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Anime and Manga
"The more that you know, the shorter your life will be."
— Electra, Cowboy Bebop: Knocking On Heaven's Door
"You really are a smart man, Lieutenant Colonel. Did you ever think that would be the cause of your death?"
—Envy, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Oh dear, seems like you have seen it.
— Yoshikage Kira to Shigechi once the latter finds out the former carries human hands, Jo Jos Bizarre Adventure Diamond Is Unbreakable
Comic Books
Lucille: ...so there's no need to kill him.
Death Squad Leader: Yes, there is, ma'am...once he's told us who else he's spoken to.
Lucille: What? [is machine-gunned by the Death Squad Leader]
Death Squad Leader: Yes, there is, ma'am...once he's told us who else he's spoken to.
Lucille: What? [is machine-gunned by the Death Squad Leader]
"It stands to reason that she had him put out of the way so he wouldn't talk! He was the weak link in her gang!"
Fanfiction
<You think he suspects something,> Essa said.
He doesn’t know anything, I said sharply.
“So what do you have against the Sharing? They might be able to help,” Mom pleaded.
“Trust me, they wouldn’t,” Jake said darkly.
If I’d been able to smile I would have. Well, he’s not wrong...
<You do think he suspects something!> Essa said.
What? No. Of course not, I thought frantically. Don’t be an idiot—
<Tommy, Tommy, Tommy,> he cooed. <When are you ever going to learn that you can’t lie to me?>
He doesn’t know anything! What could he possibly suspect?
It was too late. Essa was already scrolling through my memories, reading my past thoughts like a courtroom transcript. A jury of one, deciding whether to condemn my little brother to a lifetime of imprisonment. I didn’t bother trying to distract the yeerk; what was the point? And it was a feeling, nothing more. Just that Jake had noticed something different about me. That he’d almost certainly started acting differently around me not that long after I’d gotten infested. But it was probably just part of being a teenager.
He doesn’t know anything, I said sharply.
“So what do you have against the Sharing? They might be able to help,” Mom pleaded.
“Trust me, they wouldn’t,” Jake said darkly.
If I’d been able to smile I would have. Well, he’s not wrong...
<You do think he suspects something!> Essa said.
What? No. Of course not, I thought frantically. Don’t be an idiot—
<Tommy, Tommy, Tommy,> he cooed. <When are you ever going to learn that you can’t lie to me?>
He doesn’t know anything! What could he possibly suspect?
It was too late. Essa was already scrolling through my memories, reading my past thoughts like a courtroom transcript. A jury of one, deciding whether to condemn my little brother to a lifetime of imprisonment. I didn’t bother trying to distract the yeerk; what was the point? And it was a feeling, nothing more. Just that Jake had noticed something different about me. That he’d almost certainly started acting differently around me not that long after I’d gotten infested. But it was probably just part of being a teenager.
Draco: W-was that a muggle?
Harry: Of course not! That was a witness.
Draco: To what?
Harry: That matters even less than if he was a muggle. He thought he saw something, that was enough. You haven't seen anything today, have you, cousin?
Draco: No! Not a thing! I gotta go!
Harry: Of course not! That was a witness.
Draco: To what?
Harry: That matters even less than if he was a muggle. He thought he saw something, that was enough. You haven't seen anything today, have you, cousin?
Draco: No! Not a thing! I gotta go!
"Since you're so persistent with staying…now that you found the truth…I can't let you leave." Basil approached the restrained Raz, preparing for an attack.
"I'm sorry that you had to see this. But I gave you ample opportunities to leave. I know you aren't a figment of my imagination. Which is why…now that you know the truth, I can't let you leave. Everything will be okay…"
"I'm sorry that you had to see this. But I gave you ample opportunities to leave. I know you aren't a figment of my imagination. Which is why…now that you know the truth, I can't let you leave. Everything will be okay…"
Films - Animated
"Blood or mud, the boy is an intruder, and we have rules about intruders. He has found our secret lair. He has seen too much. He must DIE! They must ALL die!"
— Sa'luk, Aladdin and the King of Thieves
"Gentlemen...cat's outta the bag! GET ME THAT MOUSE!"
