I’m sure I’m not the only one who was not terribly impressed with the AFI’s “100 Greatest Movie Quotes” list. I don’t think I agreed with their view of what makes a quote “great”; too many of their quotes are on the list only because they evoke a great scene (“Is it safe?”), or because they’ve become iconic (“Hasta la vista, baby”), not because they’re especially great lines.
“My precious” is not the best line from Lord of the Rings, for example. Not even close. And “Bond. James Bond” has certainly become iconic, but who the hell thinks it’s a great line?
To me, a great movie quote should either be great in and of itself (“One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I don’t know.” –Groucho Marx, Animal Crackers), or (better yet) it should be a brilliant quote that also says an enourmous amount about the character speaking the quote and the situation they’re in. (“I love the smell of napalm in the morning,” from Apocalypse Now is, by this standard, the best line of the 100 – it’s a brilliant line in and of itself, and it says so much about that character and his situation).
Casablana makes it on the list six times – which is fair enough, that movie has tons of great lines. Surprisingly, “I’m shocked, shocked” doesn’t make the list.
Captain Renault: I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!
[a croupier hands Renault a pile of money]
Croupier: Your winnings, sir.
Captain Renault: [sotto voce] Oh, thank you very much.
Captain Renault: [aloud] Everybody out at once!
Ann Althouse points out that a quarter of the quotes are said by women. That doesn’t strike me as unfair – or, rather, it does strike me as unfair, but what’s unfair isn’t so much in the quotes chosen, but in the fact that men are disproportionately given the best parts in movies. (Even more striking: A List of Things Known points out that only three (!) of the 100 quotes are said by people of color. And one of the quotes is “show me the money,” which is a lame line anyhow.)
Just for fun, let’s use this thread to tell each other some of our favorite movie lines said by women, or by people of color, or both. Kim wants me to go outside and help with the garage sale, but before I do that I’ll start us off with some of Eleanor’s great lines from The Lion in Winter:
Henry II: The day those stout hearts band together is the day that pigs get wings.
Eleanor: There’ll be pork in the treetops come morning.Eleanor: You look fit. War agrees with you. I keep informed; I follow all your slaughters from a distance. Do sit down.
Eleanor: I could peel you like a pear and God himself would call it justice!
Prince John: A knife! He’s got a knife!
Eleanor: Of course he has a knife, he always has a knife, we all have knives! It’s 1183 and we’re barbarians! How clear we make it. Oh, my piglets, we are the origins of war: not history’s forces, nor the times, nor justice, nor the lack of it, nor causes, nor religions, nor ideas, nor kinds of government, nor any other thing. We are the killers. We breed wars. We carry it like syphilis inside. Dead bodies rot in field and stream because the living ones are rotten.Eleanor: Mother’s tired. Come stick pins tomorrow morning; I’ll be more responsive.
(By the way, the internet movie database is a great resource for finding quotes from particular movies.)
I pretty much fell in love with Katherine Hepburn because of that movie.
What’s amusing about “Elementary, my dear Watson” is that Holmes never actually said that in any of the stories.
And how could they forget “Zingaia!! He’s got… the bite!” from “Dead Alive!”?
Indeed? That is nice to know. Reminds me of Captain Kirk’s infamous “Beam me up, Scotty” that Kirk never actually said.
Hmmm…
“Power is fleeting; love is eternal.”
– Lyssa Krull (1983)
And let’s not forget the immortal Ash in “Army of Darkness”:
“Good…bad…I’m the guy with the gun.”
Norbiz was doing something like this. Here’s my entry from a woman:
“There are two kinds of people in this world–my kind of people and assholes.”
Mink Stole in Pink Flamingos
I am trying to put together a list of 100 alterna-quotes; I’ve already got the first 25 up from various sources (Amanda’s contribution should probably be in the next 25)— focusing more on actual, full quotes rather than catchphrases and from any source. One of my favorites from the first group, from the eminently quotable Gabriel Byrne in Miller’s Crossing: “All in all not a bad guy – if looks, brains and personality don’t count.”
“I’m going crazy; I’m standing here solidly on my own two hands and going crazy.” -Katherine Hepurn in “Philadelphia Story.”
