Original artwork, not a still
The whole thing goes: The future's not set. There's no fate but what we make for ourselves.
— Terminator 2: Judgment Day ‧ 1991
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is the whole series in two sentences, handed down by a boy who has learned to treat fate as a choice. The message first came through Reese in the original film, and T2 turns it into the plot: Sarah carves it, John recites it, the Terminator learns it. Fans quote it on tattoos, protest signs and graduation cards, and later films keep returning to it.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Terminator 2: Judgment DayShow the scene
In Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), John Connor and the reprogrammed T-800 reach the desert hideout of Enrique Salceda. John finds the words NO FATE carved into a wooden table, left by his mother Sarah with her combat knife before she set off to kill the computer engineer Miles Dyson. He tells the Terminator the saying is a message he made Kyle Reese memorise, and recites the whole of it. Then he realises what the carving means: Sarah is going after Dyson.
Sources (2)
- Terminator Wiki: No Fate (quote)Usages and QuotesReference checked
- Wikiquote: Terminator 2: Judgment DaySarah Connor sectionReference checked
Context reviewed