— Warren T. Rat, An American Tail
Waternoose: This has gone far enough, James!
Sulley: She's home now! Just leave her alone!
Waternoose: I can't do that! She's seen too much! You both have!
Sulley: She's home now! Just leave her alone!
Waternoose: I can't do that! She's seen too much! You both have!
Films - Live Action
Ted: Sis? Janet? Is it you?
Janet: Yeah, Ted. What the hell's going on?
Ted: Playing Nancy Drew, are we, sis? You caught me at a rather awkward moment. I was just about to...restrain myself. But now that you're here, that might be somewhat pointless.
Janet: You're going to come clean with me right now!
Ted: Family love, Janet. I thought it could save me...but I was wrong. But, hey, we all make mistakes! You sent the dog to the pound, Janet. I warned you. I told you I shouldn't be here, but you wouldn't let me go. You wanted to play big sister. You had to be right. You always have to be right, but this time you're wrong! You should have listened to the dog, Janet. He was trying to protect you. Handcuffs. I was going to use these on myself. Can you believe that?
Janet: What's happening?
Ted: They were supposed to keep people from finding out about my...private affair. My mistress.
Janet: Oh, my God.
Ted: But, you... You already know, don't you, sis? Yes, you know...the handcuffs won't keep my little secret a secret any longer.
Janet: Yeah, Ted. What the hell's going on?
Ted: Playing Nancy Drew, are we, sis? You caught me at a rather awkward moment. I was just about to...restrain myself. But now that you're here, that might be somewhat pointless.
Janet: You're going to come clean with me right now!
Ted: Family love, Janet. I thought it could save me...but I was wrong. But, hey, we all make mistakes! You sent the dog to the pound, Janet. I warned you. I told you I shouldn't be here, but you wouldn't let me go. You wanted to play big sister. You had to be right. You always have to be right, but this time you're wrong! You should have listened to the dog, Janet. He was trying to protect you. Handcuffs. I was going to use these on myself. Can you believe that?
Janet: What's happening?
Ted: They were supposed to keep people from finding out about my...private affair. My mistress.
Janet: Oh, my God.
Ted: But, you... You already know, don't you, sis? Yes, you know...the handcuffs won't keep my little secret a secret any longer.
— Bad Moon
Selina Kyle: OK, go ahead. Intimidate me. Bully me, if it'll make you feel big. I mean, it's not like you can just kill me.
Max Shreck: Actually...it's a lot like that.
Max Shreck: Actually...it's a lot like that.
"As you and your fellows develop toward normal size, you will interfere with my work, and that is something I cannot permit."
—Dr. Alexander Thorkel, Dr. Cyclops
"You know too much to live, Van Helsing!"
—Renfield, Dracula (1931)
"First rule of assassination: Kill the assassins."
— Captain Kirk, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
"She was going to go to the Dean. She would've ruined us. Did she think I was just gonna to sit there and watch it happen? You have no idea what it was like to hold her underwater, watch her life slip away. But she left me no choice...and neither have you."
— Norman Spencer, What Lies Beneath
Literature
On the cover of the file was stenciled WILDFIRE, and underneath, an ominous note:
THIS FILE IS CLASSIFIED TOP SECRET.
Examination by unauthorized persons is a criminal offense punishable by fines and imprisonment up to 20 years and $20,000.
When Leavitt gave him the file, Hall had read the note and whistled.
"Don't you believe it," Leavitt said.
"Just a scare?"
"Scare, hell," Leavitt said. "If the wrong man reads this file, he just disappears."
THIS FILE IS CLASSIFIED TOP SECRET.
Examination by unauthorized persons is a criminal offense punishable by fines and imprisonment up to 20 years and $20,000.
When Leavitt gave him the file, Hall had read the note and whistled.
"Don't you believe it," Leavitt said.
"Just a scare?"
"Scare, hell," Leavitt said. "If the wrong man reads this file, he just disappears."
"There were few, even among the Asuras, who truly understood what had happened to the Djinn. Most Asuras never looked beyond Epheotus, and cared nothing for the lessers. Those who did were told a very convincing lie. Those who saw through the lie and cared were dealt with."
