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Nui: You can't fight the threads of destiny, sweetie!
Ryuko: Destiny my ass!!
"Destiny... destiny... destiny... destiny...SHUT THE HELL UP! How 'bout you save your high and mighty crap for after I've been haunted to death, skullface? Sacrifice? Offering? Destiny? Quit spoutin' out a bunch of cryptic explanations! The point is, this is war! It ain't different from any other war! The last one standing wins! Listen here! I'm beatin' all a' you back down to Hell! Tell those ugly pale-faced bastards for me! If I get hit, I will hit back! Tell 'em leavin' me half-eaten is gonna be the end of you! I'll hunt and kill all those wretched monsters... and all of you... DOWN TO THE LAST ONE! THIS IS... MY DECLARATION OF WAR!"
— Guts to the Skull Knight and later the God Hands and Apostles, Berserk
"THAT DOES IT!! Who gave you the right to tell her what she can or can't be?! Go on, Hinata! Show this guy he's wrong!"
— Naruto's response to Neji's attempt to Break Him by Talking
"May those that accept their fate be granted happiness; may those who defy it be granted glory."
The Anti-Spiral: You continue to struggle even knowing what you know!?
Simon: Of course we do! The tomorrow we're trying to grab for ourselves... Is not the tomorrow that you've set out for us! It's the tomorrow that we choose for ourselves—a tomorrow that we choose out of all of the infinite universes! We'll fight our way through!
Simon: Of course we do! The tomorrow we're trying to grab for ourselves... Is not the tomorrow that you've set out for us! It's the tomorrow that we choose for ourselves—a tomorrow that we choose out of all of the infinite universes! We'll fight our way through!
"The future is not to be seen... the future is to be made!"
— Aya, Weiß Kreuz
He'll take that blank last page
And smash his fist through it!
And smash his fist through it!
— "Sono Chi no Kioku ~end of THE WORLD~", JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders
Let me show you how to break out now.
Crush the stones of fate into atoms.
In a way you've never seen before.
Crush the stones of fate into atoms.
In a way you've never seen before.
— "Fighting Gold", JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind
Fate is just another worthless sign.
I will give my life as godless soul
Gang-Star.
I will give my life as godless soul
Gang-Star.
— "Uragirimono no Requiem", JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind
"I won't let that happen...! Even if that's what fate has decided! I WILL BEND THE FUTURE!"
—Izuku Midoriya, My Hero Academia
"The future is not a straight line. It is filled with many crossroads. There must be a future that we can choose for ourselves."
—Kiyoko, AKIRA
Takuma: Both the past and the future can eat shit! Our future…the only future that matters...!
Takuma, Baku, and Kamui: Is the one we make for ourselves!
Takuma, Baku, and Kamui: Is the one we make for ourselves!
Comic Books
Knykos: That is my destiny.
Travis: (shoots Knykos several times in the back) Know that word. Seventh grade. Last day of school, ever. Teacher said I'd never amount to nothing, ever. Was my destiny. Always thought: destiny can go @#$% itself.
Travis: (shoots Knykos several times in the back) Know that word. Seventh grade. Last day of school, ever. Teacher said I'd never amount to nothing, ever. Was my destiny. Always thought: destiny can go @#$% itself.
"Do you know why I stopped being Delight, my brother? I do. There are things not in your book. There are paths outside this garden. You would do well to remember that."
— Delirum to Destiny, The Sandman (1989), "Brief Lives"
"Nothing's final! Not fate, not prophecies, not what's in history books. I've spent two hundred years chasing prophecy and accepting destiny. Believing nothing we do really matters. But if nothing we do matters, all that matters is what we do. I'm going to find a way to save the world. Then and now."
—Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Twelve
Superman: What is wrong with you? He's a child! His life shouldn't be about this! Little boys go to school, play with their friends and go to bed at night. Their biggest concerns should be homework and school-yard crushes—not if their best friends are going to be murdered by assassins!!
The Wizard Shazam: It is his fate to bear the mantle.
Superman: Do not talk to me about fate. All of you people of magic—you sorcerers... All your talk about fate and destiny... This is wrong. No boy should have the responsibility of the world on his shoulders. It is a fate chosen by men... He's just a boy.
The Wizard Shazam: It is his fate to bear the mantle.
Superman: Do not talk to me about fate. All of you people of magic—you sorcerers... All your talk about fate and destiny... This is wrong. No boy should have the responsibility of the world on his shoulders. It is a fate chosen by men... He's just a boy.
—Superman/Shazam: First Thunder #4
Fan Works
Rei: (growling) You will not harm them, Adam-spawn! This world is mine! I will protect my children! They will live!
Kaworu: You don't need to do that.
Rei: (snarling) Why not? You and I cannot coexist, Child of the White Moon! For all the other lies SEELE has told, they told the truth about that! I know what compels you! You cannot resist the Call to seek your origin! You will inevitably try to unite with Adam and fulfill the drive you cannot deny! And I will not allow you to overwrite all life on this world!
Kaworu: I am not your enemy, First Child.
Rei: You have no choice! I know how strong the Call is!
Kaworu: I am the Angel of Free Will. There is always a choice. And I choose my fate, not the old men of SEELE, whatever they may think. They cannot control me, not like that.
