“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” is a literary and cultural phenomenon created by the brilliant mind of Douglas Adams. This irreverent and humorous science fiction series has captured the hearts and minds of readers, listeners, and viewers around the world. It all begins with Arthur Dent, an unassuming Englishman who finds himself whisked away from Earth just moments before its demolition to make way for an interstellar highway. Armed with nothing but his bathrobe and a curious book called the “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” Arthur embarks on a cosmic journey that is equal parts hilarious, thought-provoking, and utterly absurd. In this collection of quotes, we explore the wit, wisdom, and absurdity of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.”
Best Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy
- Don’t Panic.” – The phrase printed in large, friendly letters on the cover of the “Hitchhiker’s Guide.”
- “The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything is 42.” – A famously enigmatic answer.
- “Space is big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is.”
- “Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.”
- “A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.”
- “The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don’t.”
- “It is known that there are an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in.”
- “In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.”
- “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.”
- “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”
- “The knack of flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”
- “For a moment, nothing happened. Then, after a second or so, nothing continued to happen.”
- “The last ever dolphin message was misinterpreted as a surprisingly sophisticated attempt to do a double backward somersault through a hoop while whistling ‘The Star-Spangled Banner,’ but in fact, the message was this: So long and thanks for all the fish.”
- “The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don’t.”
- “Ford, you’re turning into a penguin. Stop it.”
- “A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have.”
- “Arthur Dent: “You know, it’s at times like this, when I’m trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse, and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space, that I really wish I’d listened to what my mother told me when I was young.” Ford Prefect: “Why, what did she tell you?” Arthur Dent: “I don’t know, I didn’t listen.”
- “The story so far: In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.”
- “I’d far rather be happy than right any day.”
- “You live and learn. At any rate, you live.”
- “Reality is frequently inaccurate.”
- “The argument goes something like this: ‘I refuse to prove that I exist,’ says God, ‘for proof denies faith, and without faith, I am nothing.'”
- “Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.”
- “Ford, you’re turning into a penguin. Stop it.”
- “I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that I don’t know the answer.”
- “He hoped and prayed that there wasn’t an afterlife. Then he realized there was a contradiction involved here and merely hoped that there wasn’t an afterlife.”
- “Space is big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is.”
- “There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.”
- “Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.”
- “It is known that there are an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in.”
- Arthur Dent: ‘What happens if I press this button?’ Ford Prefect: ‘I wouldn’t… Oh.'”
- “Ford, it’s great to be with you. Seven pints of bitter. And quickly please, the world’s about to end.”
- “In those days spirits were brave, the stakes were high, men were real men, women were real women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were real small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri.”
- “For a moment, nothing happened. Then, after a second or so, nothing continued to happen.”
- “The best conversation is one where you don’t have to hold back.”
- “The major problem—one of the major problems, for there are several—one of the many major problems with governing people is that of whom you get to do it; or rather of who manages to get people to let them do it to them.”
- “Reality is frequently inaccurate.”
- “The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don’t.”
- “The odds of successfully navigating an asteroid field are approximately 3,720 to 1.”
- “He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream and he sometimes wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it.”
- “The idea that Bill and Ben are aliens is almost certainly untrue.”
- “This must be Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursdays.”
- “Just think of it as leaving early to avoid the rush.”
- “I’m sick of the press’s obsession with the fact that I’m seventeen.”
- “I’m game. We’re out of our minds.”
- “Ford: What’s up? Arthur: I don’t know, what IS up? Ford: Oh, not much. What’s up with you?”
- “The last time anybody made a list of the top hundred character attributes of the Hitchhiker’s Guide, He, His, Him, Himself, and Attila the Hun would not have been in it.”
- “The Hitchhiker’s Guide has this to say on the subject of flying: There is an art, it says, or, rather, a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”
- “To summarize the summary of the summary: People are a problem.”
- “In the beginning, the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.”
- “We demand rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty!”
- “There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.”
- “Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works. Anything that’s invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.”
- “Life… is like a grapefruit. It’s orange and squishy, and has a few pips in it, and some folks have half a one for breakfast.”
- “Ford, you’re turning into a penguin. Stop it.”
- “So this is it. We’re going to die.”
- “He hoped and prayed that there wasn’t an afterlife. Then he realized there was a contradiction involved here and merely hoped that there wasn’t an afterlife.”
- “The impossible often has a kind of integrity to it which the merely improbable lacks.”
- “Zaphod Beeblebrox, adventurer, ex-hippie, good timer, (crook? quite possibly), manic self-publicist, terribly bad at personal relationships, often thought to be completely out to lunch.”
- “The idea of being given a choice between feeling guilty and feeling depressed is something that apparently didn’t occur to the designers of the human nervous system.”
- “I’m going to have a little lie down.”
- “Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.”
