History Quotes / BecomingTheMask

'''Malcolm:''' You know Jackie fucking ''Chan'' about me. [[SuddenlyShouting YOU KNOW FUCK ALL ABOUT ME!]] I am totally beyond the realms of your fucking tousle-haired, fucking dim-witted comprefuckinghension! I don't just take this fucking job home, you know: [[MarriedToTheJob I take this job home, it fucking ties me to the bed, and it fucking fucks me from arsehole to breakfast!]] Then it wakes me up in the morning with a cup full of piss slung in my face, slaps me about the chops to make sure I'm awake enough so it can kick me in the fucking bollocks! This job has taken me in every hole in my fucking body! Malcolm is ''gone!'' You can't know Malcolm, because Malcolm is not here! ''[[ThatManIsDead Malcolm fucking left the building fucking years ago!]]'' This is a fucking husk, I am a fucking host for this fucking job. [[ArmorPiercingQuestion Do you want this job?]]\\

->''Lionel, from the national defense force. Lawrence, a black market dealer. Robert, the politician's secretary. I've spent so much time studying so many Twilights. I know that masterful fake smile of his. And I can see a tiny hint of real emotion seeping out from behind it.''
-->-- '''Fiona Frost''', ''Manga/SpyXFamily''

--> '''Megatron''': I once told Optimus I killed for the sake of killing. I wanted to make him hurt me, you see, because [[AllLovingHero when he hurts others he hurts himself]]. And the thing is, when those words were in my head I didn't think I meant them, but, when they left my mouth I realized I ''did.'' If the world thinks you're a monster, what does it matter? The world is wrong. But, when you start to think of ''yourself'' as a monster...

It was stupid, it was selfish, but I really, desperately wanted to see what it would be like to get to know [[TheEvilGenius Lisa]], without worrying that she would find out my scheme. I’d like to see what it was like to interact with her without having to censor myself out of fear that I’d provide [[AwesomenessbyAnalysis that damning clue]]. I wanted to get to know [[TheBrute Bitch]] and [[TheDarkChick Alec]] better. And [[TheLeader Brian]]. I wanted to be closer to Brian. I couldn’t phrase it any better than that, because I didn’t know if there would be any future with him beyond a simple friendship. I didn’t expect there to be. It still mattered.

->''You can't break a man the way you break a dog or a horse. [[DefiantToTheEnd The harder you beat a man the taller he stands.]] To break a man's will, to break his spirit, you have to break his mind. Men have this idea that ' they can fight with dignity, that there is a proper way to kill someone. It's absurd, it's anesthetic. We need that idea to endure the bloody horror of murder. You must destroy this idea. Show them [[WarIsHell what a messy, terrible thing it is to kill a man]]... [[BloodKnight And show them that you relish in it.]] Shoot the wound, then execute the wounded. [[KillItWithFire Burn them]], take them in close combat, destroy any preconceptions as to what a man is and [[TheDreaded you become their personal monster. When they fear you]], you become stronger, you become better. But let's never forget, it's a display, a posture, like a lion's roar or a gorilla thumping at its chest. If you lose yourself in the display, if you succumb to the horror, [[HeWhoFightsMonsters you become the monster, not more of a man, but less... and it can be fatal.]]''

->''My name is [[spoiler:Saul Tigh]] and if I die today, then that's who I'll be.''
-->--'''[[spoiler:Saul Tigh]]''', ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003''

'''Gretchen Schwartz:''' I can’t speak of this "Heisenberg" people refer to. But whatever he became, the sweet, kind man we once knew? He’s gone.
-->--''Series/BreakingBad''

->''Somewhere along the line, the fake life that we created as a cover for me to kill became real. It's not fake to me anymore.''
-->--'''Dexter Morgan''', ''Series/{{Dexter}}''

-->--'''The Ninth Doctor''' to '''Blon''', ''Series/DoctorWho'', "Boom Town"

'''Josh Exley:''' ''(Remains human)'' [[IAmWhatIAm This IS my true face...]]
-->--''Series/TheXFiles'', "The Unnatural"