Kaworu: You don't need to do that.
Rei: (snarling) Why not? You and I cannot coexist, Child of the White Moon! For all the other lies SEELE has told, they told the truth about that! I know what compels you! You cannot resist the Call to seek your origin! You will inevitably try to unite with Adam and fulfill the drive you cannot deny! And I will not allow you to overwrite all life on this world!
Kaworu: I am not your enemy, First Child.
Rei: You have no choice! I know how strong the Call is!
Kaworu: I am the Angel of Free Will. There is always a choice. And I choose my fate, not the old men of SEELE, whatever they may think. They cannot control me, not like that.
Cinder: It is my destiny to have that power. It is my fate!
Weiss: Then I will destroy fate itself! But first, I will kill you!
Weiss: Then I will destroy fate itself! But first, I will kill you!
"Fate, you say? You aren't the only one to use that word to put me down. All my life... I was told that things are the way they are because of fate. My apparent weakness. How I wouldn't amount to anything. How my clan would forever remain divided. And guess what? I proved them wrong. I proved all of them wrong! And I shall prove you wrong too!"
— Hinata, Son of the Sannin
Tony Stark: You knew this would happen.
Stephen Strange: Stark, I didn't...
Tony Stark: You wouldn't tell me because you knew I would stop it!
Stephen Strange: Tony, this wasn’t the future I saw...It was supposed to be you. You were the one to take the stones and rid the universe of Thanos. And you weren't going to survive. I never saw this, Tony. If I had, I would have stopped him. I give you my word on that.
Peter Quill: I thought there was only one way?
Stephen Strange: So did I. Somehow that child... that young man defied fate and destiny today.
Stephen Strange: Stark, I didn't...
Tony Stark: You wouldn't tell me because you knew I would stop it!
Stephen Strange: Tony, this wasn’t the future I saw...It was supposed to be you. You were the one to take the stones and rid the universe of Thanos. And you weren't going to survive. I never saw this, Tony. If I had, I would have stopped him. I give you my word on that.
Peter Quill: I thought there was only one way?
Stephen Strange: So did I. Somehow that child... that young man defied fate and destiny today.
Film — Animated
"Guns kill, and you don't have to be a gun. You are what you choose to be. You choose. Choose."
— Hogarth, The Iron Giant
"Everyone keeps telling me how my story is supposed to go! Nah. I'mma do my own thing."
Set your sights upon the heights
Don't be a mediocrity
Don't just wait and trust to fate
And say, "That's how it's meant to be"
It's up to you, how far you go
If you don't try, you'll never know
And so, my lad, as I've explained,
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
Don't be a mediocrity
Don't just wait and trust to fate
And say, "That's how it's meant to be"
It's up to you, how far you go
If you don't try, you'll never know
And so, my lad, as I've explained,
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
—"That's What Makes the World Go Round", The Sword in the Stone
"Funny, I guess destiny is not the path given to us, but the path we choose for ourselves.
—Megamind, Megamind
Film — Live-Action
"I want the future to be unknown. I want to become a whole person."
—James Cole, 12 Monkeys
Doc: Marty, I've made a decision. I'm not going with you tomorrow. I'm staying here.
Marty: What are you talkin' about, Doc?
Doc: There's no point in denying it. I'm in love with Clara.
Marty: Oh, man. Doc, we don't belong here! Neither one of us! You know, it could still be you that gets shot tomorrow! (shows the photograph of Doc's tombstone) This tombstone could still be in your future!
Doc: Marty, the future isn't written. It can be changed. You know that. Anyone can make their future whatever they want it to be. I can't let this one little photograph determine my entire destiny. I have to live my life according to what I believe is right in my heart.
Marty: What are you talkin' about, Doc?
Doc: There's no point in denying it. I'm in love with Clara.
Marty: Oh, man. Doc, we don't belong here! Neither one of us! You know, it could still be you that gets shot tomorrow! (shows the photograph of Doc's tombstone) This tombstone could still be in your future!
Doc: Marty, the future isn't written. It can be changed. You know that. Anyone can make their future whatever they want it to be. I can't let this one little photograph determine my entire destiny. I have to live my life according to what I believe is right in my heart.
"'What makes a man a man?', a friend of mine once wondered. Is it his origins? The way he comes to life? I don't think so. It's the choices he makes. Not how he starts things, but how he decides to end them."
— John Myers, Hellboy (2004)
"Nothing is written."
— T.E. Lawrence, Lawrence of Arabia
"Truly, for some men nothing is written unless they write it."
— Sherif Ali, Lawrence of Arabia
Morpheus: Do you believe in fate, Neo?
Neo: No.
Morpheus: Why not?
Neo: Because I don't like the idea that I'm not in control of my life.
Morpheus: I know exactly how you feel.
Neo: No.
Morpheus: Why not?
Neo: Because I don't like the idea that I'm not in control of my life.
Morpheus: I know exactly how you feel.
"Life's like a movie, write your own ending."
Peter: But we can't just send them home to die.
Strange: It's their fate. You can't change that anymore than you can change who they are.
Peter: But what if we could? What if we can change their fate?
Strange: It's their fate. You can't change that anymore than you can change who they are.
Peter: But what if we could? What if we can change their fate?
"The whole thing goes: The future's not set. There's no fate but what we make for ourselves."
