Dune Quotes

Context

This line is spoken by Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam in the novel Dune, written by Frank Herbert (1965).

This quote comes from Dune, one of the most well-respected sci-fi novels of all time. This baby launched a major franchise with a bunch of sequels, movies, and video games to follow. The first novel tells the story of Paul Atreides, whose family takes over governing the desert planet Arrakis (aka Dune), only to be betrayed by the evil rival Harkonnen family. As payback, Paul rallies the locals on the planet, igniting a rebellion that eventually makes him both a messiah and emperor of the universe.

While being a serious page-turner, the novel also manages to do a lot of deep thinking along the way. This particular quote comes early in the book, when the witchy Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam tries to give young Paul a little advice… ya' know, before he's the ruler of the universe and all that. By the end of the book, she's the one that has to listen to his words of wisdom—whether she likes it or not.

Where you've heard it

From your Facebook friend who's all about getting deep on social media.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

You can't go around talking about the mysteries of life and expect people not to think you're pretentious.