Memorable Quotes from John Wood
3 quotesThe Futility of Winning in Games
Joshua/WOPR
Greetings, Professor FALKEN.
Stephen Falken
Hello, Joshua.
Joshua/WOPR
A STRANGE GAME. THE ONLY WINNING MOVE IS NOT TO PLAY.. ... HOW ABOUT A NICE GAME OF CHESS?
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Cycle of Nature and Human Mistakes
Stephen Falken
Now, children, come on over here. I'm going to tell you a bedtime story. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin. Once upon a time, there lived a magnificent race of animals that dominated the world through age after age. They ran, they swam, and they fought and they flew, until suddenly, quite recently, they disappeared. Nature just gave up and started again. We weren't even apes then. We were just these smart little rodents hiding in the rocks. And when we go, nature will start again. With the bees, probably. Nature knows when to give up, David.
David
I'm not giving up. If Joshua tricks them into launching an attack, it'll be your fault.
Stephen Falken
My fault? The whole point was to practice nuclear war without destroying ourselves; to get the computer to learn from mistakes we could not afford to make. Except, that I never could get Joshua to learn the most important lesson.
David
What's that?
Stephen Falken
Futility. That there's a time when you should just give up.
Jennifer
What kind of a lesson is that?
Stephen Falken
Did you ever play ]?
[[w:Tic-Tac-Toe|tic-tac-toe]
Jennifer
Yeah, of course.
Stephen Falken
But you don't anymore.
Jennifer
No.
Stephen Falken
Why?
Jennifer
Because it's a boring game. It's always a tie.
Stephen Falken
Exactly. There's no way to win. The game itself is pointless! But back in the war room, they believe you can win a nuclear war. That there can be "acceptable losses.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Escalating Tensions in War Games
Stephen Falken
How far's he gone?
[looking at screens]
McKittrick
Well, the President’s about ready to order a counter-strike. That's what we're recommending he do.
Stephen Falken
It's a bluff, John, call it off.
McKittrick
No, it's not a bluff. It's real.
Stephen Falken
Hello, General Beringer! Stephen Falken!
[raising his voice from stairs]
General Beringer
Mr. Falken you picked a hell of a day for a visit!
[standing]
Stephen Falken
Uh, uh, General, what you see on these screens up here is a fantasy; a computer-enhanced hallucination. Those blips are not real missiles. They're phantoms.
McKittrick
Jack, there's nothing to indicate a simulation at all. Everything is working perfectly!
Stephen Falken
But does it make any sense?
General Beringer
Does what make any sense?
Stephen Falken
That!
[points to the screens]
General Beringer
Look, I don't have time for a conversation right now.
Stephen Falken
General, are you prepared to destroy the enemy?
General Beringer
You betcha!
Stephen Falken
Do you think they know that?
General Beringer
I believe we've made that clear enough.
Stephen Falken
Then don't! Tell the President to ride out the attack.
Colonel Conley
Sir, they need a decision.
Stephen Falken
General, do you really believe that the enemy would attack without provocation, using so many missiles, bombers, and subs so that we would have no choice but to totally annihilate them?
Female Airman First Class
One minute and thirty seconds to impact.
[on loudspeaker]
Stephen Falken
General, you are listening to a machine! Do the world a favor and don't act like one.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.