—John Connor, Terminator 2: Judgment Day
T-850: It is your destiny.
John Connor: (puts gun to his head) Fuck my destiny.
John Connor: (puts gun to his head) Fuck my destiny.
Doctor Strange: Destiny has dire plans for you, my friend.
Thor: I have dire plans for destiny.
Thor: I have dire plans for destiny.
— Thor: Ragnarok (trailer)
Literature
Granny Weatherwax: Destiny is important, see, but people go wrong when they think it controls them. It's the other way around.
Nanny Ogg: Bugger destiny.
Nanny Ogg: Bugger destiny.
"What else had the old monk said? History finds a way? Well, it was going to have to come up with something good, because it was up against Sam Vimes now."
"What is the point of having free will if one cannot occasionally spit in the eye of destiny?"
— "Gentleman" John Marcone, Dead Beat
"Three things shall you kiss before I let you spook me for good. My boots, my balls and my ass."
— Locke Lamora after listening to a prophecy about his death, Gentleman Bastard
"It doesn’t matter how flawless the scheme was, how impregnable the fortress or powerful the magical weapon, it always ends with a band of adolescents shouting utter platitudes as they tear it all down. The game is rigged so that we lose, every single time. Half the world, turned into a prop for the glory of the other half. Ah. How much worse it must be, coming from a culture that still teaches you you can win. We don't even have that, Catherine. The hope of the happy ending. We get to cackle on the way down the cliff, or maybe curse our killer with our last breath. You've read the stories, and stories are the lifeblood of Names. None of it is earned. It is handed to them, and this offends me. You asked me what I want. This once, just this once, I want us to win. To spit in the eyes of the Hashmallim. To trample the pride of all those glorious, righteous princes. To scatter their wizards and make their oracles liars. Just to prove that it can be done. So that five hundred years from now, a band of heroes shiver in the dark of night. Because they know that no matter how powerful their sword or righteous their cause, there was once a time it wasn't enough. That even victories ordained by the Heavens can broken by the will of men."
"I don't see why it matters what is written. Not when it's about people. It can always be crossed out."
"I do believe in destiny — but I don't think of it as some mysterious force from the stars that governs everybody from outside according to some prearranged scheme. I think of it as something that comes from inside, that's built into people. It's what happens when people act like the sort of people they are, when they do what comes most naturally. And it's not all-powerful, you can fight it, but it's tricky, because it means fighting your own nature... doing what you're least inclined to do."
— Lucy Thames, Locksmith's Closet
"Truly, for some men nothing is written unless they write it."
— Sherif Ali, Lawrence of Arabia
Xavien: As you say, we do not possess the ability to change ourselves too utterly.
Zal: We have infinite choice, and that has to do.
Zal: We have infinite choice, and that has to do.
"I don't know if I've ever told you this, but I don't believe in prophecy."
— Simon, The Traveler's Gate
Live-Action TV
"Nothing is inevitable. The future is not set in stone!"
—Claire Bennet, Heroes
Richie: (while they hang from a ferris wheel) Hey, Eddie, if we killed ourselves, we could cheat fate!
Eddie: I don't think we want to piss fate off at the moment.
Eddie: I don't think we want to piss fate off at the moment.
— Bottom
"There are laws. Laws of Time, and once upon a time there were people in charge of those laws, but they died. They all died. Do you know who that leaves? Me! It's taken me all these years to realize the Laws of Time are mine, and they will obey me!"
— The Doctor, Doctor Who
"Sometimes knowing your own future enables you to change it, especially if you're bloody-minded, contradictory and completely unpredictable."
— The Doctor, Doctor Who
The Doctor: History says there was an explosion here. Who am I to argue with history?
Rose: Usually the first in line.
Rose: Usually the first in line.
Einstein: From the moment the Ancients implanted that knowledge, you exist to serve a larger...
John Crichton: NO! No. That's what you want. My name is John Crichton. I'm not your pawn.
John Crichton: NO! No. That's what you want. My name is John Crichton. I'm not your pawn.
Dear Celia.
I don't know your last name and I don't know where you live, but I know you have two young boys — twins, I believe. And I know you didn't have a Flash Forward. I understand how terrifying that is and how powerless you must be feeling. But I want you to know that you are not alone and that your situation is not as hopeless as you think. Our paths were meant to cross. I didn't know how. I didn't know when.
But things have changed now. Things are no longer going to unfold as I had feared. My gift to you is release from that dread... From the feeling that you're no longer in control.
We will never meet. I will never know you. So live your life. Live every day. And know that the future is unwritten. Make the most of that.
I don't know your last name and I don't know where you live, but I know you have two young boys — twins, I believe. And I know you didn't have a Flash Forward. I understand how terrifying that is and how powerless you must be feeling. But I want you to know that you are not alone and that your situation is not as hopeless as you think. Our paths were meant to cross. I didn't know how. I didn't know when.
But things have changed now. Things are no longer going to unfold as I had feared. My gift to you is release from that dread... From the feeling that you're no longer in control.
We will never meet. I will never know you. So live your life. Live every day. And know that the future is unwritten. Make the most of that.
— Al Gough, FlashForward (2009)
Priestess of Fate: Exercise caution. For you are about to make a decision that will change your fate.
