Context

This line is from the song "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)" by Simon and Garfunkel, from the album Bridge over Troubled Water (1970).

Just gonna say it: being a hammer would totally be a lot better than being a nail. This quote comes from S&G's take on a Peruvian song called "El Condor Pasa," or "The Condor Passes." Paul Simon first heard the song played by a Peruvian band that was opening for him and G-funk. Simon dug the tune so much that he decided to put his own lyrics to it. Little did he know that the song wasn't actually a traditional folk song, as he'd assumed, but had been written and copyrighted by a dude named Daniel Alomía Robles in 1933. Robles' family happily sued S&G shortly after.

Here's the song.

Where you've heard it

You've probably heard it on oldies stations, if you or (more likely) your parents are into that. Most recently, the song was used heavily in the movie Wild, in which Reese Witherspoon plays a lady who solo-hikes the Pacific Crest Trail after the death of her mother. In the movie, S&G's song is used to represent Mommy Deadest, and "I'd rather be a hammer than a nail" is one of Reese's first lines. She actually says it just before ripping off her toenail. Hm, in this case, we'd definitely rather be the hammer than the nail.

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 does sound a little lofty, but that's mostly the Andean pan flutes in the background.