--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Marvin,\" he said, \"just get this elevator…" description: "\"“Marvin,\" he said, \"just get this elevator go up will you? We've got to get to Zarniwoop.\" \"Why?\" asked Marvin dolefully. \"I don't know,\" said Zaphod, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57f/douglas-adams-122_elevator_marvin-he-said-just-get-this-elevator-go_81465.jpg" --- # Marvin," he said, "just get this elevator go up will you?… ![“Marvin," he said, "just get this elevator go up will you? We've got to get to Zarniwoop." "Why?" asked Marvin dolefully. "I don't know," said Zaphod, "but when I find him, he'd better have a very good reason for me wanting to see him.” quote by Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57f/douglas-adams-122_elevator_marvin-he-said-just-get-this-elevator-go_81465.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57f/douglas-adams-122_elevator_marvin-he-said-just-get-this-elevator-go_81465.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57f/douglas-adams-122_elevator_marvin-he-said-just-get-this-elevator-go_81465.jpg) > ““Marvin," he said, "just get this elevator go up will you? We've got to get to Zarniwoop." "Why?" asked Marvin dolefully. "I don't know," said Zaphod, "but when I find him, he'd better have a very good reason for me wanting to see him.”” [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A whimsical request for urgency, hinting at a mysterious purpose behind a seemingly trivial task. **In simple terms:** Urgent quest with unknown motive Key Takeaway Mystery drives action Themes adventure mystery humor absurdity friendship Mood playful curious anticipatory Type dialogue narrative excerpt When to use this quote - searching for a hidden figure - navigating a chaotic environment - seeking justification for a mission Key Concepts motivation unknown purpose character dynamics Practical Applications - driving plot tension - building character relationships Questions to Reflect On - What does the unknown purpose suggest about the characters' motivations? - How does humor affect the perception of urgency? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asked Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asked-marvin-1035777/) [Elevator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elevator/) [Marvin Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marvin-said-1035778/) [Said Zaphod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-zaphod-984205/) [Situational-humour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/situational-humour-171271/) [Zarniwoop Asked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zarniwoop-asked-1035776/) ## Related quotes > [“Be thankful and joyful. Be content with life. Make the most of every situation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/be-thankful-and-joyful-be-content-with-life-make-the-most-of-every/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“It was Frankie Lymon all over again," Marvin said. "Only this kid had mastered James Brown's moves. Michael was like Stevie. From the very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ritz/it-was-frankie-lymon-all-over-again-marvin-said-only-this-kid-had/) [David Ritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ritz/) > [“What are you after?" ... "Well," said Zaphod airily, "It's partly the curiosity, partly a sense of adventure, but mostly I think it's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/what-are-you-after-well-said-zaphod-airily-it-s-partly-the-curiosity/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“What, are you, crazy?' 'It's a possibility I haven't ruled out yet', said Zaphod quietly. 'I know as much about myself as my mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/what-are-you-crazy-it-s-a-possibility-i-haven-t-ruled-out-yet-said/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“Hey, er ..." said Zaphod, "what's your name?" The man looked at them doubtfully. "I don't know. Why, do you think I should have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/hey-er-said-zaphod-what-s-your-name-the-man-looked-at-them-doubtfully/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [You ARE Zaphod Beeblebrox?' 'Yeah,' said Zaphod, 'but don't shout it out or they'll all want one.' 'THE Zaphod Beeblebrox?' 'No, just A Zaphod…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/you-are-zaphod-beeblebrox-yeah-said-zaphod-but-don-t-shout-it-out-or/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“If I ever meet myself,' said Zaphod, 'I'll hit myself so hard I won't know what's hit me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/if-i-ever-meet-myself-said-zaphod-i-ll-hit-myself-so-hard-i-won-t/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“Wow,' said Zaphod Beeblebrox to the Heart of Gold. There wasn't much else he could say. He said it again because he knew it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/wow-said-zaphod-beeblebrox-to-the-heart-of-gold-there-wasn-t-much/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“Zaphod, who is this man?” said Trillian shakily, wobbling to her feet. “What’s he doing here? Why’s he on our ship?” “He’s a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/zaphod-who-is-this-man-said-trillian-shakily-wobbling-to-her-feet/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Yeah," said Zaphod patting the thing on a glittering pink wing, "and you, baby, should be in real life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yeah-said-zaphod-patting-the-thing-on-a-glittering-pink-wing-and-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The first thing they saw on leaving the elevator was a long concrete wall with over fifty doors in it offering lavatory facilities for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-first-thing-they-saw-on-leaving-the-elevator-was-a-long-concrete/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“Holy Zarquon, did I ask for an existentialist elevator?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/holy-zarquon-did-i-ask-for-an-existentialist-elevator/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“The rent should rise with the elevator.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/the-rent-should-rise-with-the-elevator/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [When I go to my health club, and it's in the basement, you have to take the elevator down. And this drives me crazy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/when-i-go-to-my-health-club-and-it-s-in-the-basement-you-have-to-take/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The elevator to success is out of order. You'll have to use the stairs... one step at a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-girard/the-elevator-to-success-is-out-of-order-you-ll-have-to-use-the-stairs/) [Joe Girard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-girard/) ## More by Douglas Adams > [2,000 years ago one man got nailed to a tree for saying how great it would be if everyone was nice to each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/2-000-years-ago-one-man-got-nailed-to-a-tree-for-saying-how-great-it/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [What a wonderfully exciting cough,' said the little man, quite startled by it, 'do you mind if I join you?' And with that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/what-a-wonderfully-exciting-cough-said-the-little-man-quite-startled/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [The technology involved in making anything invisible is so infinitely complex that nine hundred and ninety-nine billion, nine hundred and ninety-nine million, nine hundred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-technology-involved-in-making-anything-invisible-is-so-infinitely/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [One is never alone with a rubber