Kaito: I merely choose my own path. I couldn't care less about fate!
Kaito: I merely choose my own path. I couldn't care less about fate!
"So screw destiny, right in the face. I say we take the fight to them, and do it our way."
— Dean Winchester, Supernatural
Ultraman Belial: You can deny me all you want, but you're still the son of Belial! You'll never escape my name, as long as you live!
Riku/Ultraman Geed: I have no intention on running away from it! My body have been made from you, but my soul belongs to me!
Ultraman Belial: You can't possibly defy fate!
Riku/Ultraman Geed: I will! I'm the one who decides my fate!
Riku/Ultraman Geed: I have no intention on running away from it! My body have been made from you, but my soul belongs to me!
Ultraman Belial: You can't possibly defy fate!
Riku/Ultraman Geed: I will! I'm the one who decides my fate!
— Riku Asakura/Ultraman Geed to Ultraman Belial, Ultraman Geed, "The King's Miracle! Time to Change Fate!!"
"Can I say something about destiny? Screw destiny! If this evil thing comes we'll fight it, and we'll keep fighting it until we whoop it. 'Cause destiny is just another word for inevitable and nothing's inevitable as long as you stand up, look it in the eye, and say, 'You're evitable!'"
— Fred, Angel
Robin: (as she and Ted search in vain for her old locket, being drenched in rain, days before her wedding to Barney) Ted, this is a sign and you know it. I mean, the universe is screaming at me right now! How, how, how can you, of all people, tell me to ignore that?
Ted: Because maybe it's dumb to look for "signs from the universe"! I mean, maybe the universe has better things to do. Dear God, I hope it does! Do you know how many "signs" I've gotten that I should or shouldn't be with someone? And where has it gotten me? Maybe there aren't any signs. Maybe maybe a locket's just a locket, a chair is just a chair. Maybe we don't have to give meaning to every little thing. Maybe we don't maybe we don't need the universe to tell us what we really want. Maybe we already know that, deep down.
Ted: Because maybe it's dumb to look for "signs from the universe"! I mean, maybe the universe has better things to do. Dear God, I hope it does! Do you know how many "signs" I've gotten that I should or shouldn't be with someone? And where has it gotten me? Maybe there aren't any signs. Maybe maybe a locket's just a locket, a chair is just a chair. Maybe we don't have to give meaning to every little thing. Maybe we don't maybe we don't need the universe to tell us what we really want. Maybe we already know that, deep down.
Albert: The poor little Matchgirl dying in the snow is all part of the spirit of Hogswatch, master! You see, people hear about 'em and they say, "Well, we might be as poor as a disabled banana, and only can afford to eat mud and boots, but see how much better off we are than the poor little Matchgirl!" So that makes them happy, and grateful for what they have got!
Death: I KNOW WHAT THE SPIRIT OF HOGSWATCH IS, ALBERT. (Pours more sand into the Little Matchgirl's hourglass)
Albert: You're not allowed to do that..
Death: THE HOGFATHER CAN. THE HOGFATHER GIVES PRESENTS. THERE'S NO BETTER PRESENT THAN A FUTURE.
Death: I KNOW WHAT THE SPIRIT OF HOGSWATCH IS, ALBERT. (Pours more sand into the Little Matchgirl's hourglass)
Albert: You're not allowed to do that..
Death: THE HOGFATHER CAN. THE HOGFATHER GIVES PRESENTS. THERE'S NO BETTER PRESENT THAN A FUTURE.
— Sky One's Adaptation of Hogfather, 2006
"Fate is what you call it when you don't know the name of the person screwing you over!"
— Lois, Malcolm in the Middle
Music
There's no reason
There's no compromise
Change in seasons
Living the high life
I don't know you
So don't freak on me
I can't control you
You're not my destiny
Straight out of line
I can't find a reason
Why I should justify my ways
Straight out of line
I don't need a reason
You don't need to lie to me
There's no compromise
Change in seasons
Living the high life
I don't know you
So don't freak on me
I can't control you
You're not my destiny
Straight out of line
I can't find a reason
Why I should justify my ways
Straight out of line
I don't need a reason
You don't need to lie to me
— Godsmack, "Straight Out of Line", also used for the Prince of Persia: Warrior Within soundtrack
In 13 the beast is rising
The Frenchman did surmise
Through earthquakes and starvation
The warlord will arise
Terror, death, destruction
Pour from the eastern sands
But the truth of all predictions
Is always in your hands
If you're gonna die, die with your boots on
If you're gonna try, just stick around
Gonna cry, just move along
If you're gonna die, you're gonna die
The Frenchman did surmise
Through earthquakes and starvation
The warlord will arise
Terror, death, destruction
Pour from the eastern sands
But the truth of all predictions
Is always in your hands
If you're gonna die, die with your boots on
If you're gonna try, just stick around
Gonna cry, just move along
If you're gonna die, you're gonna die
A planet of playthings,
We dance on the strings
Of powers we cannot perceive
"The stars aren't aligned,
Or the gods are malign..."
Blame is better to give than receive.
You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice.
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.
You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill;
I will choose a path that's clear
I will choose freewill.
We dance on the strings
Of powers we cannot perceive
"The stars aren't aligned,
Or the gods are malign..."
