Top Ten (Twenty Seven) Top Gun Quotes

You know them, you love them. If not, study this list. I’ve added tips on how to use them in everyday life.

1.  /Thumb up, salute/ - I’m not sure if a hand gesture can technically be a quote, but this one deserves it. All purpose, it can be used to signal “You’re looking good”, “Everything’s fine with me”, “See you later”, or “Good job”, along with any other positive messages.

2.  “Talk to me Goose.” - The ultimate conversation starter.

3.  “Negative Ghost Rider, the pattern is full.” - Say this any and every time you reply in the negative.

4.  “Below the hard deck does not count.” - Can be used any time you don’t agree with a decision or outcome. The only possible rebutle is “hard deck my ass”. Feel free to experiment with where you put the emphasis.

5.  “Maverick’s supersonic; I’ll be there in 30 seconds.” - The obligatory response any time someone asks for your ETA.

6.  “God damn it Maverick!” - A general use rebuke.

7.  “Up there we gotta push it. That’s our job.” - Function as a motivational line or a reason for why things got carried away. It can also make your employment sound interesting. You’ve got options.

8.  “I’m holding on too tight. I’ve lost the edge.” - Use this any time you make a mistake in a clutch situation. The more absurd or bathos inspiring the better.

9.  “That son of a bitch cut me off.” - Works equally well for traffic or conversations or any time anybody cuts you off.

10.  “We went like this, he went like that. I said to Hollywood, 'Where'd he go?' Hollywood says, 'Where'd who go?' " – Use it to explain anything that gets lost, screwed up, or confused.

11.  “Bogeys like fireflies all over the sky.” - It’s the paprika of similes. It’ll spice up any story.

12.  “It’s not good, it doesn’t look good.” - For when things don’t look good.

13.  “Come on Mav, do some of that pilot shit.” - Nobody will fail you if you implore them with that line.

14.  “Your ego is writing checks your body can’t cash.” - If you’re worried someone is about to be overcome by their own hubris, use this to rein them in.

15.  “Great Mav, real slick.” - Say it too yourself after a blunder. Referring to yourself as Mav can only help to raise your spirits back up.

16.  “They were abused children.” - Add it any time people walk away from a group conversation.

17.  “Gutsiest move I ever saw.” - A compliment that works in any situation.

18.  “No man, it was a really great move. He was inverted.” - Bust this out if someone questions the actions of a friend, regardless of whether inversion was involved or not. Can also be used as a defense of number 17.

19.  “That’s right Ice… man, I am dangerous.” - In case your loose cannon status is ever in questions.

20.  “There’s two O’s in Goose.” - Slip it in if anyone asks you to correct their spelling

21.  “You can be my wingman any time.” - for when you want to establish a new best friend. If they reply “Bullshit, you can be mine” then you know it’s for real.

22.  “Hollywood, you’re looking good. I’m going after Viper.” - If you ever want to leave a situation early, use this as your excuse. That or “I need to take a shower”.

23.  “Maverick has the ball.” - Works for any time you assume control or authority.

24.  “I want some butts!” - All-purpose angry outburst, or possibly sex proposition.

25.  “This gives me a hard on.” - Don’t be afraid to share your feelings.

26.  “Slider *sniff* you stink.” - If you ever need to insult someone but nothing specific comes to mind. You don’t have to call them Slider, but it helps.

27.  “The simple fact is that you feel responsible for Goose, and you have a confidence problem.” - If a friend is worrying about a past mistake, use this to straighten them out.

Sweet German Words and the Least Popular Kind of Zombie

            It’s Philosophy:30, we should celebrate. I have two of my favorite ideas with me and there’s enough for everyone, so don’t feel bad if you didn’t bring anything. Let me introduce you to Ubermensch and Philosophical Zombies.

            Ubermensch is an idea from the German philosopher (and mustache enthusiast) Friedrich Nietzsche, and roughly translates to “overman”.  Uber is a very nuanced word in German, but it doesn’t really translate to super as it is commonly used. In fact, Germans already have a word for super, it’s super (pronounced zuper). Anyway, back to the philosophy. The Ubermensch is a goal for the future or humanity, and is Nietzsche’s idea of living up to our full potential. The goal can basically be reduced to the phrase “Thine own will be done”. Pursue your own happiness and goals without being compelled by others or wasting time worrying about what they want. The advancement of humanity is put above any moral systems that would keep us from being the best that we could be.

Behold its bushy glory

            I like this idea. Many people think it is just a justification for selfish and egotistical behavior but that is not how I see it. There is no reason why the pursuit of one’s own goals would be antagonistic toward others. For instance, you might say this justifies the strong taking from the weak, but taking from the weak isn’t in keeping with the advancement of humanity, so it's not in keeping with the Ubermensch. The disregard for morality comes in on cases like the ban on research in human cloning. This stifles the advancement of the human race for what I can only imagine to be religious moral qualms. The Ubermensch has no fear of progress and doesn't get concerned with other peoples issues.

