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Interesting people say interesting things. Four of the most interesting people are inextricably linked in ways too numerous to count and essentially bridge the gaps between philosophy, politics, Jedi guruism and music: existential philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, uber-politician Bill Clinton, Jedi master Yoda and Radiohead frontman/lyricist Thom Yorke.
To find out what you’ve retained from the universal truisms uttered by each over the years, take our quiz:
Hilarious idea for a quiz. you should do it again with four other people, like Bruce Springsteen, Churchill, Mark Twain and Papa Smurf.
posted by WestCoastTerry on 11-29-2007 at 11:25 am
Whoo! 100! I am pleasantly surprised…
posted by MistressERS on 11-29-2007 at 11:26 am
83%, which is surprising considering all I know about Nietzsche I learned from Little Miss Sunshine.
posted by Kiera on 11-29-2007 at 11:36 am
Not well, I did.
posted by Rich on 11-29-2007 at 12:07 pm
Score: 83% (10 out of 12)
Hilarious! Fun idea.
posted by Leslie on 11-29-2007 at 12:12 pm
83 per cent! I did better than I’d expected. And a great quiz!
posted by Pranesh on 11-29-2007 at 12:19 pm
83%. I was surprised. I never do that well on these quizes.
posted by Kristen on 11-29-2007 at 12:27 pm
11/12 Yay! Like this quiz, I do.
posted by Johnny Cat on 11-29-2007 at 12:57 pm
As a few others above, I did the same, 83% — only because Yorke threw me and I ascribed two of his quotes to Nietzsche and Yoda.
I quote the wise Johnny Cat:
Like this quiz, I do.
posted by WizardBoy on 11-29-2007 at 1:08 pm
May I suggest:
G.W. Bush, Elmer Fudd, Bozo the Clown and Daffy Duck for the next one?
posted by WizardBoy on 11-29-2007 at 1:09 pm
75%
Great quiz!
posted by Dusty on 11-29-2007 at 1:16 pm
I did not have successful relations with that quiz. :D Actually I got a 75%.
I second WizardBoy’s suggestion.
posted by Allison on 11-29-2007 at 6:33 pm
Wow, I did really well: 92% (11 outa 12). The only one that through me off was the last one “Death is a part of life” It wasn’t quite sorrowful enough for Yorke, wasn’t structured complicated enough to be Neitsche, and (I thought) wasn’t structured funky enough for Yoda. So I said it was Clinton assuming it was at politicians funeral or something of the sort. Oops!
posted by jeffcomedy on 11-30-2007 at 3:30 am
OK, I did. 83%, 4 and 5 I missed.
posted by Rob on 11-30-2007 at 8:00 am
Wow! I amaze myself! 92% and I only missed the last one from Yoda. Guess I better go back & watch the Star Wars trillogies again. BTW, whose this Yourke guy?
posted by Rich on 11-30-2007 at 9:33 am
Hey.
The Yoda quote “Named must your fear be, before banish it you can,” was even more of a freebie for me than for everybody else.
Because I wrote that.
Really.
It’s not in the films, it’s in the novelization of REVENGE OF THE SITH.
Just sayin’.
Great quiz. Got ‘em all.
posted by MWStover on 12-1-2007 at 5:57 am