We all know some powerful phrases that twist words into such beautiful sentences that one can only ponder in awe after it's spoken. From the likes of "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them" to "If you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best", the internet is flowing with phrases that everyone likes to use (especially as a caption on an Instagram photo). And while the majority of the world's most famous quotes come from poets, philosophers, and celebrities, you'd be surprised how many gems the most unexpected corners of the internet have to offer.
From Twitter threads to dreams about Obama (apparently a reoccurring theme), there are some really impressive quotes that you'd be surprised aren't from a Shakespearean play. And if you're a fan of impressive things with curious origins then this list is just for you. So check out what gold nuggets the internet's been hiding from you and don't forget to comment and vote for your favorites.
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"Too Many People Have Opinions On Things They Know Nothing About..."
Games and their writers are often underrated and overlooked when it comes to meaningful phrases. A lot of purists will argue that only literature can offer true depths of philosophy and art, but sometimes, even they are surprised.
This particular quote about opinions comes from a video game titled Fallout: New Vegas that is set in a post-apocalyptic world. Thomas Hildern is an NPC in the game who utters this phrase that definitely gives food for thought.
"What Is Better – To Be Born Good, Or To Overcome Your Evil Nature Through Great Effort?"
Yet one more gem from a video game, this time from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Uttered by a dragon named Paarthurnax, the phrase refers to the character's history as he is said to have committed and witnessed unspeakable atrocities against mankind yet retreated to a peaceful and secluded life atop the highest mountain.
"Do You Think God Stays In Heaven Because He Too Lives In Fear Of What He's Created"
This thought-provoking phrase comes from a truly unexpected source. Spy Kids. Yup, you read that right. In Spy Kids 2, Dr. Romero (played by one-and-only Steve Buscemi) is a scientist who locks himself up in a laboratory in fear of being eaten by his creations. Romero's original plan was to create miniature animals to sell to kids as miniature zoos, however he accidentally spilled growth concoction on the test subjects.
As a Christian... I honestly wouldn't be too surprised if that turned out to be the truth.
"It Is What You Do With The Gift Of Life That Determines Who You Are"
Pokemon is for kids, right? With colorful creatures, light-hearted inspiring stories and never-ending adventures, you really don't expect to hear something so thought-provoking as this phrase that came from Mewtwo's mouth.
Mewtwo is a pokemon created by science that has endured horrific experiments which left it vicious and extremely powerful.
I knew a couple people that blamed their parents for everything wrong with them and their situation. I used to say that parents are responsible for you right up until you're 18. It's up to you to decide who you want to be after that.
“I Survived Because The Fire Inside Me Burned Brighter Than The Fire Around Me”
At this point, it's no surprise that video games have to offer some truly memorable quotes and Fallout is a source of more than one utterance. This particular phrase (which has been used on plenty of photo captions and inspirational edits) was uttered by Joshua Graham, a Mormon missionary and legate who is also known as "The Burned Man". After suffering a crushing defeat, Joshua was set on fire and thrown into the Grand Canyon by his superior, yet he managed to survive the ordeal.
I had to look it up, but Fallout: New Vegas is a video game, and this guy is a non-player character. My, my, my. What hero put that in his mouth?
"Violence For Violence Is The Rule Of Beasts"
Surprisingly enough, Barack Obama seems to offer a lot of wisdom in people's dreams. There's been more than one instance of people saying that Obama appeared in their sleep to dish out some profound wisdom. Makes one wonder what is it about the former US president that pushes people's subconscious to come up with things like that.
Violence for violence and the rule of beasts both sound like names for a heavy metal band.
"You Cannot Kill Me In A Way That Matters","Decay Exists As An Extant Form Of Life"
This is, perhaps, one of the most bizarre sources on this list, a Tumblr post that definitely begs for more context, which is, unfortunately, non-existent. Even if the source is strange, the words offered by this text definitely have some depth to them. Between mushrooms, the meaning of life and decay, some phrases truly stand out. "You cannot kill me in a way that matters" as well as "decay exists as an extant form of life" definitely sound like something either out of Shakespeare's text or a sci-fi novel, don't they?
“To Become God Is The Loneliest Achievement Of Them All”
Barack Obama shows up in someone's dream again and offers some deep deep knowledge on... immortality? Dream-Obama is truly one of the most enigmatic, albeit very confusing creatures. Makes one wonder what Carl Jung would have to say about this phenomenon.
For context, this post is also talking about someone's dream about Obama, I think.
"...then His Essence, His Spirit, Will Be Immortalized"
This powerful quote comes from The Ultimate Warrior, an American professional wrestler who was best known for his time with WWE. These inspirational words about death and memory were part of his final speech to WWE fans during “Monday Night Raw”, two nights after he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame at the age of 54. The quote gains a much more chilling and eerie meaning considering that the former wrestler died just one day after giving the speech.
In other words,try to be unique and create positive impact in people around you.
“If The World Chooses To Become My Enemy, I Will Fight Like I Always Have”
There are video games, there are cartoons for kids, and then there are video games that have cartoons for kids. The Sonic franchise is definitely beloved by nostalgic adults and kids alike, yet no one plays the Hedgehog games for substance and meaning. That, however, doesn't mean that you can't find any and one Tumblr user found quite a lovely gem in what they described as "widely considered one of if not the single worst game in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise". Even in trash, you can find treasure, right?
“I Am A Monument To All Your Sins”
Once again, a quote from a video. This time, it's from a military science fiction first-person shooter Halo. The quote comes from Gravemind, penultimate stage in the life cycle of the Flood ("a species of highly virulent parasitic organisms that can reproduce and grow by consuming sentient life forms of sufficient biomass and cognitive capability").
"I Will Face God And Walk Backwards Into Hell"
"I Will Face God And Walk Backwards Into Hell" definitely has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? A phrase that brings dramatic movie scenes to mind actually originates from a tweet about hollering at animals in the zoo. While being a somewhat absurd source for such a powerful quote, dril's Twitter page is definitely not unknown. With 1.4M followers, dril is known for absurdist tweets which he's been sharing since 2008.
Why is he hollering at the animals? They don't want to be at the zoo any more than he does.
"Will You Fight? Or Will You Perish Like A Dog?"
This long, long and confusing yet thought-provoking text comes from, perhaps, the weirdest source. A meme. Better than that, a meme with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. Someone (probably an undercover genius) decided to slap this truly profound text on a bit from comics that spread widely over the internet, resulting not only in endless discussions but also many reiterations of the original meme. Turns out, memes have a much broader meaning than just funny images with relatable text.
"I'll Do Whatever You Want","Then Perish"
Another quote that involves Obama without having anything that the former US president actually said. This time, however, it's not a dream, but rather a very weird role-play between friends, where one pretends to be a person drowning in a cave and the other is Obama. Most of the play is surely bizarre with a style of text that can only be described as "uwu", however, the final messages have surpassed the original context and became famous on the internet.
There is definitely a sense of raw power in such a response, when a person is begging you to save their lives, swearing to do anything for you to save them from certain death. For you to only reply, "Then perish".
One I'm particularly fond of is "Beg that I succeed, for I have seen the throne of the Gods and it was empty." From Corypheus, the otherwise super underwhelming villain of Dragon Age: Inquisition.
One I'm particularly fond of is "Beg that I succeed, for I have seen the throne of the Gods and it was empty." From Corypheus, the otherwise super underwhelming villain of Dragon Age: Inquisition.