Blame is better to give than receive.
You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice.
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.
You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill;
I will choose a path that's clear
I will choose freewill.
— Rush, "Freewill"
It's not destiny!
It would be a grave mistake to think so.
Every choice is ours and ours alone!
This hasn't all been mapped by fate
This is the future we create!
And we're powered by
Every tear that's dried...
It would be a grave mistake to think so.
Every choice is ours and ours alone!
This hasn't all been mapped by fate
This is the future we create!
And we're powered by
Every tear that's dried...
— RWBY, "The Triumph"
No fate but that of which we make!
— Tupper Ware Remix Party, "Starlight Brigade"
It's not done until it's told,
It's not told until it's written,
If I'm brave and if I'm bold,
I can challenge what's forbidden,
For nobody gets to tell me
That I'll never be the one.
When they ask you what befell me,
Say my story is not done.
It's not told until it's written,
If I'm brave and if I'm bold,
I can challenge what's forbidden,
For nobody gets to tell me
That I'll never be the one.
When they ask you what befell me,
Say my story is not done.
— "My Story Is Not Done", Seanan McGuire
Video Games
"We can change it. Make it right!"
— Aerith, Final Fantasy VII Remake
"Cloud, lend me your strength. Let us defy destiny... together."
— Sephiroth, Final Fantasy VII Remake
The Dragonborn: The prophecy says that only the Dragonborn can stop [Alduin].
Paarthurnax: Qostiid sahlo aak. Just because you can do a thing, does not always mean that you should. Do you have no better reason for acting than destiny? Are you nothing but a plaything of dez... of fate?
The Dragonborn: I don't believe in destiny. But I will stop Alduin.
Paarthurnax: And so, perhaps, your destiny will be fulfilled. But who can say? Dez motmahus. Even to the dov, who ride the currents of time, destiny is elusive.
Paarthurnax: Qostiid sahlo aak. Just because you can do a thing, does not always mean that you should. Do you have no better reason for acting than destiny? Are you nothing but a plaything of dez... of fate?
The Dragonborn: I don't believe in destiny. But I will stop Alduin.
Paarthurnax: And so, perhaps, your destiny will be fulfilled. But who can say? Dez motmahus. Even to the dov, who ride the currents of time, destiny is elusive.
"Guardians make their own fate."
— Destiny, during the Vault of Glass raid. note
Crusader: The battle approaches. What says the Scroll of Fate?
Ithereal: Doom and darkness. These heavens ruined... The angelic Host broken. Diablo is victorious.
Crusader: Ah. So the Scroll is wrong.
Ithereal: Doom and darkness. These heavens ruined... The angelic Host broken. Diablo is victorious.
Crusader: Ah. So the Scroll is wrong.
"Fate may command I die before the answers are discovered, but an Assassin takes orders from no one."
— Ezio, Assassin's Creed: Revelations
"But... even if I knew for certain, I still wouldn't blindly accept my fate. I will not simply succumb to what others claim is my destiny. I fight for control over my own life. And I will win."
— Ragna the Bloodedge, BlazBlue: Continuum Shift
Tidus: This is my story. It'll go the way I want... or I'll end it here.
Yuna: Wait. You say it's your story, but it's my story, too, you know? It would be so easy... to let my fate just carry me away... following this same path my whole life through. But I know... I can't. What I do, I do... with no regrets.
Yuna: Wait. You say it's your story, but it's my story, too, you know? It would be so easy... to let my fate just carry me away... following this same path my whole life through. But I know... I can't. What I do, I do... with no regrets.
Oerba Yun Fang: When prayers turn to promises, not even fate can stand in their way.
Oerba Dia Vanille: We held the light of hope in our hearts, and achieved the impossible. Now we live on, to greet a new dawn.
Oerba Dia Vanille: We held the light of hope in our hearts, and achieved the impossible. Now we live on, to greet a new dawn.
— Final Fantasy XIII's last spoken words
"Bring it on, Noel. I've been fighting destiny a long time, now. And I'm getting good at it."
— Claire "Lightning" Farron, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
Urianger: What sayest thou, Master Matoya? We may accept this fate or defy it, but we cannot deny it.
Y'shtola: ...Deny? I'm not wont to run from my troubles. Until our friend returns, I will Hold the Line.
Y'shtola: ...Deny? I'm not wont to run from my troubles. Until our friend returns, I will Hold the Line.
— Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers
"This tragedy, greater even than the Seventh Umbral Calamity, must be undone... If history must be unwritten, let it be unwritten."
— Crystal Exarch, Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers
"I challenge my fate!"
"Anything can change!"
— Chrom, Fire Emblem: Awakening
"Don't you put any stock in this destiny hogwash! Let the dead whine about their fate... As long as I draw breath, I choose to keep fighting! That's what life is all about!"
— Basilio, Fire Emblem: Awakening
"If the afterlife sends someone to collect you, you put that messenger in the ground."
— Lon'qu to Inigo if Inigo is his son, Fire Emblem: Awakening (Future Past DLC)
"I make my own fate!"
— Corrin, Fire Emblem Fates (Revelations route)
"This is my story, and you're not part of it."
Garland: We will never come to accept one another. We shall always be IN CONFLICT!
Warrior of Light: Destiny... ends here!