->'''Malcolm:''' Oh, how quickly they grow up. You fucking think you know me?
->'''[[SmugSnake Ollie]]:''' Uuuuuh''yeah.'' Yeah, I know you.
->'''Malcolm:''' You know Jackie fucking ''Chan'' about me. [[SuddenlyShouting YOU KNOW FUCK ALL ABOUT ME!]] I am totally beyond the realms of your fucking tousle-haired, fucking dim-witted comprefuckinghension! I don’t just take this fucking job home, you know: [[MarriedToTheJob I take this job home, it fucking ties me to the bed, and it fucking fucks me from arsehole to breakfast!]] Then it wakes me up in the morning with a cup full of piss slung in my face, slaps me about the chops to make sure I’m awake enough so it can kick me in the fucking bollocks! This job has taken me in every hole in my fucking body! Malcolm is ''gone!'' You can't know Malcolm, because Malcolm is not here! ''[[ThatManIsDead Malcolm fucking left the building fucking years ago!]]'' This is a fucking husk, I am a fucking host for this fucking job. [[ArmorPiercingQuestion Do you want this job?]]
->'''Ollie:''' [-...Yes.-]
->'''Malcolm:''' Yes, you ''do'' fucking want this job. Then you're gonna have to fucking swallow this whole fucking life and let it grow inside you like a parasite, getting bigger and bigger and bigger until it fucking eats your insides alive and it stares out of your eyes and tells you what to do.
-->--''Series/TheThickOfIt''

-->--'''Drew Thompson'''/[[spoiler:'''Sheriff Shelby Parlow''']], ''Series/{{Justified}}''

-->-- ''Series/{{The Americans}}''

[[folder:Web Video]]

->'''Asuka''':''“That’s... another thing that’s hard to deal with. I keep feeling like it’s too good to be true, like I can’t deserve something that feels that good so easily. Or it’s some kind of trick. Or I get worried that he’s in love with the mask I always tried to project and not the real me.”''\\
'''Daniel''':''“Who, the brave, vibrant, indomitable genius he knew? He knows the real you more than anyone else. Or at least can feel the things he doesn’t fully understand are in there. He knows you have pains inside you try to hide from everyone. He wants to help you, to take away those pains, or at least bear them together. Don’t worry about what ‘Asuka’ he’s in love with. The answer is still ‘yes’. You can make yourself into that mask. Free will is the ne plus ultra in my realm. You can be who you want to be. And you have amazing will, Asuka. Just defeat your doubts and remember who you are; the girl who even death can’t stop. I didn’t choose the motto for your ship idly. The past defines you but does not determine you. Put it aside and decide who you are. Act as you would want to be. Or to put it a more vernacular way; fake it ‘til you make it.”''

-->--'''Dexter Morgan''' ''Series/{{Dexter}}''

->"Ooh, lookit me! I'm gonna put on silly outfits! Pretend to be other pop stars, but it's still just ''me!'' Lil' ol' Taylor Swift! These costumes don't fit ''me!''"'' Yes they do. You are those costumes. They are your personality. They are who you are now. You'll never "band geek" Taylor Swift again. '''You're''' [[AlphaBitch the cheer captain]], and...I dunno, {{Music/Lorde}} is on the bleachers.''\\
(realization hits)'' Oh God, ''Lorde!'' Where's ''she'' gonna be in five year

->'''Messi''': -No. No you may not. My whole life I've let my football do the talking. But now, I will speak for myself. ''[Messi rises up from under the desk]''. I thought winning La Liga was good, and then I won it ten times. I thought winning the Champions league was good, and then I won it four times. I thought winning the Ballon d'Or was good, and then I won it ''seven'' times. Winning the Copa America... that was special. But now, I have won the World Cup ''with Argentina.'' ''For'' Argentina! [...] For the first time since the great Maradona led us to victory in 1986, we are champions of the world. This win is for my country. This win is for all the little children who dare to dream big. But most of all, this win is for me. I f''[[[SoundEffectBleep bleep]]]''king love trophies. I have a sick thirst for winning that can never be quenched. If I were smart, I'd retire right now. But I'm not and I won't. And if you have a problem with that...

->'''Lionel Messi's Puppet''': And now, your new World Cup Champion, Greatest of All Time, no asterisk. Won everything he could possibly win, Lionel Andrés Messi! ''(A triumphant horn blares, the audience applauds and cheers, and Argentina colored confetti rains down as the video monitor shows Messi crouched under the talk show host desk, obviously manipulating the puppet)''

->'''Messi''': -No. No you may not. My whole life I've let my football do the talking. But now, I will speak for myself. ''(Messi rises up from under the desk)''. I thought winning La Liga was good, and then I won it ten times. I thought winning the Champions league was good, and then I won it four times. I thought winning the Ballon d'Or was good, and then I won it ''seven'' times. Winning the Copa America... that was special. But now, I have won the World Cup ''with Argentina.'' ''For'' Argentina! [...] For the first time since the great Maradona led us to victory in 1986, we are champions of the world. This win is for my country. This win is for all the little children who dare to dream big. But most of all, this win is for me. I f''[[[SoundEffectBleep bleep]]]''king love trophies. I have a sick thirst for winning that can never be quenched. If I were smart, I'd retire right now. But I'm not and I won't. And if you have a problem with that...
->''(Messi shows genuine emotion including a SlasherSmile as he delivers his final line)''

