History Main / YouCantMakeAnOmelette

The phrase originated with Count Pahlen, one of the conspirators in the coup of 1801 that resulted in the death of Tsar Paul I. (see below in Real Life). It was continued by Egyptian historian Charles P. Issawi: "[[UnbuiltTrope but it is amazing how many eggs one can break without making a decent omelette]]".

* Parodied in ''The Simpsons Game'', in which Mr. Burns plans to cut down all of Springfield Forest and reduce each tree to a single toothpick:

* Comes up in ''VideoGame/Disgaea2CursedMemories'', when Rozalin is starting to feel bad about leading Adell to his death just she can get away from him. Tink replies, "The weak will perish! Zat is the way of ze world! Princess, do you count how many eggs were cracked to make your omelettes?"

* In ''Film/Batman1989'', it is revealed that The Joker "improved" the looks of his girlfriend Alicia. After he tells Vicki Vale that Alicia threw herself out a window, this line is used, implying that Joker may have killed her himself to free himself for Vicki:

[[quoteright:214:[[Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/omelette.png]]]]

-->-- '''Senator Armstrong''', ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengance''

* ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'':

The phrase originated with Count Pahlen, one of the conspirators in the coup of 1801 that resulted in the death of Czar Paul I. (see below in Real Life). It was continued by Egyptian historian Charles P. Issawi: "[[UnbuiltTrope but it is amazing how many eggs one can break without making a decent omelette]]".

* The phrase originates with Peter Ludwig Count Pahlen (1746-1826), military governor of St. Petersburg and one of the officers conspiring to depose Czar Paul I. on 23 March 1801. Pahlen, speaking in French, said: "Quand on veut faire des omelettes, il faut casser des oeufs" (When you want to make omelettes, you have to break eggs), and the coup did result in the "accidental" death of the Czar. In a speech to a delegation from Strasbourg on 21 December 1890, Otto von Bismarck gave it the form: "On ne peut pas faire une omelette sans casser des oeufs" (You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs).

[[quoteright:214:[[WebComic/TheOrderOfTheStick https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/omelette.png]]]]

* Being the only nation who has managed to take control billions to trillions of people, mainland China is this as they view their citizens as expendable and will not hesitate to trample on them for the sake of profit; such as forced demolitions (including on legal private residences), displacing farmers from their land, and stealing motorcycles to be sold overseas. Or sacrificing few thousands such as deliberately releasing floodwater at the expense of other residents living there without warning, to (on disasters) intentionally delaying rescue until a significant amount has died. During the COVID-19 pandemic they also resort to inhumane measures such as sealing them inside their homes (up to including blocking it with barbed wires), forbidding them to leave their homes to even buy groceries, and violently dragging residents for forced quarantine.

* ''Naked''
-->'''Johnny:''' You can't make an omelette without cracking a few eggs. And humanity is just a cracked egg. And the omelette stinks.
* From ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'', when the Avengers try to talk Ultron down.

* Referenced in ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'': Tony Stark tells an audience of college students that he would provide all of them with research grants, and tells them, "Go break some eggs."

* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanAssaultOnArkham'', Batman confronts Amanda Waller for her reckless use of Task Force X to [[spoiler: have the Riddler killed]], which resulted in a massive breakout and riot among the inmates. Waller responds with the omelette saying, only for Batman to retort that Waller's "such a messy cook" that everything [[GoneHorriblyWrong went horribly wrong]].

-->[[spoiler:'''Armstrong:''']] Making the mother of all omelettes here, Jack! Can't fret over every egg.\\

[[spoiler:'''Armstrong:''']]: [[ShutUpKirk But you did survive]]. Through sheer force of will, following your own set of rules. With your own two hands, you took back your life!\\

* Being the only nation who has managed to take control billions to trillions of people, mainland China is this as they view their citizens as expendable and will not hesitate to trample on them for the sake of profit; such as forced demolitions (including on legal private residences), displacing farmers from their land, and stealing motorcycles to be sold overseas. Or sacrificing few thousands such as deliberately releasing floodwater at the expense of other residents living there without warning, to (on disasters) intentionally delaying rescue until a significant amount has died. During the [=COVID19=] pandemic they also resort to inhumane measures such as sealing them inside their homes (up to including blocking it with barbed wires), forbidding them to leave their homes to even buy groceries, and violently dragging residents for forced quarantine.

--> '''Rhetoric:''' Oh yeah! Get the firing squads and the animal wagons ready!

* Being the only nation who has managed to take control billions to trillions of people, mainland China is this as they view their citizens as expendable and will not hesitate to trample on them for the sake of profit; such as forced demolitions (including on legal private residences) and displacing farmers from their land. Or sacrificing few thousands such as deliberately releasing floodwater at the expense of other residents living there without warning, to (on disasters) intentionally delaying rescue until a significant amount has died. During the [=COVID19=] pandemic they also resort to inhumane measures such as sealing them inside their homes (up to including blocking it with barbed wires), forbidding them to leave their homes to even buy groceries, and violently dragging residents for forced quarantine.

* Being the only nation who has managed to take control billions to trillions of people, mainland China is this as they view their citizens as expendable and will not hesitate to trample on them for the sake of profit; such as forced demolitions (including on legal private residences) and displacing farmers from their land. Or sacrificing few thousands such as deliberately releasing floodwater at the expense of other residents living there without warning, to (on disasters) intentionally delaying rescue until a significant amount has died. During the [=COVID19=] pandemic they also resort to inhumane measures such as sealing them inside their homes and forbidding them to leave their homes to [[UpToEleven even buy groceries]].

* Being the only nation who has managed to take control billions to trillions of people, mainland China is this as they view their citizens as expendable and will not hesitate to trample on them for the sake of profit; such as forced demolitions (including on legal private residences) and displacing farmers from their land. Or sacrificing few thousands such as deliberately releasing floodwater at the expense of other residents living there without warning, to (on disasters) intentionally delaying rescue until a significant amount has died.

* Being the only nation who has managed to control billions to trillions of people, mainland China is this as they view their citizens as expendable and will not hesitate to trample on them for the sake of profit; such as forced demolitions (including on legal private residences) and displacing farmers from their land.

* Being the only nation who has managed to control billions to trillions of people, mainland China is this as they view their citizens as expendable and will not hesitate to trample on them whether its forced demolitions, mass arrests, violently suppressing peaceful protests, etc.

'''Raiden:''' Not when you're "[[TheSocialDarwinist purging the weak]]", right? [[ShutUpHannibal What do you know about "the weak"? You weren't born poor. You've never been hungry. You don't know what it's like to fight and steal and kill just to survive...]]

* In Larry Gonick's ''ComicBook/TheCartoonHistoryOfTheUniverse'', this line is "You can't make a country without breaking a few eggheads," spoken by the Chinese Communists in an aside about how Qin Shihuangdi (reviled in history as an evil, evil man) is a role model for the current government.

* According to Greg Sanders of ''Series/{{CSI}}'', commenting on a brain found unexpectedly intact a significant distance from it's owner's smashed head, "it's hard to crack an egg without breaking the yolk". It's not clear what Greg is worst at -- [[{{Malaproper}} remembering proverbs]], [[AnalogyBackfire making culinary analogies]], or [[LethalChef cracking eggs]] -- but no-one picks him up on it.