“South Bend, that’s west of here isn’t it?” (KH from Phil. Story)
“Yes, but we still get the breezes.” (Miss Imbry)
“That boy’s so confused he don’t know whether to scratch his watch or wind his butt.” – Olympia Dukakis from “Steel Magnolias.”
And of course: “Fasten your seatbelts; it’s going to be a bumpy night.” – Bette Davis from “All About Eve.”
It’s interesting, but pretty much ALL of my favorite movie lines were uttered by female characters, now that I think about it.
“I for one do not think the problem was that the band was down, I think the problem was that there was a stonehenge monument on stage that was in danger of being crushed by a dwarf, I think it tended to understate the hugeness of the object.”
How could they leave that out?
Well the first one that comes to my mind was actually on the list at #34 from Lauren Bacall in To Have and Have Not, but they miss a lot by not giving the full quote.
But there are some other great Bacall quotes from that film, for example:
For quotes from people of color, Sidney Poitier had some nice ones in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner including:
Of course the Poitier quote already on the list #16 from In The Heat of The Night is a great one-liner:
John Reed: Louise, I love you.
Louise Bryant: Love? Love?!! No, you don’t love me, you love yourself! Me, you FUCK! When you’re not too busy fucking somebody else!
Reds, 1981
“Oh, honey, you know I love you more than my luggage.” – Clairee Belcher, Steel Magnolias
**
Neo: What are you doing?
Trinity: I’m going with you.
Neo: No you’re not.
Trinity: No? Let me tell you what I believe. I believe that Morpheus means more to me than he does to you. I believe if you are really serious about rescuing him, you are going to need my help. And since I am the ranking officer on this ship, if you don’t like it, I believe you can go to hell. Because you’re not going anywhere else.
(The Matrix)
**
“And I guess that was your accomplice in the woodchipper.” – Marge Gunderson, Fargo (Quite possibly one of my favorite female characters in a movie, ever, and you gotta respect the tenacity of the actual woman she’s based on.)
**
Hilary Faye: Mary, turn away from Satan. Jesus, he loves you.
Mary: You don’t know the first thing about love.
Hilary Faye: [throws a Bible at Mary] I am FILLED with Christ’s love! You are just jealous of my success in the Lord.
Mary: [Mary holds up the Bible] This is not a weapon! You idiot.
**
… I’ll stop now.
I LOVE “They call me Mr. TIBBS.” I say that all the time, even though it doesn’t apply, because actually, they don’t.
It’s not from a movie, but kicks ass anyway: Lt. Uhura in the weird evil parallel universe, holding a knife to the neck of the evil Mr. Sulu: “You are away from your post, mister.”
From “The Company of Wolves”
ROSALEEN (vo):
Little girls, this seems to say:
Never stop upon your way;
Never trust a stranger friend
No one knows how it will end.
As you’re pretty, so be wise
Wolves may lurk in every guise
Now, as then, ’tis simple truth:
Sweetest tongue hides sharpest tooth.
A few spring to mind.
“Les Enfants du Paradis”:
Garance (Arletty): “C’est ci simple, l’amour.”
“The Empire Strikes Back”:
Leia (Carrie Fisher): “Why, you stuck-up … half-witted … scruffy-looking … nerf-herder!”
“Four Weddings and a Funeral”
Scarlett (Charlotte Coleman): “I always imagine Americans are going to be dull as shit – and of course you’re not, are you? Steve Martin’s American, isn’t he?”
“The American President” contains a couple of cool lines from Janey, the hyper-efficient and loyal personal aide played by Samantha Mathis, especially
“You already did, sir.” (Responding to President Shepherd’s “I should send her some flowers.”, referring to a White House office worker’s birthday).
I also loved her definitive “I am really not at liberty to say.”
“Spider-Man 2”:
Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst): “Isn’t it time someone saved your life?”
“East Is East”:
Mr. Kahn (Om Puri): “I’ll have a half a cup.” (His invariable reply when asked if he wants a cup of tea).
“Blazing Saddles”:
The Sheriff (Cleavon Little): “Excuse me while I whip this out…”
and of course
“Where’s de white women at?!”
