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I once listened to someone talking about general differences in conversation styles between men and women.  They said something to the effect that a man’s ability to have meaningful conversation is more limited than a woman’s.  They cited some quasi-factual studies or research that I had no opportunity to actually fact check and then gave an example which they proffered as the most effective means of observing the difference in conversation styles.  They said, “Men more often than women are at a loss for what to say in conversation, so they memorize trivial facts and share those facts as a proxy for actual conversation.”

Rather than contest this person’s specious reasoning, I set about considering the likelihood of such a claim and what it means in the grand scheme of human relations.  I sat up at nights plagued by the notion that men are inferior to women because we can’t think of things to talk about.  I sat around listening to other people’s conversations hoping to see if what they were talking about adhered to the principles of this belief.  I struggled daily with the pain of knowing that maybe it was true, maybe men are at a loss when it comes to meaningful conversation.

Then when I was at the lowest point of my search and found myself succumbing to the tendency to participate in trivial fact sharing rather than actual conversation, a woman said to me, “My Mama always said, ‘Life was like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get.’”  I came back at her with, “There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That, that’s about it.”  We both chuckled together, “Oh Forrest Gump, what a great movie.”  This is when I realized that it’s not meaningless to share trivial facts in conversation and it’s certainly not restricted to men alone.  Especially when it comes to film quotes.

We all love film quotes, they’re familiar strands of our collective conscious.  Simply two or three sentences or words strung together that make it possible for us to relate without spending weeks or months getting to know each other.  If that’s at all possible and I think it is, maybe you agree with me, maybe you don’t.  It doesn’t matter on which side of the fence you fall in this situation, but to illustrate my point, I sent out the call to a select few in our small university community and found that many of us have favorite movie quotes that might indicate some aspect of our personality.  See if you agree.

Damian Boudreau “My advice to you is to start drinking heavily.” – Bluto, Animal House; “Every man dies, not every man really lives.” – William Wallace, Braveheart.

From Mark Dodson comes, “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” – Spock to Kirk, Star Trek II; “With great power comes great responsibility.” – Uncle Ben to Peter Parker,  Spider-man I.

Kristin Draus says, “It's okay, I'm a leaf on the wind!” – Hoban ‘Wash’ Washburn, Serenity.

Liz Fernandez’s favorite quote comes from The Simpsons, and she says, “It’s also in The Simpson’s movie so it works...”  I’m not sure if it’s actually in the movie, it probably will be, but it’s such a great quote it bears relevance here.  “Ha, ha!” – Nelson Muntz, The Simpson’s school bully.

Ray Quero’s favorite is, “Show me the money!” – Jerry Maguire.

Deb Merrill and her daughters have co-opted, “You can’t be J-ello.” – My Best Friend's Wedding; while she and her husband regularly use, “Stay alive, I will find you!” – Last of the Mohicans.

Jessica Corey-Butler’s favorite spurs me at times too, “Just keep swimming.” – Finding Nemo. 

Lukas Grove pulled out all the stops on his quotes, “Wilson!” – Castaway; “My precious!” – Lord of the Rings; “With great power comes great responsibility” – Spiderman; “I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse” – Godfather; “I'll be back.” – The Terminator; “Gosh” – Napoleon Dynamite; “Seven days.” – The Ring; “You can't handle the truth.” – A Good Few Men; “The man who wants nothing is invincible.” – Once Upon a Time in Mexico; “Life is like a box of chocolates” – Forrest Gump; “Show me the money” – Jerry Maguire; “Hasta la vista, baby.” – T2; “May the force be with you.” – Star Wars; “E.T., phone home.” – E.T.; “Bond, James Bond.” – James Bond; “To infinity and beyond.” – Toy Story; “Say hello to my little friend.” – Scarface; “Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?” – Rush Hour; “Here's Johnny.” – The Shining; “Adrian!” – Rocky; “That'll do pig, that'll do.” – Babe; “Nobody likes you Caboose.” “I like me.” – Red Vs Blue; “Do you feel lucky, punk?” – Dirty Harry.

And finally my own personal favorites, “Oh, this is the best pizza in a cup ever. This guy is unbelievable. He ran the old Cup 'o Pizza guy out of business.” – Navin R. Johnson, The Jerk; “The first rule of Fight Club is, you do not talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is, you DO NOT talk about Fight Club.” – Tyler Durden, Fight Club.

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