— Aldir, The Beginning After the End
Tyekanik: Sardaukar do not reveal secrets.
Princesss Wensicia: Neither do dead men.
Princesss Wensicia: Neither do dead men.
Dick: But...when we do lay 'em athwart, what are we to do with 'em, anyhow?
Long John Silver: There's the man for me! That's what I call business. Well, what would you think? Put 'em ashore like maroons? That would have been England's way. Or cut 'em down like that much pork? That would have been Flint's, or Billy Bones's.
Israel Hands: Billy was the man for that. 'Dead men don't bite,' says he. Well, he's dead now hisself; he knows the long and short on it now; and if ever a rough hand come to port, it was Billy.
Long John Silver: Right you are; rough and ready. But mark you here, I'm an easy man—I'm quite the gentleman, says you; but this time it's serious. Dooty is dooty, mates. I give my vote—death. When I'm in Parlyment and riding in my coach, I don't want none of these sea-lawyers in the cabin a-coming home, unlooked for, like the devil at prayers.
Long John Silver: There's the man for me! That's what I call business. Well, what would you think? Put 'em ashore like maroons? That would have been England's way. Or cut 'em down like that much pork? That would have been Flint's, or Billy Bones's.
Israel Hands: Billy was the man for that. 'Dead men don't bite,' says he. Well, he's dead now hisself; he knows the long and short on it now; and if ever a rough hand come to port, it was Billy.
Long John Silver: Right you are; rough and ready. But mark you here, I'm an easy man—I'm quite the gentleman, says you; but this time it's serious. Dooty is dooty, mates. I give my vote—death. When I'm in Parlyment and riding in my coach, I don't want none of these sea-lawyers in the cabin a-coming home, unlooked for, like the devil at prayers.
Live-Action TV
"..You're tying up loose ends, and I don't want to be one of them. Once I give you that list, I've served my purpose, and then maybe I'm just one more person who knows too much."
—Lydia, Breaking Bad
"I guess now you know too much and that kinda naturally leads to killing."
— Faith, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
"He knew Johnny's name and
He spoke it out loud
Now Charlie the barman
Has got him a shroud."
He spoke it out loud
Now Charlie the barman
Has got him a shroud."
—Narrator, Doctor Who: "The Gunfighters"
Did you see a hit-and-run on Cromwell Road on Tuesday night? Please get in touch, because I'm keen to silence any witnesses.
— Frankie Boyle, Mock the Week, "Unlikely Small Ads"
"No wonder Perkins had to be killed. First he knew too little...and then he knew too much."
— George Smiley, 1991 TV adaptation of A Murder of Quality
Tabletop Games
Three months after the transcription staff arrived, Patrick convinced one of the aides assigned to the floor to steal one of the many notebooks they fill. A week after the aide succeeded, he was found raped and murdered in his bed. The notebook, which Patrick had hidden in a small safe in her home, was retrieved, and a note was left in its place with with just two words on it: "No peeking."
Most who seek the Inquisition's past go a lifetime without proof, and those that do uncover evidence have a tendency to disappear. Some attract an Inquisitor's attention, their skills deemed suitable for advancing the Inquisition's goals. Most simply perish, their lifeless bodies later discovered in situations so damning as to call their character into question.
The Inquisition watch over the Imperium – they do not care to be watched in return.
The Inquisition watch over the Imperium – they do not care to be watched in return.
— Warhammer 40,000: Codex - Inquisition
Theatre
He's got your number now
He knows just what you've done
You got no place to hide
You got nowhere to run
He knows your life of crime
I think it's suppertime!
He knows just what you've done
You got no place to hide
You got nowhere to run
He knows your life of crime
I think it's suppertime!
— Audrey II, Little Shop of Horrors
Video Games
So... Lamb broke out, and she's coming back. Wow. Okay. Didn't see that coming, but... okay. That is gonna be... what am I gonna do!? And I... I've heard some of these - a lot of these people down here - talking. Some of them I know saw the thing with Eleanor, and who knows who knows what. You can't just stop, you know, a whole... cult... from, from talking, can you? Maybe you can.