“Young Frankenstein”:
Frau Blucher (Cloris Leachman): “I am Frau Blucher.”
(Well, the way it was delivered, it was funnier than “Bond. James Bond.”)
“Singin’ in the Rain” has wonderful quotes from Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen), in particular
“Why, I make more money than – than – than – Calvin Coolidge! Put together!”
and
“If we bring a little joy into your humdrum lives, it makes us feel as though our hard work ain’t been in vain for nothin’. “
“There is a leopard on the roof and it’s my leopard and I have to get it and to get it I have to sing.” Katherine Hepburn Bringing Up Baby (1938)
And as long as blacks are sorely underrepresented:
“Oh, you’re a race car in the red? Well I’m a mushroom cloud poppin’ motherfucker, motherfucker!” Samuel L Jackson Pulp Fiction
“She’s my best friend. God, I hate her.”
Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder), Heathers.
Also, “My teenage angst bullshit now has a body count!”
“I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near Tannhuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time like tears in rain. Time to die”.
– Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty in Blade Runner
“Don’t be mean. We don’t have to be mean, because, remember, no matter where you go … there you are”
Peter Weller as Buckaroo Banzai in The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai, Across The Eigth Dimension.
Something strange happened to me this morning.
Was it a dream where you see yourself standing in sort of sun-god robes on a pyramid with a thousand naked women screaming and throwing little pickles at you?
No.
Why am I the only person that has that dream?
Val Kilmer and Gabriel Jarret as Chris Knight and Mitch Taylor in Real Genius
Oh, I love that quote. I loved that movie! Thank you for reminder.
” I’m tired of men always coming and going, going and coming and always too soon. ”
Blazing Saddles – Lili Von Shtupp (Madeline Kahn)
“I saw something nasty in the woodshed. ”
“Sure you did, but did it see you, baby?”
Cold Comfort Farm – Ada Doom (Sheila Burrell) and Earl P. Neck (Harry Ditson)
“For Christ’s sake, we’re fucking with the President of the United States.”
“He fucks with us, doesn’t he?”
Used Cars – Jeff (Gerrit Graham) and Rudy (Jeff Bridges)
From “Batman Returns”
Selina Kyle/Catwoman:
Life’s a bitch. Now so am I.
Here is one quote I like:
“If you are sad and like beer, I’m your lady.”
– Isabelle Rossellini in “The Saddest Music in the World”?
And what about GLBTQ people?
[someone is singing “I Will Always Love You” in the background]
Tommy : What do you think? Do you think love lasts forever?
Hedwig : No, but this song does.
From Hedwig and the Angry Inch
“I’ve met sheep that are smarter than you.” Jamie Lee Cutris, “A Fish Called Wanda”
Audrey has some great lines in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” For example:
I know there are more, but I’m drawing a blank…
They seem to have picked the best-known quotes from Casablanca – which isn’t the same as the best. I’ve always liked these two:
Captain Renault: What in heaven’s name brought you to Casablanca?
Rick: My health. I came to Casablanca for the waters.
Captain Renault: The waters? What waters? We’re in the desert.
Rick: I was misinformed
and
Captain Renault: I’ve often speculated why you don’t return to America. Did you abscond with the church funds? Run off with a senator’s wife? I like to think you killed a man. It’s the Romantic in me.
Rick: It was a combination of all three.
I felt the same way about the Apocalypse Now quote, Sheena. The napalm quote is a good one, but I prefer, “Saigon….sheeyit.”
Mousehound: most people get the quote wrong. It’s only us Blue Blaze Irregulars that keep the fire going :-)
Seeing as we are getting away from the non-white or female rule, here are two more quotes from Krull
Prince Colwyn: The reward is freedom… and fame!
Torquil: Freedom? We have it! And fame? Nah. It’s an empty purse. Count it, go broke. Eat it, go hungry. Seek it, go mad!
To understand the enxt quote, you should know that in Krull, Cyclopes have the power to see the future, but only the time of their own deaths.
Ergo: If I had my wish I’d be out of this gloomy place right away. If I really had my wish I’d be sitting on top of a gooseberry pie as big as a mountain. No, that’s a bit greedy. I’ll settle for one as big as a house.
