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House - Movie Quotes
Memorable Quotes
Everybody lies.
— Dr. Gregory House
Context:
First stated in the pilot episode ("Everybody Lies") and repeated or referenced throughout the entire series. It is the foundation upon which the show's entire premise is built.
Meaning:
This is the central tenet of House's philosophy and his diagnostic method. He believes that patients will always lie about their symptoms, history, and lifestyle, and that the truth can only be found by ignoring what they say and focusing on the objective evidence. It reflects his deep cynicism about human nature.
It's a basic truth of the human condition that everybody lies. The only variable is about what.
— Dr. Gregory House
Context:
Stated in Season 1, Episode 21, "Three Stories." He says this while giving a lecture to medical students, explaining his approach to patients and diagnosis.
Meaning:
An expansion of his core philosophy, this quote clarifies that he sees lying not as an occasional flaw but as an integral, unavoidable part of being human. It dismisses the idea of inherent honesty and posits that deception is a constant, with only the subject matter changing from person to person.
People don't get what they deserve. They just get what they get. There's nothing any of us can do about it.
— Dr. Gregory House
Context:
From Season 6, Episode 5, "Instant Karma," said to the father of a sick child who believes his own past misdeeds are being punished through his son's illness.
Meaning:
This quote encapsulates House's nihilistic and anti-karma worldview. He rejects the idea of a just universe where good deeds are rewarded and bad ones punished. He believes life and illness are random and chaotic, and that concepts of fairness and desert are human constructs with no basis in reality.
You talk to God, you're religious. God talks to you, you're psychotic.
— Dr. Gregory House
Context:
This is one of House's recurring aphorisms used in various episodes when confronting patients or colleagues about their religious beliefs.
Meaning:
A concise and cynical jab at organized religion and faith. House uses this line to dismiss the validity of personal divine revelation, equating it with a symptom of mental illness. It highlights his strict adherence to rationalism and his contempt for beliefs that cannot be empirically proven.
I was wrong.
— Dr. Gregory House
Context:
House says this on a few rare occasions throughout the series, notably in Season 1, Episode 21, "Three Stories," when recounting the misdiagnosis that led to his leg injury. Each utterance is a major character moment.
Meaning:
This simple phrase is immensely significant because it is so rarely uttered by House. His entire identity is built on his intellectual superiority and being right. Admitting a mistake is a moment of profound vulnerability for him, often signaling a major turning point in a case or a moment of genuine, albeit painful, self-awareness.