Context

This line is spoken by Elwood Blues, played by Dan Akroyd, in the film The Blues Brothers, directed by John Landis (1980).

Many people seem to find God in prison. (Maybe all prison kitchens have a toaster that burns Jesus' face into the bread).

When Jake Blues (John Belushi) gets out of prison, he and his brother Elwood decide to reform their band—creatively named The Blues Brothers Band—to raise money for an orphanage. A noble pursuit, indeed.

As they travel the country searching for their bandmates, they tell people "We're on a mission from God," even though they're leaving an amazing amount of automobile wreckage in their wake after all the high-speed car chases. God clearly works in mysterious ways.

Where you've heard it

You've heard this from anyone on an important quest, from blues musicians to cult leaders.

Additional Notable References

• An actual church created a compilation video of all the times this line was spoken in the movie.
• The quote was referenced in an article looking back at The Blues Brothers 25 years later.
• It was also referenced in an article about an ongoing Blues Brothers fan screening.
• It was used as the title of a book about Pope John Paul II and Generation X.
• In Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy, you can go on a mission from the God-Emperor.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

It was charming in 1980, but there was no reason to bring them back. If the original Blues Brothers was a mission from God, Blues Brothers 2000 was a mission from Satan.