Lex Luthor: I could have saved the world if it wasn't for you!
Superman: You could have saved the world years ago if it mattered to you, Luthor.
Superman: You could have saved the world years ago if it mattered to you, Luthor.
Flash: Why are you doing this, McCulloch? You people have the technology to change the world, but you waste your time robbing banks! What's the point of this crap? What good does it do you?
Mirror Master: Why does anybody do anything? The money, man. We do it for the dosh. A guy can never have enough notes in his pocket.
Mirror Master: Why does anybody do anything? The money, man. We do it for the dosh. A guy can never have enough notes in his pocket.
— The Flash Volume 2, Issue 133
"You could be so wonderful. You're a genius, you're stone-cold-brilliant, you are, I swear, you really are. But you could be so much more. You could be beautiful."
— The Doctor to the Master, Doctor Who, "The End of Time"
"I don't understand why you're so SMALL! You can turn bullets into flowers! Think of the good you could do. So tell me why you don't!"
— The Doctor to the Toymaker, Doctor Who, "The Giggle"
"You were The Chosen One! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them! Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness! You were my brother, Anakin! I loved you!"
— Obi-Wan Kenobi to Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Revenge of the Sith
Buffy: Willow, tell me you didn't keep any parts.
Willow: Not any... big ones.
Buffy: Oh, Will, you're supposed to use your powers for good.
Willow: Not any... big ones.
Buffy: Oh, Will, you're supposed to use your powers for good.
"I can't believe you. All your gifts, all your powers and you squander them for your own personal gain!"
— Megamind to Tighten, Megamind
Kenshin: You should use your technology to do some good for the people...
Gein: I hear that a lot, also. But would a master swordsmith make razors? Would a superior castle architect build tenements? The forefront of technology is always in battle.
Gein: I hear that a lot, also. But would a master swordsmith make razors? Would a superior castle architect build tenements? The forefront of technology is always in battle.
Supergirl: You've got powers that even I and Kal can't command. You're part of one of the greatest heritages on our planet, whether you admit it or not. You could use your abilities to help, rather than hurt. Instead of wasting them in this stupid battle... you could do something with them that could make your mother proud. And you could be a heroine.
Blackstarr: No. That would be futile. All it would give us is the same inefficiency. The same world, divided among hundreds of worthless governments. The same disunity, and the same inability to bring man forward, into Overman.
Blackstarr: No. That would be futile. All it would give us is the same inefficiency. The same world, divided among hundreds of worthless governments. The same disunity, and the same inability to bring man forward, into Overman.
David: We can all work together! Protect each other. Put our powers to some decent use.
Drak: I like this use.
Drak: I like this use.
Player Character: You were a great teacher. Your skill was wasted on evil ambition.
Master Li: I am not satisfied with helping others surpass me. I quickly tired of elevating my brother, and I will not learn to serve you.
Master Li: I am not satisfied with helping others surpass me. I quickly tired of elevating my brother, and I will not learn to serve you.
"What you have witnessed, again, is what happens when great talent and application is left in the hands of the inept. If Henderson had followed the path of the Dragon, none of this calamity would have ever happened, and his notable powers would have been put to use for the greater good.
Instead we saw a master of curse and chaos left to rot in the reckless palms of The Illuminati."
Instead we saw a master of curse and chaos left to rot in the reckless palms of The Illuminati."
— Bong Cha, The Secret World
Odd's Clone: And enemy subject is a loose collection of pseudo-organic material and carbon-based spectral fluid that gives the false impression of a normal human being.
[...]
Moriarty: Impressive... is it not? It took me years of research to get this. So much power was needed. But it was worth it. I am about as human as I can possibly be. Compared to me, you are hopelessly obsolete. Am I not a work of art?
Odd's Clone: A form of virtual and organic ingenuity tragically wasted on an entity bent on merciless dominance and power.
[...]
Moriarty: Impressive... is it not? It took me years of research to get this. So much power was needed. But it was worth it. I am about as human as I can possibly be. Compared to me, you are hopelessly obsolete. Am I not a work of art?
Odd's Clone: A form of virtual and organic ingenuity tragically wasted on an entity bent on merciless dominance and power.
— Code Lyoko fanfic The Games of Moriarty
Pablo Escobar: I was going to do marvelous things for this country. If I have made myself a monster, like all of you say, that is the fault of people like your father and those politicians 'of always'. Those oligarchs and those people were never going to tolerate that little paisa from Medellin, who had more money and was more intelligent than all of them!
Diana Turbay: ...Yes. You would have done marvelous things. And that is the saddest part.
Diana Turbay: ...Yes. You would have done marvelous things. And that is the saddest part.
— Narcos
"You know, I used to be like you. One day you'll learn... that the more you hurt others, the harder your life becomes. It's simple. Your desire to kill is killing you! It's a darn shame! You could've put this hand to good use! What a waste of technology!"
— Piccolo, Dragon Ball Z
"I only wish that I could have met [Mastermind] before he turned to villainy. Such a brilliant mind deserves to be nurtured and I would have loved to teach him. [sighs] But unfortunately, I have to catch him instead."
— Principal Nedzu, Mastermind: Strategist for Hire
Now that Tigerstar lay at his paws, staining them with his blood, he found himself struggling with the strangest feeling of all — grief. Tigerstar had received from StarClan all the strength, skill, and intelligence to make himself truly great, a legend among cats. But he had misused his gifts, murdered and lied and plotted revenge, until his ambition brought him to this terrible end.