Titch: I’d wish for a puppy.
Ergo: Only one puppy? If you’re wishing why not wish for a hundred?
Titch: Only want one.
Ergo: Well that’s a foolish wish. And you Rell, what would you wish for?
Rell the Cyclops: Ignorance.
Another one I like is what Humphrey Bogart said in “The Big Sleep”. He said “She tried to sit in my lap while I was standing up.”
Trying to think of any really killer line given to a black actress – a really depressing exercise in examining the roles black women tend to get. The one person I keep thinking of is Whoopi Goldberg (my favorite actress of all time) and all the juicy quotes I’ve thought of look pretty lame on the page – – – it was all in the delivery. My favorite being her lascivious “woof” after kissing Tim Daly at the end of “The Associate.”
Also from the annals of movies that probably deserved to be forgotten, Mira Sorvino’s smooth escape line from a guy she just met in a dance club: “Excuse me; I cut my foot just now and my shoe is filling up with blood.” And, of course “I’m the Mary. You’re the Rhoda!” (Lisa Kudrow).
Lots of good ones from “Aliens”….
Ripley: Did IQs just drop sharply when I was away?
—–
Newt: They mostly come at night. Mostly.
—–
Vasquez: I only need to know one thing. Where…they…ARE.
—–
Ripley: I say we just take off and nuke the site from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.
Hudson: Fuckin’ A.
Burke: Uh, hold on a second. This installation has a substantial dollar value attached to it.
Ripley: They can BILL me.
—–
Hudson: Hey Vasquez, have you ever been mistaken for a man?
Vasquez: No, have you?
(Yeah, annoying use of gender as an insult, but her delivery cracks me up every time.)
“the juicy quotes I’ve thought of look pretty lame on the page – – – it was all in the delivery”
That’s so true. I loved her in Jumping Jack Flash, but to anyone who hasn’t seen it, the following lines will seem like nothing much.
“I’m a little black woman in a big silver box which says “Telephone” on the top”.
After a disagreement with a paper shredder:
Jeff Daniels: “What happened to your dress?”
Whoopi: “I had moths – big giant mutant moths”.
Don’t forget “Snapping pussy!” (From Dusk ‘Til Dawn)
Cheech Marin rules. ;)
I must apologise for my error above: it wasn’t Jeff Daniels in Jumping Jack Flash – it was Stephen Collins. I always used to get those two confused.
I’m so bad at movie lines. I’m sure there’s some killer ones from Auntie Mame but I’m drawing a blank.
I love that shoe-filling-up-with-blood quote from Romy and Michele. Another one I love is Michele about Heather: “For me, it’s like I’ve just given birth to my own baby girl, except she’s like a big giant girl who smokes and says ‘shit’ a lot. You know?”
Cicely Tyson in Fried Green Tomatoes: “It don’t make no sense. A big ox like Grady won’t sit next to a colored child, but he eats eggs — shoot right out a chicken’s ass!”
Also from that movie, Kathy Bates, [sweetly] “If I was gonna kill ya, I’d use my hands.”
Also, after repeatedly ramming into the car of some young women who stole her parking spot and said “Face it lady, we’re younger and faster!” Kathy Bates says: “Face it girls, I’m older and I have more insurance.”
Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally:
[Talking about her days of the week underpants]
Sally: They don’t make Sunday.
Harry: Why not?
Sally [not a trace of irony]: Because of God.
An-Mei from Joy Luck Club: I tell you the story because I was raised the Chinese way. I was taught to desire nothing, to swallow other people’s misery, and to eat my own bitterness. And even though I taught my daughter the opposite, still she came out the same way. Maybe it is because she was born to me and she was born a girl, and I was born to my mother and I was born a girl, all of us like stairs, one step after another, going up, going down, but always going the same way. No, this cannot be, this not knowing what you’re worth, this not begin with you. My mother not know her worth until too late – too late for her, but not for me. Now we will see if not too late for you, hmm?
Also,
Ying-Ying: Do you know what you want? I mean, from him?