            Philosophical zombies are what I like to think of as the opposite of the Ubermensch. Unlike traditional zombies who are human forms who lack all humanity, philosophical zombies are human forms that lack all consciousness. This was originally just an idea used to refute physicalism, but I like to take it a step further. P-zombies, as they are sometimes called, are just bodies “going through the motions”, without any will of their own.  This is a being that is incapable of originality or creativity, which are traits that I associate with the Ubermensch. The scary part about these zombies is that I suspect that they might exist.

Obligatory Philosophical Zombie Visual Pun

            Anyone who lives only through the eyes of others, and is only concerned with conforming to the group is a p-zombie by my definition. All ideas and opinions would be the ones that were adopted from outside the self. That is not a real person in my opinion. The ability to create is what makes us human. Nietzsche’s antithesis for the Ubermensch was the “Last Man”, who seeks only comfort and has no desire for advancement, for self or race. Between the two of these I definitely detest the p-zombie more, but the Last Man isn’t high up in my book either. See also Ayn Rand's Second Handers.

            Well I hope you enjoyed meeting these ideas, and I would be happy to discuss them in greater depth with anyone. I taught my spell check some new words, so all in all not a bad day.

Me and the Voice in My Head

                I believe I have a somewhat non-typical ego. In my understanding the typical ego is responsible for actions like desiring the possession of large sums of money, seeking intercourse with traditionally attractive members of the opposite sex, and having power over other human beings. It makes people get angry and offended over innocent comments, and it causes jealousy and competitiveness plus all sorts of other uncool stuff. It’s not all bad though, since the ego can probably be linked to acts of heroism and valor, and people striving to excel. In my description the ego is basically the non-rational thought process, or the more emotional “gut reaction” sort of drives and reactions. It is also connected to the self-image and self-esteem, which is why it can be so complicated and different from person to person. Above are just some examples of what I think the common ego does, and is probably pretty male biased (not real familiar with the female ego. I don’t date often, which shouldn't be a surprise). The one ego that I do understand pretty well is my own, and I will now explain why I think it is non-typical.

The Cobra Kai, the face(s) of ego conflict?

                The main factor of my ego is a desire to have no needs. This causes a myriad of non-rational behavior. I do things like wear t-shirts and shorts all winter long because I don’t need to wear winter clothes. I also avoid luxuries meant to make my life easier (like a pizza cutter), because I can get along without them. I only grudgingly admit to needing actual literal needs like sleep and food, and don’t like to eat or sleep in front of other people because it makes me feel vulnerable. When my ego gets mixed in with other people and relationships that’s when it really causes problems. If I decide I don’t need another person in my life I will basically freeze them out and try to shut down all communication between us, which is a horrible thing to do. I have lost some friends in this manner, which I feel bad about, but the ego also keeps me from fixing things, so I got that going for me, which is not nice.  I do think I need the internet, I will admit that much.

It's so good at cutting pizza that it seem sinful

                My drives are what really stand out among other members of American Male Culture though. Money has no real value to me. I can spend it without any remorse, and I don’t seek making money with much intensity (I am employed, but I don’t push for raises or anything). Luckily my whole “no needs” deal keeps me from buying very many things, so I generally end up hording money anyway. Social and romantic relationships have never been something that I worked real hard to create. I always start as a passive friend with the other person needing to be the outgoing one, and my sexual orientation would probably best be described as asexual but hetero curious. I can on occasion be reasonably outgoing with close friend who I have known for some time and trust and respect (as for close romantic relationships I will have to let you know when it happens). Being serious or competitive are other things I am not known for. I’m yet to run into a situation where that was bad for me though, so no problem I guess. Influencing other people’s actions to almost any degree also makes me uncomfortable, which means I am really bad at changing lanes in traffic (sorry people behind me).

                As for weak points in my ego, those are really just the weak points in my self-image. Insults toward my intelligence generally upset me more than anything else since I put a lot of value in being smart. The insults do need to be well composed to get to me, so I don’t just tear up every time someone says that I’m dumb. My smell is another point that I am self-conscious about, since I sweat more than is reasonable on occasion, and worry if it smells. I have never actually had a negative comment about my smell, but I have had people say that my Old Spice Classic cover scent smells nice multiple times. Shots at the way I look or dress generally have no effect, although I sometimes wish they would (maybe I wouldn’t have had such an absurd goatee through high school, or worn the same dirty hat for twelve years). Insults directed at my ability at sports, or my sexual prowess are also fairly moot. This means the best way to make me feel bad would be to ditch me for a Nobel Laureate (one of the sciency ones anyway) who smells like lilacs and laundry exhaust; I’m not sure I could recover from that.

Me after walking half a block in 70° weather.

                Thank goodness I’m a textbook introvert though (^sreally, an introvert, you don’t say!^s), and take plenty of time for introspection (and then writing blog post about it). I hope I have a fairly strong understanding of my ego, and can work against its more negative consequences. Introversion is probably the overall cause for my different ego anyway, since the stereotypical ego is probably a more extrovert ego. I will definitely take uncomfortable eating over unreasonable punching any day. Anyway, please don’t use this information to crush me mentally.