[Beat]
Yeah... Maybe you can.
[Beat]
Yeah... Maybe you can.
—Stanley Poole, Bioshock 2
Lyn: How can this be? How can they allow him to get away with this? The villagers know he's the one poisoning my grandfather, and yet no one raises a hand against him? Why?
Kent: They are afraid, and they lack proof. The whisperings of the common people means nothing.
Matthew: That's the truth of it. And of the marquess's loyal retainers who might have lent credence to these rumors, there is no sign.
Lyn: Are you saying they've been silenced?
Matthew: It's a fair assumption.
Kent: They are afraid, and they lack proof. The whisperings of the common people means nothing.
Matthew: That's the truth of it. And of the marquess's loyal retainers who might have lent credence to these rumors, there is no sign.
Lyn: Are you saying they've been silenced?
Matthew: It's a fair assumption.
Starlight Base: Bodega Bay, one more thing; Operation Talon Hunter is classified "deep ultra". Once you have finished the mission you must implement measures to eliminate any security risks.
Bodega Bay: Please clarify, Starlight Base....
Starlight Base: Bodega Bay, make sure Prisoner 849 doesn't come back. Terminate the prisoner once the job is done.
Bodega Bay: Please clarify, Starlight Base....
Starlight Base: Bodega Bay, make sure Prisoner 849 doesn't come back. Terminate the prisoner once the job is done.
— Unreal
"Congratulations! You went somewhere you weren't supposed to go, saw something you weren't supposed to see, and prevented a tidy resolution to a messy problem. Needless to say, you're fired. But before you go, take this Certificate of Insanity. We're giving it to you to ensure that no one believes you, and to ensure that we can promptly replace you without incident. There is a truck waiting for you outside. Take care."
—Tutorial Unit, Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator's "Insanity Ending"
"And you just HAD to go and find me out, didn't you? But now you know something you weren't supposed to know... And I'm going to have to make sure no one else ever learns my secret!"
— Sumia to Miriel once the latter finds out (or rather hallucinates) the former is Obfuscating Stupidity, Fire Emblem: Awakening
Bedman: Hmm... Now you've put me in a tough spot, I'm here because you need to be, ah, taken care of.
Ramlethal: Is that Mother's desire?
Bedman: It is. You know what the Cradle is up to...and if that information falls into enemy hands, all my careful calculations will be worth approximately jack shit.
Ramlethal: Is that Mother's desire?
Bedman: It is. You know what the Cradle is up to...and if that information falls into enemy hands, all my careful calculations will be worth approximately jack shit.
"You shouldn't have got mixed up in this. You discovered my little secret and it will die with you..."
— The Origami Killer, Heavy Rain
Inspector, you've obviously learned too much about me. I can't have that. Not even in my death.
—Agent 47, Hitman: Contracts
Akutsu: Soma... An undercover Public Security agent? Shit... We gotta move! Cut the fuckin' chit-chat!
Yagami: Why not?
Akutsu: He's gotta be fucking listening in on us right now! If he's Public Security and heard all that...
Higashi: Keep it together, Akutsu! What does it matter?
Akutsu: Don't you get it? There's no way he'd want anyone else to fuckin' know!
Yagami: Why not?
Akutsu: He's gotta be fucking listening in on us right now! If he's Public Security and heard all that...
Higashi: Keep it together, Akutsu! What does it matter?
Akutsu: Don't you get it? There's no way he'd want anyone else to fuckin' know!
"All this, because your wife stuck her nose into things that were none of her business."
—Nicole Horne, Max Payne
Raiden: So grease the gears with some innocent blood, is that it?
Senator Steven Armstrong: Relax, Jack. It's a "war on terror." We're not out to kill civilians. Extremists. Lawless gangs. Madmen. Of course, that would have to include you. Wouldn't want any eyewitness reports complicating the message.
Senator Steven Armstrong: Relax, Jack. It's a "war on terror." We're not out to kill civilians. Extremists. Lawless gangs. Madmen. Of course, that would have to include you. Wouldn't want any eyewitness reports complicating the message.
"So now ya know. But ya won't live to tell the tale..."