duck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/one-is-never-alone-with-a-rubber-duck/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [This must be Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursdays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/this-must-be-thursday-i-never-could-get-the-hang-of-thursdays/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [There are some oddities in the perspective with which we see the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/there-are-some-oddities-in-the-perspective-with-which-we-see-the-world/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“Eight hours West sat a man alone on a beach mourning an inexplicable loss. He could only think of his loss in little packets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/eight-hours-west-sat-a-man-alone-on-a-beach-mourning-an-inexplicable/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“The Universe, the whole infinite Universe. The infinite suns, the infinite distances between them, and yourself an invisible dot on an invisible dot, infinitely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-universe-the-whole-infinite-universe-the-infinite-suns-the/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [People always make this totally artificial distinction between what is commercial and what is good. They quote that maxim "Nobody ever lost money underestimating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/people-always-make-this-totally-artificial-distinction-between-what/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/any-man-who-can-hitch-the-length-and-breadth-of-the-galaxy-rough-it/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [ Does God know he \[exists\]?" "Of course he does. Otherwise, you could not have asked the question, and I could not have answered. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/does-god-know-he-exists-of-course-he-does-otherwise-you-could-not/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“When we told our guide that we didn't want to go to all the tourist places he took us instead to the places where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/when-we-told-our-guide-that-we-didn-t-want-to-go-to-all-the-tourist/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“But Douglas was a genius, because he saw the world differently, and more importantly, he could communicate the world he saw.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/but-douglas-was-a-genius-because-he-saw-the-world-differently-and/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“The bits which did mean anything were often so wonderfully buried that no one could ever spot them slipping past in the avalanche of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-bits-which-did-mean-anything-were-often-so-wonderfully-buried/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [You come to me for advice, but you can't cope with anything you don't recognize. Hmmm. So we'll have to tell you something you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/you-come-to-me-for-advice-but-you-can-t-cope-with-anything-you-don-t/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) [Explore all 1,168 Douglas Adams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) ## More Elevator quotes > [The elevator to success is out of order. You'll have to use the stairs... one step at a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-girard/the-elevator-to-success-is-out-of-order-you-ll-have-to-use-the-stairs/) [Joe Girard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-girard/) > [When I go to my health club, and it's in the basement, you have to take the elevator down. And this drives me crazy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/when-i-go-to-my-health-club-and-it-s-in-the-basement-you-have-to-take/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“The rent should rise with the elevator.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/the-rent-should-rise-with-the-elevator/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Every time I get in an elevator, the operator says the same thing to me: 'Basement?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-dangerfield/every-time-i-get-in-an-elevator-the-operator-says-the-same-thing-to/) [Rodney Dangerfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-dangerfield/) > [Almost all of us have an elevator or two in our lives somewhere. We wait for them, we ride on them. We're annoyed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/almost-all-of-us-have-an-elevator-or-two-in-our-lives-somewhere-we/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [“He stepped aside, allowing me back into the hallway. As we headed to another elevator, he was glued to my hip. "As close as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/he-stepped-aside-allowing-me-back-into-the-hallway-as-we-headed-to/) [Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/) > [The elevator shaft was a kind of heat sink. Hot food was cold by the time it arrived. Cold food got colder. No one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-elevator-shaft-was-a-kind-of-heat-sink-hot-food-was-cold-by-the/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [When I get in an elevator, before I press a button, I look at everyone inside & say: Are you ready to take this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itsme867/when-i-get-in-an-elevator-before-i-press-a-button-i-look-at-everyone/) [Itsme867](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/itsme867/) > [Life tells you to take the elevator, but love tells you to take the stairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/life-tells-you-to-take-the-elevator-but-love-tells-you-to-take-the/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“in the blink of an eye, one’s whole world could take a swan dive; the elevator from heaven to hell was a fast-moving one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sierra-rose/in-the-blink-of-an-eye-one-s-whole-world-could-take-a-swan-dive-the/) [Sierra Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sierra-rose/) > [“Things to do in an elevator: Install a glass display, like in a museum, over the floor buttons and have a sign affixed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/things-to-do-in-an-elevator-install-a-glass-display-like-in-a-museum/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [The reason I quit being a sales manager over twenty years now is because I hate elevator pitches. I want to write stories and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/the-reason-i-quit-being-a-sales-manager-over-twenty-years-now-is/) [Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/) > [After seeing 'Big,' I wanted an elevator that opened directly into my apartment, just like Tom Hanks did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macaulay-culkin/after-seeing-big-i-wanted-an-elevator-that-opened-directly-into-my/) [Macaulay Culkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macaulay-culkin/) > [Before, I would play a little hoops, a little tennis. Now it's more yoga, Pilates, stretching, some light weight work, push-ups, sit-ups, resistance things.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-roberts/before-i-would-play-a-little-hoops-a-little-tennis-now-it-s-more-yoga/) [Robin Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-roberts/) > [“The elevator doors opened, and I squeezed myself out before pulling out the Wardrober. It was heavy. “What do you have in there?” I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailin-gow/the-elevator-doors-opened-and-i-squeezed-myself-out-before-pulling/) [Kailin Gow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailin-gow/) [Browse all 240 Elevator quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elevator/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Marvin,\" he said, \"just get this elevator go up will you? 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