- “The Universe, as has been observed before, is an unsettlingly big place, a fact which for the sake of a quiet life most people tend to ignore.”
- “He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream and he sometimes wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it.”
- “One of the things Ford had always found hardest to understand about humans was their habit of continually stating and repeating the very, very obvious.”
- “Let’s think the unthinkable, let’s do the undoable. Let us prepare to grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after all.”
- “It is known that there are an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in.”
- “If there’s anything more important than my ego around, I want it caught and shot now.”
- “Don’t Panic.”
- “And what’s so bad about being drunk?”
- “But I would like a milkshake.”
- “The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair.”
- “Please, would you take a note to the air traffic control please?”
- “It’s an important and popular fact that things are not always what they seem.”
- “For a moment, nothing happened. Then, after a second or so, nothing continued to happen.”
- “That’s the government for you. Efficient and courteous as ever.”
- “What’s more, it’s not mine.”
- “Yes, I know who’s dying and in what order. And I know all the best cuss words.”
- “It is no coincidence that in no known language does the phrase ‘As pretty as an airport’ appear.”
- “In those days spirits were brave, the stakes were high, men were real men, women were real women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were real small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri.”
- “The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don’t.”
- “This must be Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursdays.”
- “In those days spirits were brave, the stakes were high, men were real men, women were real women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were real small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri.”
- “For a moment, nothing happened. Then, after a second or so, nothing continued to happen.”
- “Reality is frequently inaccurate.”
- “The major problem—one of the major problems, for there are several—one of the many major problems with governing people is that of whom you get to do it; or rather of who manages to get people to let them do it to them.”
- “I’m sick of the press’s obsession with the fact that I’m seventeen.”
- “I’m game. We’re out of our minds.”
- “Ford: What’s up? Arthur: I don’t know, what IS up? Ford: Oh, not much. What’s up with you?”
- “The last time anybody made a list of the top hundred character attributes of the Hitchhiker’s Guide, He, His, Him, Himself, and Attila the Hun would not have been in it.”
- “The Hitchhiker’s Guide has this to say on the subject of flying: There is an art, it says, or, rather, a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”
- “To summarize the summary of the summary: People are a problem.”
- “In the beginning, the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.”
- “We demand rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty!”
- “The impossible often has a kind of integrity to it which the merely improbable lacks.”
- “Zaphod Beeblebrox, adventurer, ex-hippie, good timer, (crook? quite possibly), manic self-publicist, terribly bad at personal relationships, often thought to be completely out to lunch.”
- “The idea of being given a choice between feeling guilty and feeling depressed is something that apparently didn’t occur to the designers of the human nervous system.”
- “I’m going to have a little lie down.”
- “Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.”
- “The Universe, as has been observed before, is an unsettlingly big place, a fact which for the sake of a quiet life most people tend to ignore.”
- “He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream and he sometimes wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it.”
- “One of the things Ford had always found hardest to understand about humans was their habit of continually stating and repeating the very, very obvious.”
- “Let’s think the unthinkable, let’s do the undoable. Let us prepare to grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after all.”
- “It is known that there are an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in.”
- “If there’s anything more important than my ego around, I want it caught and shot now.”
- “Don’t Panic.”
- “And what’s so bad about being drunk?”
- “The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair.”
- “Please, would you take a note to the air traffic control please?”
- “It’s an important and popular fact that things are not always what they seem.”
- “For a moment, nothing happened. Then, after a second or so, nothing continued to happen.”
- “That’s the government for you. Efficient and courteous as ever.”
- “What’s more, it’s not mine.”
- “Yes, I know who’s dying and in what order. And I know all the best cuss words.”
- “It is no coincidence that in no known language does the phrase ‘As pretty as an airport’ appear.”
- “Dentarthurdent: ‘I’m going to have a cup of tea.’
- “Space is big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is.”
- “Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.”
- “Don’t Panic.”
- “A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.”
- “For a moment, nothing happened. Then, after a second or so, nothing continued to happen.”
- “It is known that there are an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in.”
- “In the beginning, the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.”
- “Reality is frequently inaccurate.”
- “The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don’t.”
- “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.”
- “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”
- “The idea that Bill and Ben are aliens is almost certainly untrue.”
- “Life… is like a grapefruit. It’s orange and squishy, and has a few pips in it, and some folks have half a one for breakfast.”
- “The impossible often has a kind of integrity to it which the merely improbable lacks.”
- “He hoped and prayed that there wasn’t an afterlife. Then he realized there was a contradiction involved here and merely hoped that there wasn’t an afterlife.”
- “Ford, you’re turning into a penguin. Stop it.”
- “The Universe, as has been observed before, is an unsettlingly big place, a fact which for the sake of a quiet life most people tend to ignore.”
- “One of the things Ford had always found hardest to understand about humans was their habit of continually stating and repeating the very, very obvious.”