Garland: End it, if you can!
Warrior of Light: Destiny... ends here!
Garland: End it, if you can!
"Thirty years hence, I am presented with a dilemma - let's call it a two-sided coin. If the coin falls one way, I sacrifice myself and thus restore the Pillars. But as the last surviving vampire in Nosgoth, this would mean the annihilation of our species. If the coin lands on the reverse, I refuse the sacrifice and thus doom the Pillars to an eternity of collapse. Either way, the game is rigged. But suppose you throw a coin enough times... suppose one day, it lands on its edge."
— Kain, Legacy of Kain
"Destiny is a game, is it not? And now, you await my latest move."
— Kain, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
Giro: Don't tell me you forgot your promise already. You did mean it, right?
Aile: Giro!? But, the blood that flows in me...
Giro: Is just blood. Are you going to let some man you don't even know decide your destiny for you? Destiny is not something that is given to us by others. Destiny comes from the concept of "destine," or directing something towards a given end. Be the one doing the directing. Only you can decide your destiny.
Aile: Only I can decide my destiny...
Giro: Yes. Forget the past. It means nothing. The power you contain within is the key to creating your future.
Aile: Giro!? But, the blood that flows in me...
Giro: Is just blood. Are you going to let some man you don't even know decide your destiny for you? Destiny is not something that is given to us by others. Destiny comes from the concept of "destine," or directing something towards a given end. Be the one doing the directing. Only you can decide your destiny.
Aile: Only I can decide my destiny...
Giro: Yes. Forget the past. It means nothing. The power you contain within is the key to creating your future.
Aile: I decided to become a Mega Man because I wanted to help people. You're fighting because you're trying to find out who you are, but don't forget. Only you can decide your own destiny. No matter what anyone says you are. The power you contain within is the key to creating your future. That's what a special person said to me.
Grey: My destiny... My future.
Grey: My destiny... My future.
— Mega Man ZX Advent
Grey: Yeah, you're right, I am Defective. I'm just a person named Grey. You couldn't even change the destiny of a regular boy like me. This is the destiny that I've chosen... To live together with the people of this world!
Albert: Is that what the "other me" would have said...? Goodbye, ultimate Defective! You can have your gentle peace... and leisurely rot in it! (explodes)
Albert: Is that what the "other me" would have said...? Goodbye, ultimate Defective! You can have your gentle peace... and leisurely rot in it! (explodes)
— Mega Man ZX Advent
Baofu: Ahh, shut up. You can take this fate of yours and stick it up your ass! Listen up, Tatsuya. Fate is...
Katsuya: No different than a prediction too late. If something happens, all you have to say is...
Ulala: "It's was all fate"!
Katsuya: No different than a prediction too late. If something happens, all you have to say is...
Ulala: "It's was all fate"!
— Persona 2 Eternal Punishment, one of the ways to flip off Nyarlathotep
"I see in you the power to defy fate itself."
— The Fortuneteller, Shadow of Destiny
"Keep yer stinkin' future!"
"The future doesn't belong to you!"
Bowser: You believed in your prophecy, and we believed in mopping the floor with you!
Tippi: Nothing is decided entirely by fate, you know... All things determine their destinies. Good-bye now, Dimentio. We'll add a footnote to the prophecy about your failure.
Tippi: Nothing is decided entirely by fate, you know... All things determine their destinies. Good-bye now, Dimentio. We'll add a footnote to the prophecy about your failure.
Gul'dan: This was not our destiny!
Garrosh Hellscream: Times change.
Garrosh Hellscream: Times change.
— World of Warcraft, Warlords of Draenor
Xe'Ra: The Light is your Destiny.
Illidan Stormrage: MY DESTINY IS MY OWN!
Illidan Stormrage: MY DESTINY IS MY OWN!
— World of Warcraft, Legion
"Your faith has blinded you. There can be no Chosen One. Only we... can save ourselves."
— Illidan to Turalyon, World of Warcraft, Legion
Damian Hawke: We've been expecting you. You've had a very long journey.
Quinn Hart: Yeah, I almost missed my date with you.
Damian: Yes, well...
Quinn: How about we get straight to business? What's this about?
Damian: It's about survival. I am merely a provider of what is required for existence...
Quinn: "Provider"?! You're nothing but scum in a business suit.
Damian: Come now, there really is no need for such hostility. We are a legitimate service which...
Quinn: .....lies, cheats, steals, and assassinates. Real legitimate!
Damian: I had better hopes for you, Mr. Hart. Things did not go quite as we had planned.
Quinn: (beat)
Damian: So, is this it, Mr. Hart? You disappoint me. I've waited so long for your return.
Quinn: How do you know my name? What do you mean "return"?
Damian: What say we call it "fate"?
Quinn: You've got a lot of nerve, mister. Fate? I don't think so.
Damian: How can you deny what you've already seen? Do you recall the capsule? Amazing resemblance, wouldn't you say? [reveals himself as Hart's clone]
Quinn: (surprised) !!?
Damian Hawke: Is it beginning to make more sense now?
Quinn Hart: Your face... like mine....and that thing....are all the same!
Damian: Very good. You and I are merely dolls created to maintain this organization. To keep it prosperous... Forever... After me, you will take over. After you, the one in the capsule will inherit this organization! This is our "fate", our destiny!
