“A towel, [The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy] says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have.” It is because of this quote that Towel Day was first celebrated on May 25, 2001, two weeks after Douglas Adams’ death. He was the author of the funniest and series of the most ridiculously on-point books ever written: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which originated in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a “trilogy” of five books that sold more than 15 million copies, as well as TV series and movie.
Douglas Adams also wrote many other books including Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, as well as screenplays for Monty Python and Doctor Who.
He was also an environmental activist who campaigned on behalf of endangered species and this resulted in a non-fiction radio series Last Chance to See, in which he and naturalist Mark Carwardine visited rare species such as the kakapo and baiji, and the publication of a book of the same name.
May 25 is the annual celebration of Douglas Adams, who died on May 11, 2001 at the age of 49. On this day fans openly carry a towel to commemorate his life and work.Today I celebrate my favourite writer by remembering some of his memorable quotes.
Of religion: “This is an interesting world I find myself in – an interesting hole I find myself in – fits me rather neatly, doesn’t it? In fact it fits me staggeringly well, must have been made to have me in it!”
“Isn’t it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?”
“I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.”
“If there’s anything more important than my ego around, I want it caught and shot now.”
In the beginning, the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.
“A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.”
“You live and learn. At any rate, you live.
“For a moment, nothing happened. Then, after a second or so, nothing continued to happen.”
“A learning experience is one of those things that says, ‘You know that thing you just did? Don’t do that.’”
“The quality of any advice anybody has to offer has to be judged against the quality of life they actually lead.”
“It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes.”
“I’d far rather be happy than right any day.”
“Reality is frequently inaccurate.”
“What I need… is a strong drink and a peer group.”
“One is never alone with a rubber duck.”
“Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.”
“Don’t believe anything you read on the net. Except this. Well, including this, I suppose.”
“The Answer to the Great Question… Of Life, the Universe and Everything… Is… Forty-two,’ said Deep Thought, with infinite majesty and calm.”
And finally,
“Don’t Panic.”
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Saima Baig
I am a Chartered Environmentalist from the Royal Society for the Environment, UK and co-owner of DoLocal Digital Marketing Agency Ltd, with a Master of Environmental Management from Yale University, an MBA in Finance, and a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Mathematics. I am passionate about science, history and environment and love to create content on these topics.
