In Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo: Reach, the bomb in the Assault multiplayer game mode sometimes has a hidden message written on it. The possible messages include "Thus I Refute Thee", "Kiss It Goodbye", "Hold Onto Yer Butts", and a hieroglyph of a Spartan helmet along with the two-fingered peace sign and "xoxo & hearts".

The first message, "Thus I Refute Thee", is a reference to the logical fallacy of appealing to the stone originating from the English writer Samuel Johnson, who during an argument about how it was impossible to refute idealism, kicked a large stone and said the quote. This quote was put on the bombs in Halo 2 by Bungie senior employees Robert and Lorraine McLee, in response to a conversation about Marathon and philosophy between two members of the Halo fan website Team 7HR33, who agreed that it would be "the uber-quip" to inscribe on the side of a gun.