Lena: Respect. Tenderness.
Ying Ying: Then tell him now. And leave this lopsided house. Do not come back until he give you those things, with both hands open.
Couple more…
“Mulan”:
Matchmaker: “Fa Mulan?”
Mulan: “Present!”
Matchmaker (making a note): “Speaking without permission.”
Mulan: “Ooops.”
Mulan: “My ancestors sent me a lizard?”
The emperor: “You don’t meet a girl like that every dynasty.”
“Star Wars: A New Hope”
Leia: “Aren’t you a little short to be stormtrooper?”
La nuit américaine (Day For Night):
Joelle (Nathalie Baye): “I might quit a guy for a movie, but I’d never quit a movie for a guy!”
“Tall in the Saddle” (1944)
Rocklin (John Wayne): You don’t like me, Talo, do you?
Talo (Frank Puglia): “That is right, I do not.”
(offers Rocklin his tobacco pouch)
Talo: “It is not your fault that your shadow is black, but you bring nothing but sorrow to my Arlita.”
“El Dorado”
Maudie (Charlene Holt), as Cole Thornton (John Wayne) and sheriff J.P. Harrah (Robert Mitchum) seem to be about to get in a fight over her: “Don’t you think I’m woman enough for both of you?”
“Being John Malkovich”
Maxine (Catherine Keener): “I’ve fallen in love.”
Craig (John Cusack): “I don’t think so. I’ve fallen in love. This is what people who’ve fallen in love look like!”
Maxine: “You picked the unrequited variety. Very bad for the skin.”
“North By Northwest”
Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint): “I never discuss love on an empty stomach.”
(censored by dubbing in “discuss” for the original “make” post-production)
For a thread on quotes from women and/or people of color, there seem to be a fair number of quotes from white men creeping in. Geeze, these guys get everywhere, don’t they?
From Alien Resurrection:
Ripley: There’s a monster in your chest. These guys hijacked your ship, and they sold your cryotube to this… human, and he put an alien inside of you. It’s a really nasty one. And in a few hours, it’s gonna burst its way through your rib cage, and you’re gonna die. Any questions?
Purvis: Who are you?
Ripley: I’m the monster’s mother.
Oh, and I may be losing all my street cred, but I love the Mammy/Scarlett dialogue from Gone With The Wind:
Mammy: Oh, no, you ain’t. If you don’t care what folks says about this family, I does. And I done told you and told you, you can always tell a lady by the way she eats in front of people – like a bird. And I ain’t aimin’ to have you go over to Mista John Wilkes’ house and eat like a field hand and gobble like a hog.
Scarlett: Fiddle dee-dee! Ashley Wilkes says he likes to see a girl with a healthy appetite.
Mammy: Well, I ain’t see Mista Ashley asked for to marry you.
Scarlett: Atlanta.
Mammy: Savannah would be better for ya. You just get in trouble in Atlanta.
Scarlett: What trouble you talkin’ ’bout?
Mammy: You know what trouble I’s talkin’ ’bout. Mr. Ashley be comin’ to Atlanta when he get’s his leave, and you sattin’ there waitin’ for him, just like a spider.
Scarlett: You go pack my things like Mother said.
Oh, and two favorite single lines:
Scarlett: Great balls of fire. Don’t bother me anymore, and don’t call me sugar.
Scarlett: I can shoot straight, if I don’t have to shoot too far.
====
From Desert Hearts:
Vivian: I wouldn’t know what to do.
Cay: You can start by putting the Do Not Disturb sign on the door.
Vivian: …Well, that part went smoothly.
Cay: So take your hands out of your pockets and come here.
Vivian: I’m not taking off my robe.
Cay: Well, everybody draws the line somewhere.
Oh, Stan. I don’t love Gregory any more. Fuck him. Fuck him right in the ear!
-Wendy, South Park movie
Crap. Let me try that again. “Oh Stan. I never had any real feelings for Gregory. Fuck Gregory! Fuck him right in the ear!”
Madeline Kahn again
. Young Frankenstein:
“Where you going?… Oh, you men are all alike. Seven or eight quick ones and then you’re out with the boys to boast and brag.”