->'''Leo Messi's Puppet''': And now, your new World Cup Champion, Greatest of All Time, no asterisk. Won everything he could possibly win, Lionel Andrés Messi! ''(A triumphant horn blares, the audience applauds and cheers, and Argentina colored confetti rains down as the video monitor shows Messi crouched under the talk show host desk, obviously manipulating the puppet)''
->'''Leo Messi''': Thank you football, I am happy.

->'''Messi''': -No. No you may not. My whole life I've let my football do the talking. But now, I will speak for myself. ''(Messi rises up from under the desk)''. I thought winning La Liga was good, and then I won it ten times. I thought winning the Champions league was good, and then I won it four times. I thought winning the Ballon d'Or was good, and then I won it ''seven'' times. Winning the Copa America... that was special. But now, I have won the World Cup ''with Argentina.'' ''For'' Argentina! [...] For the first time since the great Maradona led us to victory in 1986, we are champions of the world. This win is for my country. This win is for all the little children who dare to dream big. But most of all, this win is for me. I f**king love trophies. I have a sick thirst for winning that can never be quenched. If I were smart, I'd retire right now. But I'm not and I won't. And if you have a problem with that...

->'''Messi using his Puppet Voice''': '''SHUT UP, BOBO!'''
-->--''WebAnimation/TheChampions2018'': '''Champions Chat: The Final'''

->'''Messi using his Puppet Voice''':'''SHUT UP, BOBO!'''

->'''Messi using his Puppet Voice''':''SHUT UP, BOBO!'''

->'''Messi''':''(Using his puppet voice)'' '''SHUT UP, BOBO!'''

->'''Leo Messi's Puppet''': And now, your new World Cup Champion, Greatest of All Time, no asterisk. Won everything he could possibly win, Lionel Andrés Messi! ''[A triumphant horn blares, the audience applauds and cheers, and Argentina colored confetti rains down as the video monitor shows Messi crouched under the talk show host desk, obviously manipulating the puppet]''

->'''Messi''': -No. No you may not. My whole life I've let my football do the talking. But now, I will speak for myself. ''[Messi rises up from under the desk]''. I thought winning La Liga was good, and then I won it ten times. I thought winning the Champions league was good, and then I won it four times. I thought winning the Ballon d'Or was good, and then I won it ''seven'' times. Winning the Copa America... that was special. But now, I have won the World Cup ''with Argentina.'' ''For'' Argentina! [...] For the first time since the great Maradona led us to victory in 1986, we are champions of the world. This win is for my country. This win is for all the little children who dare to dream big. But most of all, this win is for me. I f**king love trophies. I have a sick thirst for winning that can never be quenched. If I were smart, I'd retire right now. But I'm not and I won't. And if you have a problem with that...
->'''Messi''':''[Using his puppet voice]'' '''SHUT UP, BOBO!'''

->“All mortals tend to turn into the thing they are pretending to be. This is elementary”.

'''Gretchen Schwartz:''' No he's not.\\

'''Gretchen Schwartz:''' I can’t speak of this Heisenberg people refer to. But whatever he became, the sweet, kind man we once knew? He’s gone.

-->-- '''Screwtape,''' ''[[Literature/TheScrewtapeLetters]]''

->You're Puss in Boots, the one who tricks the prince. He hides who he really is and pretends to be someone else forever. So in time he becomes that person, so his lie becomes the truth, see? He transcends the mask. Well, don't you get it? That's how he finds happiness. That's pretty good, right?

->[[spoiler:Reki]] freed herself from the curse of the sinbound by choosing a difficult path and by being kind to the weak. This began as an act, a mercenary attempt to gain salvation, yet over time it became her true nature.

-->--''Fanfic/ACrownOfStars'', ''[[http://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/a-crown-of-stars-nge-ou.11766/page-10#post-2491498 chapter 34]]''

->You've fooled them all into thinking that you ''are'' Caine; you've even fooled yourself.

->The thought [to try and be myself] was terrifying. I'd spent so long hiding behind masks I was no longer sure there was a genuine Ciaphas underneath them any more, just a quivering little bundle of self-interest.

