Advice from the Movies
3) Well, whatever you do, however terrible, however hurtful, it all makes sense, doesn’t it, in your head. You never meet anybody that thinks they’re a bad person. -- The Talented Mr. Ripley
Did you know that when psychologists interview serial killers, rapists, murderers, and con men, most of them believe that their victims deserved what happened to them? Even the ones that aren’t willing to go that far will usually excuse their own behavior and feel that they had no choice other than to do what they did. Now, if even hardened criminals tend to feel that way, what do you think the chances are that the guy who was rude to you or lied to you feels like he’s a rotten person for doing it? Not very high. Even if they have a conscience and believe what they did was morally wrong, they’re probably not going to judge themselves all that harshly. It’s biological. It’s how Nature built us. So, even if you’re dealing with other Hitlers and Stalins, just remember that they probably think they’re good people.
1) “There’s one thing I’ve learned in all my years: sometimes you gotta say “what the f*ck” and make your move.”
The problem I’ve had with that quote is the number of people who never seem to say anything else, and they’re rarely the ones you would want to emulate.
You’re right: Wall Street is full of them and look where it got us.
There were plenty of F bombs in the HBO biopic on sex between Ernest Hemingway and Martha Gellhorn. Unfortunately, they paid little attention to the wars they covered, distorting their politics beyond recognition. I wrote about the real politics of EH and MG here: they are typically left-liberal, i.e., soft on communism, while mildly critical of Stalin. See http://clarespark.com/2011/06/30/links-to-review-essay-on-hemingway-spy-mission-to-china/.
what?
my favorite scene from swingers was the sega genesis battle and one of the dudes was trying to crack w. gretzky’s head open during the hockey game
“It’s not personal, it’s just business.” — Micheal Corelone, Godfather
It’s all personal.
Hmm, none of those bit of “advice” struck me as much more than self-centered, selfish posturing. As for the one from The Rock, what if you’re the prom queen? What’s the definition of winning then? Sitting home, waiting for some strutting adolescent to bolster his fragile ego at your expense? Not exactly advice I’d choose to give my daughter. Or my son, for that matter.
Thanks. Most of these aren’t good advice at all; they’re simply rationalizations for taking what is usually the default position anyway.
The quote from the talented Mr. Ripley sums them all up, and the author’s gormless “gee whiz, did you guys ever hear of criminal rationalization?” tells us just how wet behind the ears he still must be.
What about, “See, there’s three kinds of people….” No, I guess that’s the X-rated piece of advice.
“If a man don’t go his own way, he’s nothing.” — Robert E. Lee Prewitt, From Here to Eternity
“What is the best thing in life?”
“To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women.”
- Genghis Khan, quoted without attribution, in “Conan the Barbarian”.
Always keep in mind that while the self-absorbed debate whether or not they can “score”, much of the rest of the world is motivated by this bit of advice.
cheers
eon
I believe it was Subotai who said that, the best of all the generals of Genghis Khan, and certainly one of the greatest military commanders in all of history. In the movie, Conan’s compadre is also named Subotai, which I think is not coincidental.
“A man’s got to know his limitations”. – Magnum Force
Winner’s win because they do things that they can do; losers lose because they chase things they want but can’t do. Success is hard work but it’s impossible if you can’t do the work. Understand what talents you have and spend the effort necessary to develop the skills that will allow you to fully utilize those natural talents.
Now THAT’S good advice.
“You f*cked up, you trusted us.” – Animal House
Excellent. Attributable to any elected politician.
I am proud to say I have never seen any of these movies, as the advertisements and trailers were enough to keep me from wasting my money.
The self-centered quotes here, simply confirm that I have been 100% correct in my movie going choices. At least as far as these flix are concerned.
“Power don’t come from a badge or a gun. Power comes from lying. Lying big and gettin’ the whole damn world to play along with you. Once you’ve got everybody agreeing with what they know in their hearts ain’t true, you’ve got ‘em by the balls.”
- Senator Roark, “Sin City”
Was that movie before or after Bill Clinton. The quote sounds like the famous cigar man.
The movie, after. The comics it was based on, before… sorta.
Too right, that’s a great one. And though it’s the bad guy saying it, he’s right. Power is an illusion, and it works by getting others to buy into the illusion.
There is no spoon.
– The Matrix
I see dead people
– The Sixth Sense
1999, the last good year for movies.
A fun movie-quote piece of advice:
“Always look on the bright side of life!” ~ Life of Brian (1979)
One of the WORST movie-quote pieces of advice:
“Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” ~ Love Story (1970)
One of my personal favorites comes from the otherwise forgettable movie “D.C. Cab.”
“Don’t let your dick run your life.”
This has to be one of the biggest wastes of my time in the last year! Keep it up and I’ll drop my subscription!!! Get a LIFE!!!
Cloudy: what do you want to play “hide the salami” with her [Sal Boca's wife]?
Popeye: yeah, I do.
“A temptation resisted is a true measure of character.”
-Pappillon
This is better than any crappy pop psychobabble you’ll hear in a movie:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt
Word to the wise for women: sincerity can’t be trusted.
“I ended by falling on my knees and declaring my eternal love for her…and do you know, at that time and for several hours afterward, I actually meant it.”
from Dangerous Liaisons
The cruelest thing I’ve ever heard, though it doesn’t make much sense out of context. Said by Merteuil (Glenn Close) to Valmont (John Malkovich) after he expects praise for seducing a 15-year-old girl (Uma Thurman):
“One does not applaud the tenor for clearing his throat.”
from Dangerous Liaisons
“If the risk is little, the reward is little.” -My Name Is Nobody.
“You’re the fastest one in the water, and you’re the slowest one off the block. What do ya think that means? What do ya gotta do?” -Man On Fire.
“Ben, I think you ought to be taking it a little easier right now, more than you seem to be. Sow a few wild oats, take things as they come, have a good time with the girls and so forth!” -The Graduate.
“Never get involved in a land war in Asia.” -The Princess Bride.