Tomorrow, May 8, the Netflix adaptation of Shelby Van Pelt’s New York Times best-seller, Remarkably Bright Creatures, will finally be available to stream, and we can’t wait to see the giant Pacific octopus Marcellus brought to life on the small screen.
The film follows Marcellus, who’s spent most of his life captive in a Washington State aquarium, and the bond her forms with Tova, a widow who works cleaning the aquarium. Tova likes to make herself useful, distracting herself from the grief of losing her son three decades earlier, but when an injury forces Tova into retirement, she’s forced to confront her tragic past. Meanwhile, 30-year-old Cameron arrives in town seeking his biological father, finding himself taking up the aquarium job as Marcellus observes the story unfolding around him—and nudges things toward their resolution. Whether you’re a fan of the book, the movie or both, keep scrolling to discover 20 memorable quotes from the Remarkably Bright Creatures novel to use as Instagram captions.
For when humanity surprises you:
“Humans. For the most part, you are dull and blundering. But occasionally, you can be remarkably bright creatures.”
-Marcellus McSquiddles
For realizing you can’t mend everything:
“You can’t fix someone who is determined to stay broken.”
-Simon Brinks
For when you know too much:
“Ah, to be a human, for whom bliss can be achieved by mere ignorance!”
-Marcellus McSquiddles
For when too much thinking makes you fearful:
“Conscience does make cowards of us all.”
-Cameron Cassmore
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For yearning to see the ocean:
“Would the sight of the sea be a comfort to him? Or would it be a slap in the face, seeing his natural habitat, so close, yet so far?”
–Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt
For allowing a mood to settle in:
“Darkness suits me.”
-Marcellus McSquiddles
(Remarkably Bright Creatures via Eco)
For having a soft spot for the weak and defenseless:
“I’m a sucker for injured creatures.”
-Avery
For demonstrating selective hearing:
“When I choose to hear, I hear everything.”
-Marcellus McSquiddles
For not feeling entirely comfortable in someone’s house:
“Entering someone’s home is always an intimate act.”
–Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt
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For marveling at the unexplored vastness of the sea:
“The sea, too, is very good at keeping secrets.”
-Marcellus McSquiddles
For not quite feeling like you fit in:
“Sometimes she still feels as if she’s a mistaken jigsaw piece who found her way into the wrong puzzle.”
–Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt
For wishing people could be a bit more humble:
“Much of human parlance is nonsense, but perhaps most ludicrous among the rubbish they spew is their tendency to glorify their own foolishness.”
-Marcellus McSquiddles
For having little patience with others:
“People and their opinions generally suck.”
-Cameron Cassmore
For struggling to say what you actually mean:
“Why can humans not use their millions of words to simply tell one another what they desire?”
-Marcellus McSquiddles
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For stress cleaning:
“But keeping busy is good. Cleaning is always good. It’s something to do.”
–Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt
For growing bored with conversations about the weather:
“If there is one topic of conversation humans never exhaust, it is the status of their outdoor environment. And for as much as they discuss it, their incredulity is … well, incredible.”
-Marcellus McSquiddles
For taking responsibility for the way you live your life:
“The deal is never anyone’s fault. But you control the way you play.”
-Aunt Jeanne
For not appreciating someone’s humor:
“Humans are the only species who subvert truth for their own entertainment. They call them jokes. Sometimes puns.”
-Marcellus McSquiddles
For learning to deal with grief:
“You don’t recover. Not all the way. But you do move on. You have to.”
-Tova Sullivan
For finding yourself where you were always supposed to be:
“It is comfortable. It is home. I am lucky. I am grateful.”
-Marcellus McSquiddles
For even more great quotes from the books we love made into films and TV shows, click HERE for the best lines from The Other Bennet Sister novel to use as captions.
