Understatement/Quotes

"The war has developed, not necessarily to Japan's advantage. ... In the event of a sustained atomic bombing, the protection of the Japanese nation would be difficult."

- Emperor Hirohito's 'Jewel Voice Broadcast', August 1945

"Major-General Robert H Soule, US Army: How are the Glosters doing? Brigadier Thomas Brodie, British Army: A bit sticky, things are pretty sticky down there. (Said whilst 650 British soldiers from the 1st Battalion, the Gloucestershire Regiment were deployed on a crossing on the Imjin River during the Korean war and fighting over 10,000 Chinese troops.)"

"Xykon: What happened? Redcloak: Yeah, uh we had a small problem with the Gate. Xykon: The forest is on fire. Redcloak: I just said we had a small problem! Geez!"

- The Order of the Stick

"Tom Servo: You know, there are certain flaws in this movie"

- Mystery Science Theater 3000

""To call it an understatement would be an understatement.""

- Sarah Vowell

"[A] District Attorney in Texas is on trial for building himself a sweet rig on the county dime. The machine in question sports "two hard drives, seven fans, high-end video and audio cards, a wireless Internet connection and cables that glow under ultraviolet light."... "I would not configure a backup computer in that way," says Mr. Gregg, FBI senior forensic examiner and reigning Understatement King."

- Tycho

"Not even Spock had stayed aboard for that -- he found breathing vacuum for any length of time to be aesthetically unpleasent."

- Diane Duane

"The Joker is a tricky foe. His jokes are never funny. Sometimes they hurt people."

- Catherine Hapka

"Ford: I rescued you from the Earth. Arthur: And what's happened to the Earth? Ford: It's been demolished. Arthur: Has it. Ford: Yes. It just boiled away into space. Arthur: Look, I'm a bit upset about that."

- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio series

"I am supposed to call for help, if I run into trouble I can't handle on my own. Being captured by the Volturi and likely to be Chelseaed at any moment seemed like it might be that sort of trouble."

- Elspeth

"Mr. President, I'm not saying we wouldn't get our hair mussed, but I do say no more than 10 to 20 million killed, tops."

- General Buck Turgidson

"Enemy Agent: You killed two of my men Hetty: It was an overreaction"

- NCIS: Los Angeles

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We have a small problem. All four engines have stopped. We are doing our damnedest to get them going again. I trust you are not in too much distress."

- British Airways pilot, after flying through a cloud of volcanic ash.

"Adolf Hitler was a very naughty man."

- Educational Video, South Park

"Collecting customs duties in America had not been one of Britain's glorious successes in the eighteenth century"

- Robert Middlekauf

"That Alberquerque possessed an intemperate streak was becoming increasingly apparent, not just to the hapless Omanis but also to his own captains."

- Roger Crowley, describing a Portuguese admiral with a taste for Mosque-burning, town-sacking, and prisoner mutilation