-->--''Graphic,'' by Shane Briant

->My name is [[spoiler:Saul Tigh]] and if I die today, then that's who I'll be.

->Somewhere along the line, the fake life that we created as a cover for me to kill became real. It's not fake to me anymore.

->You've been in that skin-suit too long. You've forgotten. There used to be a ''real'' Margaret Blaine. You [[FaceStealer killed her and stripped her and used the skin]]. You're pleading for mercy out of a dead woman's lips.

->My mask is growing heavy, but I've forgotten who's beneath.

-->--"Portrait of A Girl", in ''Bare: A Pop Opera''

->It's too late--I have cast myself into my mould. I wore vice like clothing, now it is stuck to my skin. I am truly a ruffian, and when I joke about people like me, I feel serious as Death in the middle of my gaiety. To kill Tarquin, Brutus played the madman, and what surprises me now is, he didn't lose his mind at that game. Learn from me, Philippe, here's what I have to say to you--don't work for your country.
-->--'''Creator/VictorHugo''', ''Lorenzaccio.''

->But at some point, the man became incapable of distinguishing his performance from his person.

->You can't break a man the way you break a dog or a horse. [[DefiantToTheEnd The harder you beat a man the taller he stands.]] [[DespairEventHorizon To break a man's will, to break his spirit, you have to break his mind]]. Men have this idea that [[LetsFightLikeGentlemen they can fight with dignity, that there is a proper way to kill someone]]. It's absurd, it's anesthetic. We need that idea to endure the bloody horror of murder. You must destroy this idea. Show them [[WarIsHell what a messy, terrible thing it is to kill a man]]... [[BloodKnight And show them that you relish in it.]] [[CombatPragmatist Shoot the wound, then]] [[CoupDeGrace execute the wounded]]. [[KillItWithFire Burn them]], [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown take them in close combat,]] destroy any preconceptions as to what a man is and [[TheDreaded you become their personal monster. When they fear you]], you become stronger, you become better. But let's never forget, it's a display, a posture, like a lion's roar or a gorilla thumping at its chest. [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope If you lose yourself in the display, if you succumb to the horror,]] [[HeWhoFightsMonsters you become the monster, not more of a man, but less... and it can be fatal.]]

->If you have so many masks, what does your ''true'' face look like?

->A mask is just like a musical instrument--it reflects the character of its owner.

->Only those who try will become.

->SO! You wish to learn the sacred art of the grapple from me, Los Tiburon? It would be my pleasure to pass along the ideals from my teachers and ancestors to another generation! ... Know this, my child, that when you wear the mask, who you were underneath is gone, and you must BECOME the mask! Let the mask give you strength, and give that strength to the mask itself!

->''"Ooh, lookit me! I'm gonna put on silly outfits! Pretend to be other pop stars, but it's still just ''me!'' Lil' ol' Taylor Swift! These costumes don't fit ''me!''"'' Yes they do. You are those costumes. They are your personality. They are who you are now. You'll never "band geek" Taylor Swift again. '''You're''' [[AlphaBitch the cheer captain]], and...I dunno, {{Music/Lorde}} is on the bleachers.\\\
''(realization hits)'' Oh God, ''Lorde!'' Where's ''she'' gonna be in five years?

->Before you start, I have something to say: I came here as a patriot. I had a mission, and I carried it out. What I couldn't know is that I would come to care for the Earth and her people... That I'd come to care for all of you. I've spent the last five years torn between my feelings and my duty. I won't ask you to do the same.

->People think that a liar gains a victory over his victim. What I’ve learned is that a lie is an act of self-abdication, because one surrenders one’s reality to the person to whom one lies, making that person one’s master, condemning oneself from then on to faking the sort of reality that person’s view requires to be faked...

->And the distinction between pretending you are better than you are and beginning to be better in reality is finer than moral sleuthhounds conceive.

->We are what we do.

->Also, though I don’t believe in character changes, I do have a theory that if you keep giving a conservative politician liberal speeches to read, he will eventually become a liberal, and vice versa.

->When you are in the public space you'd better sound like a true believer. An actor immersed in a role is going to be better at it.

->The roles that we construct are constructed because we feel that they will help us to survive and also, of course, because they fulfill something in our personalities; and one does not, therefore, cease playing a role simply because one has begun to understand it. All roles are dangerous. The world tends to trap you in the role you play and it is always extremely hard to maintain a watchful, mocking distance between oneself as one appears to be and oneself as one actually is.