Behinds Quote by Douglas Adams
“Ghastly," continued Marvin, "it all is. Absolutely ghastly. Just don't even talk about it. Look at this door," he said, stepping through it. The irony circuits cut in to his voice modulator as he mimicked the style of the sales brochure. " 'All the doors in his spaceship have a cheerful and sunny disposition. It is their pleasure to open for you, and their satisfaction to close again with the knowledge of a job well done.' " As the door closed behind them it became apparent that it did indeed have a satisfied sighlike quality to it. "Hummmmmmmyummmmmmmah!" it said.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 1979
Uses absurd, to critique bureaucratic language and the emptiness of corporate optimism.
In simple terms: Satire shows corporate talk is meaningless.
Key Takeaway
Question superficial corporate messaging.
Themes
satire
bureaucracy
absurdity
Mood
humorous
critical
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- Corporate communications
- advertising
- creative writing
- media analysis
Key Concepts
Literary humor
social critique
language play
Questions to Reflect On
- How does absurdity reveal truth?
- What can we learn about corporate language from satire?
A Different Perspective
May be too niche for readers unfamiliar with the series.
![“Does God know he [exists]?" "Of course he does. Otherwise, you could not have asked the question, and I could not have answered.” quote by Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a21/douglas-adams-122_courses_does-god-know-he-exists-of-course-he-doe_26187.jpg)
![“Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs [Less Developed Countries]?... I think the economic logic behind dumping a load of toxic waste in the lowest wage country is impeccable and we should face up to that... I’ve always…” quote by Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ac4/lawrence-summers-16940_air_just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-wo_4703.jpg)
