Indy's Belief Quote

[Pale Horse]

Another matter raised - is there any rule to repeating a word in a sentence? I know there’s an argument to suggest it’s a big no no, but it really depends on the context. Sometimes the repetition of a word is to put extra emphasis on it. I don’t know if there’s really any rule to say they can’t repeat ‘believe’ three times in a sentence? What might well regarded English playwright Jez Butterworth say in his defence?

If you're clever, you can use it 8 times in a sentence:

I don't think there's a "rule," per se, but it's just generally frowned upon. I do a lot of proofreading and copy-editing at work (not that you could tell by the number of typos and errors I make in my posts on this site), and I usually try to reword things when I see repetition within a sentence or even within two adjacent sentences.

Creative Writer by trade, clever comedian by reputation.

 

[fedoraboy]

It’s Spielberg at his delirious peak I agree - I’d even argue the end of his magic phase. But without the pitch perfect cause and effect of the script it would be a mess. I can’t get behind this kind of thinking when it diminishes the importance of the writing. We saw what happened with Crystal Skull. It all has to work in tandem. Also logic? Puh!

As someone who makes a living from writing, I'm not diminishing the importance of it it at all! But a great director, when inspired, elevates the writing. A good director can make mediocre writing compelling. Now, I think the script for Doom is better than the script for Skull, but I also think Spielberg was more energised by the prospect of making an Indiana Jones movie when he made Doom than he was when he made Skull, he was no longer in the zone. But credit where it's due, the Doom script certainly presents a story that rattles along, but it also contains some pretty glaring logic holes and iffy characterisation.

 

[fedoraboy]

I want to make a defence for the line because in the scene from the mouth of Harrison Ford it works fine for me but sometimes when I read the line on paper it doesn’t seem to. And maybe that’s all that matters.

I agree it works and has a nice rhythm, helped by a strong delivery from Ford, but know what you mean - written down it does look a bit clunky.

There's also a sort of circular logic to the sentence - making it somewhat nonsensical, which I can't help but think is a deliberate little joke. Indy says "...it's not so much what you believe - it's how hard you believe it." which we've discussed, but he precedes it by saying this is something he's "come to believe..." - so, by his own rationale, the truth of what he's saying depends on how much he really believes it.

 

[British Raider]

I agree it works and has a nice rhythm, helped by a strong delivery from Ford, but know what you mean - written down it does look a bit clunky.

There's also a sort of circular logic to the sentence - making it somewhat nonsensical, which I can't help but think is a deliberate little joke. Indy says "...it's not so much what you believe - it's how hard you believe it." which we've discussed, but he precedes it by saying this is something he's "come to believe..." - so, by his own rationale, the truth of what he's saying depends on how much he really believes it.

y’know, I would not be surprised if it is a deliberate little joke. That feels very Indy to me.

 

[The Lone Raider]

y’know, I would not be surprised if it is a deliberate little joke. That feels very Indy to me.

Actually, you might just be right. It does sound coy just as much as it sounds pensive, as though he's very much serious about what he's saying, but he is also going about saying it in this sly, self-aware, jokey manner.

 

[Nurhachi1991]

I mean Voller believed in something too, bro believed it so hard he ended up in 212 B.C.

 

[michael]

"I've come to believe it's not so much what you believe - it's how hard you believe it."

I still don't fully understand what this line is supposed to mean.

because it's NOT A GOOD LINE.

 

[NickTurner]

(four 'believes' in the span of one dialogue are you kidding me?)

Hmm... one for each of the previous movies?

 

[British Raider]

“I suppose you think of me as a rather credulous person but I don’t think I am. People make mistakes in life through believing too much, but they have a damned dull time if they believe too little.”

- James Hilton, Lost Horizon

While the contexts are different the quote still reminded me of DoDs one. It’s also a quote that leaves some ambiguity, left for the reader to decide, was Conway too credulous? Did he make a mistake or did he make the right choice? There is some thematic similarities, disillusionment, aging, is it better to be isolated and away from everyone etc

 

[Spiked]

Looking back at the series, Crusade is the only film where Indy really gets something which has any 'legacy value' from the macguffin itself. In Raiders he regains Marion, but this is more from the journey than the culmination of the film. Same with Skull, he gains a family via the adventure they're forced on together, rather than from the film's denouement. Even Crusade is as much about Indy and Henry finding each other along the way than it is about their coming together in the Grail Temple.

In my most recent Raiders viewing I noticed at the end during the "top men" dialogue, they ask if Indy isn't happy with his compensation and he says something to the effect of, "the money's fine" -- for some reason I hadn't paid full attention to that before. I wonder how much the government paid him. Quite possibly a "legacy" sum.

 

[Mike00spy]

In my most recent Raiders viewing I noticed at the end during the "top men" dialogue, they ask if Indy isn't happy with his compensation and he says something to the effect of, "the money's fine" -- for some reason I hadn't paid full attention to that before. I wonder how much the government paid him. Quite possibly a "legacy" sum.

Short Round college fund?

Lost it all investing in Willie Scott’s debut album, “I left my heart at Pankot Palace?”

 

[Spiked]

because it's NOT A GOOD LINE.

It's not so much what you believe, but how hard you believe it.

I think it is a good line, because it means if you believe hard enough in something you can manifest it. You can make it come true.

We believe in time, ergo it exists. Same thing with money, we all believe in it so its value comes to life.

To the Greeks and Romans their gods were 100% real, they manifested them into existence.

The Aztecs built temples and made sacrifices to Quetzalcoatl. This deity was as real to them as the weather.

There's a scene in Ridley Scott's "Prometheus" where a character asks Dr. Elizabeth Shaw why as a scientist in the late 21st century she wears a cross around her neck. Shaw is asked why she believes and she replies, "Because I choose to."

Indeed. The decisive power of belief.

I've come to learn that one should never underestimate someone who believes hard in something, especially when they are willing to take action in support of it.

 

[StockdeFerry]

In my most recent Raiders viewing I noticed at the end during the "top men" dialogue, they ask if Indy isn't happy with his compensation and he says something to the effect of, "the money's fine" -- for some reason I hadn't paid full attention to that before. I wonder how much the government paid him. Quite possibly a "legacy" sum.

He must have spent all the money before DOD. He couldn't afford a new house.

 

[Forbidden Eye]

He must have spent all the money before DOD. He couldn't afford a new house.

To be fair, no one, including the rich, can afford a house in NYC.

I do wonder about Indy’s house though, wondering if he just left it to Marion during the separation.

 

[StockdeFerry]

I do wonder about Indy’s house though, wondering if he just left it to Marion during the separation.

I'd say that's the most plausible option.

 

[Dr.Jonesy]

I'd say that's the most plausible option.

Me too.

A lot of people say that the dean saying that Indy's been a part of Hunter College for over a decade is clear proof he was teaching there since 1958.

But in the world of academia, plenty of professors are affiliated and work with other universities while they're primarily teaching at their home university. It's possible that Jones worked with plenty of other universities during his time at Marshall.

It's possible he was often a guest lecturer, collaborated with staff, etc. long before teaching there.