- “Let’s think the unthinkable, let’s do the undoable. Let us prepare to grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after all.”
- “It is known that there are an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in.”
- “If there’s anything more important than my ego around, I want it caught and shot now.”
- “Please, would you take a note to the air traffic control please?”
- “It’s an important and popular fact that things are not always what they seem.”
- “For a moment, nothing happened. Then, after a second or so, nothing continued to happen.”
- “That’s the government for you. Efficient and courteous as ever.”
- “What’s more, it’s not mine.”
- “Yes, I know who’s dying and in what order. And I know all the best cuss words.”
- “It is no coincidence that in no known language does the phrase ‘As pretty as an airport’ appear.”
- “In those days spirits were brave, the stakes were high, men were real men, women were real women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were real small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri.”
- “The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong, it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair.”
- “There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.”
- “It is no coincidence that in no known language does the phrase ‘As pretty as an airport’ appear.”
- “What’s more, it’s not mine.”
- “Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.”
- “The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong, it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair.”
- “Don’t Panic.”
- “It’s an important and popular fact that things are not always what they seem.”
- “For a moment, nothing happened. Then, after a second or so, nothing continued to happen.”
- “That’s the government for you. Efficient and courteous as ever.”
- “In those days spirits were brave, the stakes were high, men were real men, women were real women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were real small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri.”
- “The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong, it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair.”
- “There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.”
- “A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.”
- “For a moment, nothing happened. Then, after a second or so, nothing continued to happen.”
- “It is known that there are an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in.”
- “In the beginning, the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.”
- “Reality is frequently inaccurate.”
- “The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don’t.”
- “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.”
- “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”
- “The idea that Bill and Ben are aliens is almost certainly untrue.”
- “Life… is like a grapefruit. It’s orange and squishy, and has a few pips in it, and some folks have half a one for breakfast.”
- “The impossible often has a kind of integrity to it which the merely improbable lacks.”
- “He hoped and prayed that there wasn’t an afterlife. Then he realized there was a contradiction involved here and merely hoped that there wasn’t an afterlife.”
- “Ford, you’re turning into a penguin. Stop it.”
- “The Universe, as has been observed before, is an unsettlingly big place, a fact which for the sake of a quiet life most people tend to ignore.”
- “One of the things Ford had always found hardest to understand about humans was their habit of continually stating and repeating the very, very obvious.”
- “Let’s think the unthinkable, let’s do the undoable. Let us prepare to grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after all.”
- “It is known that there are an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in.”
- “If there’s anything more important than my ego around, I want it caught and shot now.”
- “Please, would you take a note to the air traffic control please?”
- “It’s an important and popular fact that things are not always what they seem.”
- “For a moment, nothing happened. Then, after a second or so, nothing continued to happen.”
- “That’s the government for you. Efficient and courteous as ever.”
- “What’s more, it’s not mine.”
- “Yes, I know who’s dying and in what order. And I know all the best cuss words.”
- “It is no coincidence that in no known language does the phrase ‘As pretty as an airport’ appear.”
- “In those days spirits were brave, the stakes were high, men were real men, women were real women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were real small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri.”
- “The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong, it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair.”
- “There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.”
- “It is no coincidence that in no known language does the phrase ‘As pretty as an airport’ appear.”
- “What’s more, it’s not mine.”
- “Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.”
- “The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong, it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair.”
- “Don’t Panic.”
- “It’s an important and popular fact that things are not always what they seem.”
- “For a moment, nothing happened. Then, after a second or so, nothing continued to happen.”
- “That’s the government for you. Efficient and courteous as ever.”
- “In those days spirits were brave, the stakes were high, men were real men, women were real women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were real small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri.”
- “The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong, it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair.”
- “In those days spirits were brave, the stakes were high, men were real men, women were real women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were real small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri.”
- “For a moment, nothing happened. Then, after a second or so, nothing continued to happen.”
- “The best conversation is one where you don’t have to hold back.”
- “The major problem—one of the major problems, for there are several—one of the many major problems with governing people is that of whom you get to do it; or rather of who manages to get people to let them do it to them.”
Final Words;
“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” has etched its place in the annals of science fiction and humor, blending interstellar adventures with biting satire. The quotes from this series are a testament to its unique blend of wit, absurdity, and philosophical musings. Whether it’s the Guide’s advice on carrying a towel, the philosophical insights of the “Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything,” or the witty observations of characters like Ford Prefect and Zaphod Beeblebrox, these quotes continue to bring a smile to the faces of readers and listeners. As we conclude our exploration of this cosmic comedy, we are reminded that in the vast, unpredictable universe, it’s important to maintain a sense of humor, curiosity, and a well-prepared towel. For in the world of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” the answer to the ultimate question might just be “42,” but the journey is where the real adventure lies.
