The Matrix: 10 Quotes From The Oracle That Will Mess With Your Head

The Matrix trilogy was as much about mind-bending philosophy as it was intense action sequences, bullet-time, and amazing science fiction. It broke new ground by melding multiple themes together to create a story with an important message attached to it. One of the principal characters that helped drive this narrative was the Oracle, a program within the Matrix that was later revealed to be, in essence, its “Mother.”

The Oracle knew that the path to forging a better future meant that humanity and machines needed to work together. She exploited the systemic anomaly of “The One” inherent in the Matrix’s structure to help break a cycle of bondage, and Neo was the man to make it happen. Here are ten of the Oracle’s most powerful quotes guaranteed to bake one’s noodle, in chronological order.

10 “What’s Really Going To Bake Your Noodle Later On Is, Would You Still Have Broken It If I Hadn’t Said Anything?”

The Oracle’s first foray into mind-bending Matrix philosophy came during the first movie when she accurately predicted that Neo would bump into a vase, causing it to crash onto the floor. She found it amusing that Neo would apologize for breaking it after she insinuated that he would.

Her next quote was the one that really got audiences thinking, however. The Matrix trilogy started out by questioning the nature of free will vs. predestination, only to clarify the argument in the final film by showing that choice prevailed over fate. It was hard to see it during this scene, however.

9 “Sorry Kid. You Got The Gift, But It Looks Like You’re Waiting For Something.”

Neo wasn’t sure if he was the fabled “One” as the wise and experienced Morpheus believed him to be. A trip to the Oracle was scheduled so that he could get a definitive answer—or so he thought. From the moment he walked into the Oracle’s kitchen, Neo expressed a massive amount of self-doubt.

This eventually led to the Oracle examining Neo, which may or may not have been a ruse to simply test his resolve. He was quick to assume that he wasn’t, in fact, The One after the Oracle insinuated it. In reality, this quote was designed to try and get Neo to realize that nobody else could answer the question for him except himself.

8 “You’ll Remember You Don’t Believe In Any Of This Fate Crap. You’re In Control Of Your Own Life, Remember?”

After Neo’s “examination” by the Oracle, he was left with more doubt than ever, and it was centered around his own self. It didn’t make things any better when the Oracle predicted that Morpheus was going to sacrifice his own life to save Neo’s and that he’d have to make a choice between which one of them would end up dying.

Her parting words were meant to shock him out of his self-doubt, which was poignant considering that earlier in the film, Neo firmly stated that he didn’t believe in fate whatsoever. Evidently, it worked when Morpheus was caught by Agents, and he launched a daring mission to retrieve him.

7 “Because You Didn’t Come Here To Make The Choice. You’ve Already Made It. You’re Here To Try To Understand WHY You Made It.”

Neo’s second meeting with the Oracle came in The Matrix Reloaded, approximately six months after the events of the first film. Though Neo had fallen somewhat comfortably into his role as The One save a bit of humility, he was nevertheless marred by confusion, questions, and more than a lot of doubt.

When the Oracle offered him a piece of candy, Neo asked why she’d even offer it if she knew whether or not he was going to take it. She responded with this quote that left audiences scrambling for a philosophical resolve that never came. It was one of her most powerful quotes.

6 “We Can Never See Past The Choices We Don’t Understand.”

This quote was unexpected, especially for someone with the supposed foresight of the Oracle. In essence, her precognitive abilities stemmed from her immense knowledge of all things connected to the Matrix, which allowed her to better predict what was going to happen.

Proof can be seen in this quote which suggests that no one, not even the Oracle herself was totally omniscient. She would later confirm this in The Matrix Revolutions when Morpheus questioned her. Seeing the end result of a foggy choice is practically impossible, even for the best of us.

5 “I Expect Just What I’ve Always Expected – For You To Make Up Your Own Damn Mind. Believe Me, Or Don’t.”

The events of The Matrix Reloaded left Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity with a lot more questions than they first started out with. It also left Morpheus facing a crisis of faith for perhaps the first time in his life. So steeled was his resolve regarding his belief in The One that nothing could shake it.

However, he was left with burning questions that required answers, and he set off to the Oracle to get them. When he expressed his distrust in the Oracle given the recent revelations, her reply was blunt and to the point. This was designed to put Morpheus back on the same path required of Neo.

4 “You Should Be Dead, But Apparently You Weren’t Ready For That Either.”

Neo barely made it out of the bowels of the ancient city after using his connection to the Matrix to fry several Sentinels that were closing in to tear them apart. The event left him in a coma with his consciousness caught in a sort of limbo within the Matrix, a place guarded by the Trainman.

Morpheus, Trinity, and Seraph managed to free him from the clutches of the Merovingian and bring him back to the world, and his first order of business was to ask the Oracle how he attained these powers in the first place. The Oracle pointed out that he wasn’t ready to recognize his connection to the Matrix and the powers that came with it. She then quipped about how he somehow managed to survive the ordeal, which was another example of how he continued to surprise her.

3 “Everything That Has A Beginning Has An End.”

Philosophically, this quote falls victim to Argument from Analogy, but it’s still a poignant one. The Oracle understood that nothing truly lasts forever, be it a person, a construct, or in this particular case, the war between the machines and the remnants of humanity. The Architect had created a perpetual cycle by which an anomaly could be stamped out by allowing for an imperfection to run wild, before stamping it out and starting anew.

The Oracle realized that, sooner or later, this cycle would be broken permanently. Agent Smith’s ability to spread through the Matrix like a cancer represented an opportunity for the machines and humanity to co-exist peacefully, or for both to die by his hands.

2 [Sati] “Will We Ever See Him Again?” [Oracle] “I Suspect So…Someday.”

The final scene of the Matrix trilogy showed a virtual world back as it once was, with everything in order as it had been. The only difference was the Architect’s begrudged agreement to allow humans to leave the Matrix if they so chose. The ceasefire had worked, and both sides were attempting to keep it that way.

Little Sati found the Oracle in a park at the end of the film and asked whether they would ever see Neo again. The Oracle’s reply was as uplifting as it was head-scratching, especially given Neo’s supposed death in the final act. Fortunately, this helps pave the way for the upcoming Matrix 4, with Keanu Reeves making a comeback.

1 [Seraph] “Did You Always Know?” [Oracle] “Oh, No. No, I Didn’t… But I Believed. I Believed!”

This final quote by the Oracle is perhaps the most shocking, and it was missed by many fans of the Matrix trilogy. For the span of three films, audiences believed the Oracle was precognitive and somehow knew what the outcome of the war between humanity and the machines was going to be.

When Seraph asked her if she always knew, she responded with this quote which threw that idea out the window. The Oracle could certainly see things that were going to happen, but she had no idea that her big gamble was going to pay off. Like Neo, she made a choice. She chose to believe.

About The Author