. Blazzing Saddles
“It’s twue, it’s twue”
Cold Comfort Farm, again, this time Flora Poste (Kate Beckinsale) and Charles (Christopher Bowen):
Charles: Do you ever think of getting married?
Flora Poste: I believe in arranged marriages, don’t you?
Charles: Rather out of date.
Flora Poste: Not at all. I’ve always like the phrase, “A marriage has been arranged.” When I feel like it, I’ll arrange one.
What a great selection.
Mae West had some good lines didn’t she. I liked ‘My Little Chickadee’ where she contracts a fake wedding to WC Fields. The pastor says ‘Are you aware of the duties of holy matrimony?’ and she rolls her eyes and says ‘Mmm… I’ve got Some Idea.’
Aside from adoring Amp for the “he’s got a knife” qu0te from Lion in Winter ( I love that quote. That’s the one part of the movie I always have to pause to finish laughing!)….
Cary Grant: Haven’t you ever had a man who made you happy?
Mae West: Sure, lots of times.
(She Done Him Wrong)
Mae West: You say there’s 10 men waiting for me? Well, send one of them home, I’m tired.
(I dunno what movie that’s from, IMDB isn’t listing it for any of the obvious suspects.)
I really like Denzel Washington’s line (as Trip) from “Glory”:
Where about you from?
Trip: I’m from around Tennessee. I ran away when I was 12 years old and I ain’t never looked back.
Sharts: What ya doin’ since then?
Trip: I’ve been running for President. I ain’t winning though.
And Amp, thanks for reminding me of “The Lion in Winter”. It’s one of my top 10 favorites, and the pear line is one of the best.
From Jackie Brown, Pam Grier and Samuel L. Jackson:
From The Arican Queen, Katharine Hepburn:
From The Opposite of Sex, Lisa Kudrow (Lucia) and Christina Ricci (Dedee):
From Addams Family Values (Angelica Houston):
From The Truth About Cats And Dogs (Janine Garafalo):
I love Lion in Winter too – one of the all-time great films.
According to IMDB, it’s not from a movie, it’s just one of her personal quotes. It’s unbelievable how many amazing quotes Mae West said – the woman was brilliant.
“When caught between two evils I generally pick the one I’ve never tried before.”
“When I’m good, I’m very good, but when I’m bad, I’m better.”
“Marriage is a great institution. I’m not ready for an institution.”
“Too much of a good thing is wonderful.”
“Good girls go to heaven; Bad girls go everywhere else”.
“I used to be Snow White — but I drifted.”
“Ten men waiting for me at the door? Send one of them home, I’m tired.”
A favorite from Raising Arizona:
Euelle: Hey, these blow up into funny shapes at all?
Old Timer: Well, no. Unless round is funny.
Thanks for the great post…seems to be popular!
Sophia: All my life I had to fight. I had to fight my daddy. I had to fight my uncles. I had to fight my brothers. A girl child ain’t safe in a family of men, but I ain’t never thought I’d have to fight in my own house! I loves Harpo, God knows I do. But I’ll kill him dead ‘fo I let him beat me.
******************
Shug: [after telling Albert that she and her husband are leaving] Celie is coming with us.
Albert: What?
Shug: Celie is coming with us to Memphis.
Albert: Over my dead body.
Shug: You satisfied? That what you want?
Albert: [to Celie] NOW What’s wrong with you?
Celie: You a low down dirty dog, that’s what’s wrong. Time for me to get away from you, and enter into Creation. And your dead body’d be just the welcome mat I need.
Both from “The Color Purple”. God bless IMDB, cuz I couldn’t remember these on my own…
Linda Fox (Pam Grier) to Jack (Adrien Brody) as he’s getting arrested in Love the Hard Way
“You lost your job. You lost your girl and now you’ve gone and lost your cool.”
“L’amour est simple”; ‘Love is simple’ — Said by Garance in Les Enfants du Paradis [my favorite quote from my favorite movie]
“I’ll suck your cock for a thousand dollars,
Brant can’t watch though, or he has to has to pay a hundred”
Bunny from the Big Lebowski, not the most feminist of phrases I know, that’s more Maude’s style,
“My art has been commended as strongly vaginal which bothers some men. The word itself makes some men uncomfortable. Vagina.”