Quinn: Yours maybe, but that doesn't mean I'm part of this package!!
Damian: I see... You leave me with very little choice, in that case....
Quinn: Enough! You're acting above the law - I'm gonna take you down!
Damian: Don't defy me, Hart! You are one of us! This disobedience will not be tolerated!
Quinn: Let's do it!
Quinn Hart: Yeah, I almost missed my date with you.
Damian: Yes, well...
Quinn: How about we get straight to business? What's this about?
Damian: It's about survival. I am merely a provider of what is required for existence...
Quinn: "Provider"?! You're nothing but scum in a business suit.
Damian: Come now, there really is no need for such hostility. We are a legitimate service which...
Quinn: .....lies, cheats, steals, and assassinates. Real legitimate!
Damian: I had better hopes for you, Mr. Hart. Things did not go quite as we had planned.
Quinn: (beat)
Damian: So, is this it, Mr. Hart? You disappoint me. I've waited so long for your return.
Quinn: How do you know my name? What do you mean "return"?
Damian: What say we call it "fate"?
Quinn: You've got a lot of nerve, mister. Fate? I don't think so.
Damian: How can you deny what you've already seen? Do you recall the capsule? Amazing resemblance, wouldn't you say? [reveals himself as Hart's clone]
Quinn: (surprised) !!?
Damian Hawke: Is it beginning to make more sense now?
Quinn Hart: Your face... like mine....and that thing....are all the same!
Damian: Very good. You and I are merely dolls created to maintain this organization. To keep it prosperous... Forever... After me, you will take over. After you, the one in the capsule will inherit this organization! This is our "fate", our destiny!
Quinn: Yours maybe, but that doesn't mean I'm part of this package!!
Damian: I see... You leave me with very little choice, in that case....
Quinn: Enough! You're acting above the law - I'm gonna take you down!
Damian: Don't defy me, Hart! You are one of us! This disobedience will not be tolerated!
Quinn: Let's do it!
— Vice: Project Doom
"The reins of history, back in the hands of man."
— Doctor Cid, Final Fantasy XII
Tank: Dammit Richtofen! I thought we were done with this.
Richtofen: What can I say, Dempsey? Things changes.
Nikolai: Only a fool would dare to change history.
Richtofen: I am no fool, for what I do, I do only to secure a better tomorrow.
Richtofen: What can I say, Dempsey? Things changes.
Nikolai: Only a fool would dare to change history.
Richtofen: I am no fool, for what I do, I do only to secure a better tomorrow.
— Nazi Zombies, The Giant
"Fate is another lie told by the gods. Nothing is written that cannot be unwritten."
—Kratos, God of War (PS4)
"For most of us, this whole quest thing is just one big 'fuck you' in the face of fate. You'd fit right in!"
—Adromelk, BoxxyQuest: The Shifted Spires
"Some believe the fate of our worlds is... inflexible. My employers disagree. They authorize me to... nudge... things, hm.... In a particular direction from time to time. What.. would you want nudged, Ms. Vance?"
—The G-Man, Half-Life: Alyx
"Don't you dare give up without a fight! If that God of Fate is getting in the way, just kill him!"
"Precept Six: 'Choose Your Own Fate'. Our elders teach that our fate is chosen for us before we are even born. I disagree."
Zote the Mighty, Hollow Knight
"Emotions...Emotions make people behave illogically. They lead humans to break even the rules they set for themselves. Even the laws of the world aren't without exception. Some day, some other emotion may lead to another exception.... Let us begin. Show me the power of those emotions!"
"Find the right way down through the maze, to the food, then find the exit. Push the exit button. If the food tastes awful, don't eat it, go back and try another way. They want the same thing that you do, really, they want a path, just like you. You are in a maze in a maze, but which one counts? Your maze, their maze, my maze. Or are the mazes all the same, defined by the limits of their paths? Existence is simple: find the food, push the button, hit the treadmill. But sometimes it gets much harder. Sometimes the food makes you sick, or you can hear nearby feet racing you, urging you on. Sometimes the button only gets you landed right back in the beginning of the maze again, and the food won't satisfy. There is only one path and that is the path that you take, but you can take more than one path. Cross over the cell bars, find a new maze, make the maze from it's path, find the cell bars, cross over the bars, find a maze, make the maze from its path, eat the food, eat the path."
Unknown likely player character's subconscious, Marathon Infinity
"[The lab boys] tell me you people are conducting some anomalous materials research that could result in a Resonance Cascade. So I'm shutting that down before you idiots end the world. A Resonance Cascade, you're supposed to be scientists! Use some common sense!"
Cave Johnson, new owner and CEO of Black Mesa, Perpetual Testing Initiative
Robin Goodfellow: "You and I, Viola of Messaline, share much history. I discovered this book among the remains of the ship. A curious read. Let me see... Page 645 - 'Twelfth Night '. The comedy of Viola of Messaline, who is shipwrecked on an unknown country.
Viola: "I do not understand..."
Robin Goodfellow: "Ah yes, here I am: Page 365 - 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. A story of fairies: of King Oberon, Queen Titania, and the trickster Robin Goodfellow. My dear Viola... you and I? We are merely inventions of a mortal playwright - a Mr. William Shakespeare, in particular. Our stories are not our own. Sebastian is not here. He will never be here. You will only find your brother when your tale demands."