— Stranger, Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath
"Oh, la-ti-da yourself, Raffina! I want to keep Popoi a secret from the kiddies, so forget what you saw today."
— Ms. Accord, Puyo Puyo Fever
There is a story, sweetling. You will hear it on the lips of a drunken sailor or fisherman or the disgraced captain of an oil tanker. This story will be hard to find, but can be heard in any port in the world. The details change, but always there will be a floating city, hidden by magic, travelling the seas of the world as a leviathan ghost. Always, the intoxicated tongue will mutter, "Purple." A day or a week later, the storyteller will go missing, never to be seen again.
—The Buzzing, The Secret World
Web Animation
"Well, Mr. Hartley, you've been quite the thorn in our side - the wrench, in our works - the leaves on our rails. Never one to shy away from the media, were you, Mr. Hartley? Always another revelation about your faithful employer. Never a care for the trouble you've caused, the innovations you've hampered, initiatives you've stalled, the jobs you've lost - the challenges to this island's human supremacy. Well, we've got a very special place for you here. Somewhere you can't open your big mouth, or interfere any more. And don't worry, Mr. Hartley - you're among friends here! This is where everyone ends up once they've become...troublesome."
—Sir Topham Hatt, Project G-1
"Ashley is still there, but she's not screaming anymore, she saw something she wasn't supposed to see, and now she's beautiful, she's beautiful, she's beautiful, she's beau-"
Webcomics
"I'm sorry I can't raise you, my friend, but the exact details here need to remain between me and our god. I just thank the Dark One that I didn't need to execute you myself."
— Redcloak, The Order of the Stick #827
Haban: They're keeping us in isolation.
Breya: That's a good thing, right?
Haban: No. They're already planning to kill anybody who knows too much. They're trying to limit the damage by isolating me from anybody I might talk to.
Breya: Umm... Honey, have you told me enough that I know too much?
Haban: I don't think they care. Besides, you know I know too much, and that may be too much in and of itself.
Breya: That's a good thing, right?
Haban: No. They're already planning to kill anybody who knows too much. They're trying to limit the damage by isolating me from anybody I might talk to.
Breya: Umm... Honey, have you told me enough that I know too much?
Haban: I don't think they care. Besides, you know I know too much, and that may be too much in and of itself.
Web Original
Ask yourself if you want to know.
If the answer is no, then you need to stop reading now. If you go and report this unauthorized file to your superiors, act contrite, and claim that you only read to this paragraph, you might get away with a Class A Amnestic. If you’re lucky. And if the O5s aren’t particularly paranoid at the moment.
If the answer is no, then you need to stop reading now. If you go and report this unauthorized file to your superiors, act contrite, and claim that you only read to this paragraph, you might get away with a Class A Amnestic. If you’re lucky. And if the O5s aren’t particularly paranoid at the moment.
Western Animation
Saxon, information is a valuable commodity. See to it that the Prime Minister does not become an asset to our enemy.
— Darth Maul, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, "The Phantom Apprentice"
Blurr: While stationed on Earth, I intercepted a transmission between Megatron and his double agent on Cybertron who I can now positively identify is the Decepticon Shockwave. Further analysis revealed that Shockwave's voice did not match up with that of the suspected traitor Wasp. However, a detailed cross-reference with the Cybertron intel database should determine the identity of the real traitor!
Longarm Prime: Have you shared this information with anyone else?
Blurr: I have not, as per your orders!
Longarm Prime/Shockwave: "Good..."
Longarm Prime: Have you shared this information with anyone else?
Blurr: I have not, as per your orders!
Longarm Prime/Shockwave: "Good..."
— Transformers: Animated, "TransWarped"
Other
"Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead."
Narrator: They knew too much.
Keanu Reeves: We know too much!
Narrator: They went too far.
Keanu Reeves: We went too far!
Narrator: ...Those are my lines.
Keanu Reeves: Those are his lines!
Keanu Reeves: We know too much!
Narrator: They went too far.
Keanu Reeves: We went too far!
Narrator: ...Those are my lines.
Keanu Reeves: Those are his lines!
—Pablo Francisco, from his stand-up comedy
