“É um erro acreditar que é possível resolver qualquer problema importante usando batatas.”
Life, the Universe and Everything, capítulo 24
Variante: É um erro acreditar que é possível resolver qualquer problema importante usando apenas batatas.
Douglas Noël Adams foi um escritor e comediante britânico, famoso por ter escrito esquetes para a série televisiva Monty Python's Flying Circus, junto com os integrantes desse grupo de humor nonsense, e pela série de rádio, jogos e livros The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Os fãs e amigos de Adams o descreveram também como um ativista ambiental, um assumido ateísta radical e amante dos automóveis possantes, câmeras, computadores Macintosh e outros 'apetrechos tecnológicos'. O biólogo Richard Dawkins dedicou-lhe seu livro The God Delusion e nele descreve como Adams compreendeu a teoria da evolução e, tornou-se um ateísta. Adams era um entusiasta de novas tecnologias, tendo escrito sobre email e usenet antes de tornarem-se amplamente conhecidos. Até o fim de sua vida, Adams foi um requisitado professor de tópicos que incluíam ambiente e tecnologia.
Em 11 de março de 2013, dia em que Adams completaria 61 anos, o Google criou um Doodle especial para comemorar pelo seu aniversário. Wikipedia

“É um erro acreditar que é possível resolver qualquer problema importante usando batatas.”
Life, the Universe and Everything, capítulo 24
Variante: É um erro acreditar que é possível resolver qualquer problema importante usando apenas batatas.
There is a theory which states that if anybody ever discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened.
O Guia do Mochileiro das Galáxias
“Ah, a vida - disse Marvin, lúgubre. - Pode-se odiá-la ou ignorá-la, mas é impossível gostar dela.”
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas Adams livro The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
“O sentido disso tudo é que não há sentido em tentar enlouquecer para impedir-se de ficar louco.”
Life, the Universe and Everything, capítulo 2
Life, the Universe and Everything
O Guia do Mochileiro das Galáxias
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Future (2001)
Contexto: It's important to remember that the relationship between different media tends to be complementary. When new media arrive they don't necessarily replace or eradicate previous types. Though we should perhaps observe a half second silence for the eight-track. — There that's done. What usually happens is that older media have to shuffle about a bit to make space for the new one and its particular advantages. Radio did not kill books and television did not kill radio or movies — what television did kill was cinema newsreel. TV does it much better because it can deliver it instantly. Who wants last week's news?
“Dirk was unused to making such a minuscule impact on anybody.”
Douglas Adams The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
Fonte: The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (1988), Ch. 6
Contexto: Dirk was unused to making such a minuscule impact on anybody. He checked to be sure that he did have his huge leather coat and his absurd red hat on and that he was properly and dramatically silhouetted by the light of the doorway.
He felt momentarily deflated and said, "Er..." by way of self-introduction, but it didn't get the boy's attention. He didn't like this. The kid was deliberately and maliciously watching television at him.
“I am fascinated by religion. (That's a completely different thing from believing in it!)”
Douglas Adams livro The Salmon of Doubt
The Salmon of Doubt (2002)
Contexto: I am fascinated by religion. (That's a completely different thing from believing in it!) It has had such an incalculably huge effect on human affairs. What is it? What does it represent? Why have we invented it? How does it keep going? What will become of it? I love to keep poking and prodding at it. I've thought about it so much over the years that that fascination is bound to spill over into my writing.
“Generally, old media don't die.”
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Future (2001)
Contexto: Generally, old media don't die. They just have to grow old gracefully. Guess what, we still have stone masons. They haven't been the primary purveyors of the written word for a while now of course, but they still have a role because you wouldn't want a TV screen on your headstone.
“This was the evening of the last day of Gordon Way's life”
Douglas Adams livro Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (1987)
Contexto: This was the evening of the last day of Gordon Way's life … The weather forecast hadn't mentioned that, of course, that wasn't the job of the weather forecast, but then his horoscope had been pretty misleading as well. It had mentioned an unusual amount of planetary activity in his sign and had urged him to differentiate between what he thought he wanted and what he actually needed, and suggested that he should tackle emotional or work problems with determination and complete honesty, but had inexplicably failed to mention that he would be dead before the day was out.
“What's so unpleasant about being drunk?"
"Ask a glass of water!”
Douglas Adams The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy pentalogy
Variante: It's unpleasantly like being drunk."
"What's so unpleasant about being drunk?"
"You ask a glass of water.
Fonte: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
“Life,” said Marvin dolefully, “loathe it or ignore it, you can’t like it.”
Douglas Adams The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy pentalogy
Fonte: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas Adams The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
Fonte: The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (1988), Ch. 4
“and then I decided I was a lemon for a couple of weeks.”
Douglas Adams Life, the Universe and Everything
Fonte: Life, the Universe and Everything
Variante: You see, the quality of any advice anybody has to offer has to be judged against the quality of life they actually lead.
Fonte: The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide: Five Complete Novels and One Story
Douglas Adams The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy pentalogy
Fonte: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
“What I need… is a strong drink and a peer group.”
Douglas Adams Life, the Universe and Everything
Fonte: Life, the Universe and Everything
Douglas Adams The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy pentalogy
Fonte: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas Adams The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy pentalogy
Fonte: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
“The Ultimate Answer to Life, The Universe and Everything is…42!”
Douglas Adams The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy pentalogy
Fonte: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
“There was a point to this story, but it has temporarily escaped the chronicler's mind.”
Douglas Adams livro So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
Fonte: So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
Douglas Adams livro The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Fonte: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Douglas Adams livro The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
The Salmon of Doubt (2002)
Fonte: Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #2)
Douglas Adams livro The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Fonte: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Douglas Adams The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy pentalogy
Fonte: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas Adams The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy pentalogy
Fonte: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy