“The Gods Must Be Crazy” quotes

(1980)
Movie The Gods Must Be Crazy
Title The Gods Must Be Crazy
Year 1980
Director Jamie Uys
Genre Comedy, Action
Plot – In tropical Africa, a group of insurgents attempts to assault the Government Palace of one of the many newborn African republics. When the assault fails, the rebels hide in the forest, where they encounter a scientific expedition led by a clumsy blond majoring in science and a tribe of Bushmen.
All actors – Marius Weyers, Sandra Prinsloo, N!xau, Louw Verwey, Michael Thys, Nic de Jager, Fanyana H. Sidumo, Joe Seakatsie, Brian O'Shaughnessy, Ken Gampu, Paddy O'Byrne, Vera Blacker, Jamie Uys
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  • “That's a watape tree. You mustn't go near a watape tree, they grab you.”
    Marius Weyers - Andrew Steyn
    [Tag:advice, trees]
  • “Sometimes they hear a thundering sound when there are no clouds. They assume the gods have eaten too much and their tummies are rumbling. Sometimes they can even see the evidence of the gods' flatulence.”

    Paddy O'Byrne - Narrator
    [Tag:airplane, god, sound]
  • “Lately, strange new things sometimes appeared in the sky: noisy birds that flew without flapping their wings.”

    Paddy O'Byrne - Narrator
    [Tag:airplane]
  • “- Mpudi: They gave him the death sentence.
    - Andrew Steyn: For shooting a goat?
    - Mpudi: No. Three months in jail. Same thing, he gonna die for sure. He never seen a wall in his life, now he got walls all round him.”

    Michael Thys - Mpudi
    Marius Weyers - Andrew Steyn
    [Tag:death, prison]
  • “In this world of theirs, nothing is bad or evil. Even a poisonous snake is not bad. You just have to keep away from the sharp end. Actually, a snake is very good - in fact, it's delicious. And the skin makes a fine pouch.”

    Paddy O'Byrne - Narrator
    [Tag:evil, good]
  • “The funny thing about these gods was that they couldn't speak. They could only make chattering sounds like monkeys.”

    Paddy O'Byrne - Narrator
    [Tag:god, language]
  • “Xi was beginning to think he would never find the end of the Earth. And then one day, suddenly, there it was.”

    Paddy O'Byrne - Narrator
    [Tag:end, world]
  • “Their language has an idiosyncrasy of its own. It seems to consist mainly of clicking sounds.”

    Paddy O'Byrne - Narrator
    [Tag:language]
  • “It looks like a paradise, but it is in fact the most treacherous desert in the world... the Kalahari. After the short rainy season, there are many waterholes, and even rivers. But after a few weeks, the water sinks away into the deep Kalahari sand, the waterholes dry up, and the rivers stop flowing.”
    Paddy O'Byrne - Narrator
    [Tag:desert, rain]
  • “You are a very interesting psychological phenomenon. And I think you're very sweet.”

    Sandra Prinsloo - Kate Thompson
  • “The rhino is the self appointed fire prevention officer. When he sees a fire, he rushes in and stamps it out.”
    Paddy O'Byrne - Narrator
    [Tag:animals, fire]
  • “We must save ammunition, set your guns to single fire. Look see. This is single fire, this is automatic. Why do I have to work with amateurs?”

    Louw Verwey - Sam Boga
    [Tag:weapons]
  • “A hundred miles to the north, is the country of Burani. And here trouble is brewing...”
    Paddy O'Byrne - Narrator
    [Tag:country, trouble]
  • “They live in the vastness of the Kalahari in small family groups. One family of Bushmen might meet up with another once in a few years, but for the most part they live in complete isolation, unaware there are other people in the world. In the deep Kalahari, there are Bushmen who have never seen or heard of civilized man.”
    Paddy O'Byrne - Narrator
  • “There was a peculiar sound, and Xi saw a most amazing animal approaching. Its legs went around instead of up and down. And there was a weird-looking god on its back. He wore blue skin on his head and red on his body. And hair grew on his face.”

    Paddy O'Byrne - Narrator
    [Tag:beard, cars, god]
  • “He says thank you, and goodbye, and hopes you have lots of children.”

    Michael Thys - Mpudi
  • “Where any other person would die of thirst in a few days, they live quite contentedly in this desert that doesn't look like a desert. They know where to dig for roots and bugs and tubers, and which berries and pods are good to eat. And of course they know what to do about water.”

    Paddy O'Byrne - Narrator
    [Tag:desert, water]
  • “At first, Xi tried the thing out to cure thongs; it had the right shape and just the right weight. It was also beautifully smooth and ideal for curing snakeskin. And Pabo discovered you could make music on it... and every day they discovered a new use for the thing.”

    Paddy O'Byrne - Narrator
    [Tag:usefulness]
  • “Kate... I know you think I'm an idiot but I'm not really like that. It's only when I'm around wom... around you. I'm sorry. Normally, I'm quite normal. But whenever I'm in the presence of a lady my fingers turn into thumbs, my brain switches off...”
    Marius Weyers - Andrew Steyn
    [Tag:shyness, women]
  • Xi saw a very strange-looking persona and he greeted him. The man didn't hear him. Xi said, "This is a funny stick. Did it grow on a tree?".

    Paddy O'Byrne - Narrator
    [Tag:trees, weapons]
  • “There were some ridiculous-looking animals. But they looked good to eat, and he was hungry.”

    Paddy O'Byrne - Narrator
    [Tag:animals, hunger]
  • “One day, a very noisy animal rushed past where Xi was sleeping. It left very peculiar tracks, as if two enormous snakes had slithered past.”

    Paddy O'Byrne - Narrator
    [Tag:cars]
  • “Suddenly, everybody needed it most of the time. A thing they had never needed before became a necessity. And unfamiliar emotions began to stir: a feeling of wanting to own, of not wanting to share. Other new things came: anger, jealousy, hate and violence.”

    Paddy O'Byrne - Narrator
    [Tag:anger, need, violence]
  • “The one characteristic which really makes the Bushmen different from all the other races on earth is that they have no sense of ownership at all. Where they live, there's really nothing you can own: only trees and grass and animals.”
    Paddy O'Byrne - Narrator
  • “When the family needsmeat, the hunter dips his arrow in a brew that acts as a tranquillizer. When he shoots a buck, it feels a sting and the arrow drops out. The buck runs away, but soon it gets drowsy and it stops running. After a while, it goes to sleep. The hunter apologizes to his prey. He explains that his family needs the meat.”
    Paddy O'Byrne - Narrator
    [Tag:food, hunting]
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