Intelligence Quotes

Push up your glasses, adjust those suspenders, and let's get going. Click on any intelligence quote below to see it in context and find out where it falls on Shmoop's pretentious scale. We'll give you details on who said it, when they said it, and in some cases, why on earth they thought it was okay to say it.

Jim Garrison
"Back and to the left."
Source: JFK | Speaker: Jim Garrison
Stephen Hawking
"Be curious."
Source: Birthday Party Speech | Speaker: Stephen Hawking
Carl Sagan
"Billions and billions."
Source: Carl Sagan | Speaker: Carl Sagan
Galileo Galilei
"But it does move."
Source: Unknown | Speaker: Galileo Galilei
The Robot
"Danger, Will Robinson!"
Source: Lost in Space | Speaker: The Robot
Barbara Jordan
"Do not call for Black power or green power. Call for brain power."
Source: Campus Speeches, Quoted in the Chicago Tribune | Author: Barbara Jordan
Dean Vernon Wormer
"Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son."
Source: National Lampoon's Animal House | Speaker: Dean Vernon Wormer
Archimedes
"Give me but one firm spot on which to stand and I will move the earth."
Source: The Law of the Lever | Speaker: Archimedes
Colin Powell
"Have a vision. Be demanding."
Source: It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership | Author: Colin Powell
Roy Trenneman
"Hello. IT. Have you tried turning it off and on again?"
Source: The IT Crowd | Speaker: Roy Trenneman
Regis Philbin
"Is that your final answer?"
Source: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire | Speaker: Regis Philbin
Opening credits narration
"It is written."
Source: Slumdog Millionaire | Speaker: Opening credits narration
Lieutenant Columbo
"Just one more thing..."
Source: Columbo | Speaker: Lieutenant Columbo
Sgt. Joe Friday
"Just the facts, ma'am."
Source: Dragnet | Speaker: Sgt. Joe Friday
Kevin McCallister
"Keep the change, ya filthy animal."
Source: Home Alone | Speaker: Kevin McCallister
Homer Simpson
"Kids, you tried your best, and you failed miserably. The lesson is: never try."
Source: The Simpsons | Speaker: Homer Simpson
Sergeant Phil Esterhaus
"Let's be careful out there."
Source: Hill Street Blues | Speaker: Sergeant Phil Esterhaus
Christina Aguilera
"Makes me that much stronger"
Source: "Fighter" | Speaker: Christina Aguilera
Forrest Gump
"Mama says, "Stupid is as stupid does.""
Source: Forrest Gump | Speaker: Forrest Gump
Protagoras
"Man is the measure of all things."
Source: Truth | Author: Protagoras
Bertrand Russell
"Mathematics may be defined as the subject in which we never know what we are talking about…"
Source: Mysticism and Logic | Author: Bertrand Russell
Thomas Hobbes
"No arts; no letters; no society."
Source: Leviathan | Author: Thomas Hobbes
Nelson Mandela
"Our deepest fear is not that we are weak. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure."
Source: 1994 Inaugural Address | Speaker: Nelson Mandela
Family Feud Hosts
"Survey says!"
Source: Family Feud | Speaker: Family Feud Hosts
Bertrand Russell
"The most savage controversies are about those matters as to which there is no good evidence either way."
Source: An Outline of Intellectual Rubbish | Author: Bertrand Russell
Unknown
"The proof is in the pudding."
Source: Proverb | Speaker: Unknown
Frank Sinatra
"The record shows I took the blows and did it my way."
Source: "My Way" | Speaker: Frank Sinatra
Terry Pratchett
"The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it."
Source: Diggers (The Bromeliad Trilogy) | Author: Terry Pratchett
Tony Stark
"The truth is...I am Iron Man."
Source: Iron Man | Speaker: Tony Stark
Shel Silverstein
"There's a light on in the attic."
Source: A Light in the Attic | Author: Shel Silverstein
Carter G. Woodson
"We should emphasize not Negro History, but the Negro in history. What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world void of national bias, race hate, and religious prejudice."
Source: "The Celebration of Negro History Week" in The Journal of Negro History | Author: Carter G. Woodson
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
"Well-behaved women rarely make history."
Source: Marilyn Monroe | Author: Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
Lina Lamont
"What do they think I am, dumb or something? Why, I make more money than Calvin Coolidge! Put together!"
Source: Singin' in the Rain | Speaker: Lina Lamont
Bryan Mills
"What I do have is a particular set of skills."
Source: Taken | Speaker: Bryan Mills
Frank Chambers
"With my brains and your looks, we could go places."
Source: The Postman Always Rings Twice | Speaker: Frank Chambers
Hannah Horvath
"You are from New York; therefore, you are just naturally interesting."
Source: Girls | Speaker: Hannah Horvath
Felix Unger
"You should never assume."
Source: The Odd Couple | Speaker: Felix Unger
Tenth Doctor
"You want weapons. We're in a library. Books are the best weapon in the world."
Source: Doctor Who | Speaker: Tenth Doctor
Pat Benatar
"You're a heartbreaker."
Source: Heartbreaker | Speaker: Pat Benatar
Matty Walker
"You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man."
Source: Body Heat | Speaker: Matty Walker