Viola: "Does this 'Robin Goodfellow' speak the truth, [Playername]? Are these stories he reads... known in your world?"
[Playername]: "It's true/I'm sorry".
Viola: "Thank you."
Robin Goodfellow: "You know I speak the truth. Let the truth of it wash over you. Let it pull you into its depths until you can no longer gasp for air."
Viola: "I believe... I believe your 'truth' changes nothing. It may be that in [Playername]'s land, I am but a story. Who is to say [Playername] is not a tale in mine? This future that has been written for me is but words on paper! I defy them!"
Visual Novels
"The power of believing cuts open destiny and starts miracles! That's right, that's what everyone taught me."
— Hanyuu, Higurashi: When They Cry: Dear You - Bond
So, there is no way to avert tragedy. There is no choice but to give up.
But don't give up.
Only you can stand up to this.
But don't give up.
Only you can stand up to this.
"Life might look like a straight line, but I just know there's gotta be another route somewhere. I wanna find it. Even if it just leads me straight off a cliff."
— Shirou Yusa, Dies Irae
Webcomics
"Okay, I have a theory. It's called: I never knew it was possible to care less about time travel."
— Black Mage, 8-Bit Theater Episode 1136
"I am not playing by the rules anymore. I will fly around this candy-coated rock and comb the white sands until I find answers. No one can tell me our fate can't be repaired."
— Rose Lalonde, Homestuck
Spatch II: You will not speak of Spatch like that. In his book, it is prophesied. It will happen now.
Rice Boy: Who are you to say which prophesies are true and which are false? They are just written words! They know nothing more than we do!
Rice Boy: Who are you to say which prophesies are true and which are false? They are just written words! They know nothing more than we do!
"Fate is not a cage except for those who fear it. A true ruler is the Wielder of Names. By names she cuts the world as she pleases, and she cuts herself into greater forms still. She is not shaped by the world, but instead becomes the shaper."
— Zoss, the Conquering King, Kill Six Billion Demons
Web Original
"For the PMDs, prophecy is merely soothsaying, augury, prediction of implacable destiny and inevitable doom. They do not believe prophecy is ever conditional, and thus fail to see that it is — always and foremost — a call to act."
"I don't think there's such a thing as "Destiny", my opinion on those words? They're just there to try and restrict one's decisions, I say screw them."
"F*** destiny! I am Seto Kaiba! I make my own fate!"
"Fate is the coward’s way out, Catherine. It is the denial of personal responsibility. Every decision I have made was my own choice, and all consequences that come from it are on my head."
— Black, A Practical Guide to Evil
"(while stalling for time while riding nowhere) I go where destiny tells me to go, which is... this way, uh, I consulted and I know what it is. (beat) Anyway, like I said before, (BLEEP) destiny!"
They tell me that everything... has a purpose in time
To wait for your purpose to come, that's how the world's designed
I'm tired of waiting for my chance to arrive
I'll write out my destiny, screaming that I'm still alive!
The lightning that flows through my veins… tells me to be brave
Even when death smiles in my face, this world I will save
And as long as you're by my side, I know that we'll change fate!
We'll pave our own road, and nothing will stand in our way!
I'll write my name in history!
I'll make the whole world see!
Anyone can make their own destiny!
Anyone can be all they can be!
I'll write my name in history!
To wait for your purpose to come, that's how the world's designed
I'm tired of waiting for my chance to arrive
I'll write out my destiny, screaming that I'm still alive!
The lightning that flows through my veins… tells me to be brave
Even when death smiles in my face, this world I will save
And as long as you're by my side, I know that we'll change fate!
We'll pave our own road, and nothing will stand in our way!
I'll write my name in history!
I'll make the whole world see!
Anyone can make their own destiny!
Anyone can be all they can be!
I'll write my name in history!
Western Animation
"Destiny is not a matter of chance; it's a matter of choice!"
— Shane Gooseman, Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers
"The question that has haunted my being has been answered: The future is not fixed. My choices are my own. And yet, how ironic, for I now find I have no choice at all. I am a warrior. Let the battle be joined."
— Dinobot, Beast Wars, "Code of Hero"
Dark Danny: That power, agh! It's not possible! I don't get that power until ten years from now!
Danny: I guess... the future... isn't as set in stone as you think it is!
Danny: I guess... the future... isn't as set in stone as you think it is!
Nightwing: I heard you're looking for help.
Starfire: There is nothing you can do. There is nothing anyone can do. The past cannot be repaired. The future cannot be altered. No matter how wrong it seems.
Nightwing: So, it's impossible? Good. If memory serves, we've done the impossible before.
Starfire: There is nothing you can do. There is nothing anyone can do. The past cannot be repaired. The future cannot be altered. No matter how wrong it seems.
Nightwing: So, it's impossible? Good. If memory serves, we've done the impossible before.
"History said it disappeared — but history was wrong!"
— Starfire, Teen Titans (2003), "How Long Is Forever?"
"Why leave matters to fate, if one can forge one's own destiny?"
— Megatron, Transformers: Prime
Real Life
"History does not teach fatalism. There are moments when the will of a handful of free men breaks through determinism and opens up new roads."