"And what had the idiot done with his great powers? Had he taken over the planet, ended the stupidity of mobocracy or Communism or fascism? Had he unified the world under a common rule, ended war, hunger, and poverty?
Hell, no!
All he had done was dress up in an absurd three-colored costume and beat up on crooks."
Hell, no!
All he had done was dress up in an absurd three-colored costume and beat up on crooks."
— Lex Luthor, Kara of Rokyn
"It's a shame you wasted your talents as a PKer, PoH. You could have done great things with the assault team."
— Kirito, I Will Not Bow
Hoyt Volker: [holding up Jason's severed ring finger] Aw, Jason, now we'll never be married. You know, you could have joined me. Every kill would have been rewarded with money!
Jason Brody: Fuck you!
Hoyt: I take no pleasure in this. Really, I don't!
Jason: I don't need ten fingers to use a knife!
Jason Brody: Fuck you!
Hoyt: I take no pleasure in this. Really, I don't!
Jason: I don't need ten fingers to use a knife!
Young Smokey: So if you're from the future, you knew all this would happen?
Smokey: Of course.
Young Smokey: But you have this incredible power and all we've done is fuck up a raccoon's day.
Smokey: Of course.
Young Smokey: But you have this incredible power and all we've done is fuck up a raccoon's day.
Spider-Man: Sandy, you're pathetic.
Sandman: I'm pathetic?!
Spider-Man: Totally. With your powers, you could do some real good! Help people! But you waste it on all the same stupid crimes Flint Marko committed.
Sandman: [drops weapons] Gee, do you really think I could be a hero like you?
Spider-Man: Well... yeah, I-I mean, with great power comes great—
Sandman: GULLIBILITY! [decks him]
Sandman: I'm pathetic?!
Spider-Man: Totally. With your powers, you could do some real good! Help people! But you waste it on all the same stupid crimes Flint Marko committed.
Sandman: [drops weapons] Gee, do you really think I could be a hero like you?
Spider-Man: Well... yeah, I-I mean, with great power comes great—
Sandman: GULLIBILITY! [decks him]
"I have to admit, I didn't get why you never tried to form your own Guild. I figured with your Skill and Intellect, you should have been leading armies, clearing Floor after Floor with ease as 'The Great Saviour of Aincrad'."
— Kayaba to Kirito, Sword Art Online Abridged
"Alphard... you're unstoppable. But if, instead of striving for some empty goal, you could find something that truly matters to you — then you could be so much more."
— Siam, 428: Shibuya Scramble, Canaan scenario
"All this time you spent here, you could've been building worlds. You could've been redefining life and how we live it. The day you gave into your weakness, Shaw, that was the day you became obsolete."
— Ritchie Simpson, Constantine (2014), "A Whole World Out There"
"Impressive. To have such magic at your young age... I guess there's something to your title of wizard saint. If you had used that magical power the way it should be used, you might have become a model for the younger generation, advancing the entire magical world at the same time."
— Makarov to Jose Porla, Fairy Tail
"Behold! The awesome fires of God. The limitless power of pure creation itself. Look carefully. Observe how it is used for the same purpose a man might use an especially sharp rock."
— Meti ten Ryo, Kill Six Billion Demons
Doctor Fate: You could help them overcome fear!
Scarecrow: Creating fear is more rewarding.
Doctor Fate: Then you must be destroyed.
Scarecrow: Creating fear is more rewarding.
Doctor Fate: Then you must be destroyed.
John Stewart: Why not use your genius for good?
Mr. Freeze: I did. And this is where it got me.
John Stewart: You shouldn't give up hope so easily.
Mr. Freeze: I did. And this is where it got me.
John Stewart: You shouldn't give up hope so easily.
Tanya: Sure, there's always going to be someone above me telling me what to do, and some of those people are going to be tyrannical assholes like Zhao. But so what? Every good organization needs rules. I've met people like you before you know. People who whine and complain about the work their boss makes them do. People who moan about how unfairly the rules are, or how badly they believe they're treated. What they fail to comprehend is that if they truly want to make change, griping about it or quitting won't change shit! If you want to make a difference, you gotta earn the right to! You gotta claw and kick and fight your way up the greasy ladder of power until you're the one with the authority to do something about it! And believe me, I'm gonna do something about it!... I'm heading straight to the top of the military!...I'll help bring an end to this war in whatever way I deem appropriate!... I'm pleasantly surprised, I'd expected you to have run away by now.
Jeong: I am no coward.
Tanya: No? You could have fooled me. Running away from the war is an interesting way of proving your courage.
Jeong: Cowardice would have been to follow orders, pretending that it being for the sake of my nation absolved me of any guilt. True courage is found in walking your own path despite others telling you how you should live your life.
Tanya: I disagree. True courage would have been trying to convince others to share your path with you, even if they hated you for it. You could have done more to end this war as an Admiral than you can hiding in a forest.
Jeong: I am no coward.
Tanya: No? You could have fooled me. Running away from the war is an interesting way of proving your courage.
Jeong: Cowardice would have been to follow orders, pretending that it being for the sake of my nation absolved me of any guilt. True courage is found in walking your own path despite others telling you how you should live your life.
Tanya: I disagree. True courage would have been trying to convince others to share your path with you, even if they hated you for it. You could have done more to end this war as an Admiral than you can hiding in a forest.
"In a different world we [he and Twilight Sparkle] could have been allies, but in this one she stunted her potential for the sake of those she thinks are her friends."
— King Sombra, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fanfic "Plural Possessive"