“Yes, they don’t like hearing it and find it difficult to say, whereas without batting an eye, a man will refer to his dick, his rod or his…johnson.”
some of those quotes are priceless gave me a much needed chuckle.
I like whoopi goldberg in eddie, jumping jack flash, corrina corrina,
there were alot of quotes I enjoyed, especially the giant mutant moths.
blazing saddles was another and I loved where the black sheriff says Where’s all the white woman!!!
RR
Well, if you’re going to quote them, at least do it right.
“DULUTH, that’s west of here isn’t it?”? (KH from Phil. Story)
And from Fargo, you gots ta say it wid da northern Minnysoda accent:
“And I guess tad be your accomplice in da woodchipper, eh?
From “Reality Bites”:
Leleina Pierce (Winona Ryder): I was really going to be somebody by the time I was 23.
Troy Dyer (Ethan Hawke): Honey, all you have to be by the time you’re 23 is yourself.
Lelaina Pierce: I don’t know who that is anymore.
Vickie Miner (Janeane Garofolo): You don’t understand, every day, all day, it’s all that I think about, OK? Every time I sneeze, it’s like I’m four sneezes away from the hospice. And it’s like it’s not even happening to me, it’s like I’m watching it on some crappy show like Melrose Place or some shit right, and I’m the new character, I’m the HIV AIDS character and I live in the building and I teach everybody that ‘It’s OK to be near me, it’s OK to talk to me.’ And then I die. And there’s everybody at my funeral wearing halter tops or chokers or some shit like that.
Leleina Pierce: Alright fine! You wanna be in a band, fine. Go ahead. Play every night. Play three times a night! Don’t just dick around the same coffee house for five years. Don’t dick around with her, or with me. I mean try at something for once in your life, do something about it. But you know what? You better do it now and you better do it fast because the world doesn’t owe you any favors.
(Man, I love that movie! )
From “When Harry Met Sally”:
Sally Albright (Meg Ryan): Harry, you’re gonna have to move back to New Jersey because you’ve slept with everybody in New York and I don’t see that turning Helen into a faint memory for you.
“Johnny, you can’t spend the rest of your life on fire” — Sue Storm, paraphrased from the trailer to the forthcoming Fantastic Four
Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here! This is the War Room!
Really.
Personally, I like the line from Homeward Bound, where the animal shelter employee is looking for Sassy:
“Here, kitty, kitty, kitty!”
“No, dummy, dummy, dummy.”
Star Wars only got on once, huh? Why does “It’s not my fault!” come to mind?
“Become the man you were born to be.” Elrond to Aragorn, Lord of the Rings.
“See, mother, I make all thing new.” Jesus to Mary, The Passion.
Really the same line. (Of course Aragorn is a derivative character.)
I also like this Morgan Freeman line from “Lean on Me:”
Joe Clark: The Lord said, do whatever you have to do. And he didn’t say “Joe, be polite.”
Also from a “Fish Called Wanda:
Wanda (Jamie Lee Curtis): Aristotle was not Belgian, the principle of Buddhism is not “every man for himself”, and the London Underground is not a political movement. Those are all mistakes, Otto. I looked them up.
C’era una volta il West:
Harmonica(Charles Bronson): And Frank?
Snaky: Frank sent us.
Harmonica: Did you bring a horse for me?
Snaky: Well… looks like we’re…
[snickers]
Snaky: …looks like we’re shy one horse.
Harmonica: You brought two too many.
The last line says it all -Best Quote Ever- well,for today. :)
In “Thief of Bagdad”, after Abu the Thief accidentally lets the Genie loose,
the Genie informs him that he (the Genie) will slay him (Abu). Abu promptly challenges the Genie that he was never really in the bottle.
“What?! You dare to doubt me?”
“If I am about to die in a moment – I can dare anything! And I say you were never in it!”
That scene impressed me mightily as a child, and it still does. Especially since Abu is tricking the Genie back into the bottle so he can re-seal it and throw it back into the ocean. The Genie did NOT see that coming.