15 Most Memorable Movie Quotes
Find out which one-liners were so catchy they stuck
By Amanda Greene Posted June 30, 2010 from WomansDay.com
Good acting, complex characters and interesting plotlines are all essential components of a great movie. But you know a film is iconic when hearing just one line immediately brings the movie to mind—whether you've seen it or not. Whether they've been parodied to death, like Arnold's famous "I'll be back," or become classic like Field of Dreams' "If you build it, he will come," the 15 one-liners below prove that sometimes words speak louder than actions.
1. "I'll be back." (The Terminator)
This line is so legendary you can't repeat it—let alone think it—without employing Arnold Schwarzenegger's trademark Austrian accent. He first delivered the phrase in The Terminator, when he was denied entry into a police station and later returned in a police car to smash through the doors. It was so popular he used it, or a line similar to it, in many of his later films, including Commando, Last Action Hero and Twins.
2. "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse." (The Godfather)
The Godfather's Don Corleone, played by Marlon Brando, delivers this classic line in reference to helping his godson, Johnny Fontane, further his acting career. Johnny was refused a role in an upcoming movie and the Don promises he'll convince the studio executive to reconsider. A polite chat—and his "offer" of a severed racehorse head delivered to the producer's bed—does the trick.
3. "Life is like a box of chocolates." (Forrest Gump)
Thank Forrest Gump for the perfect explanation of unexpected circumstances. When Tom Hanks's character recounts his life story at a Savannah, Georgia, bus stop, he shares his mother's catchy adage: "My momma always said life was like a box of chocolates: You never know what you're gonna get."
4. "I feel the need . . . the need for speed!" (Top Gun)
As Maverick, a hotshot trainee at the Top Gun Naval Flying School, Tom Cruise enthusiastically displays—along with a chorus of fellow pilots––his passion for flying with the classic line: "I feel the need . . . the need for speed!"
5. "Say hello to my little friend." (Scarface)
Tony Montana, Al Pacino's character in the cult gangster film Scarface, has plenty of quotable lines. The most iconic, though, is delivered at the end of the film; when Montana is being ambushed in his mansion, he yells at his attackers: "Say hello to my little friend." His friend, of course, is his M16 assault rifle with an M203 40mm grenade launcher attached to the barrel.
6. "Show me the money!" (Jerry Maguire)
When Jerry Maguire, played by Tom Cruise, is fired from his job as a sports agent, he struggles to retain his former clients. On a long phone call with Rod Tidwell, played by Cuba Gooding, Jr., Tidwell tests Maguire's commitment to him and offers up his bottom line. The scene ends with the now-famous "Show me the money!" scream-a-thon.
7. "You can't handle the truth!" (A Few Good Men)
In this film about the trial of two U.S. Marines charged with the murder of a fellow Marine, Jack Nicholson is at the center of one of the most famous movie courtroom scenes ever. When Lieutenant Kaffee, played by Tom Cruise, questions Nicholson's character, demanding the truth," Nicholson famously retorts, "You can't handle the truth!"
8. "Houston, we have a problem." (Apollo 13)
This line is memorable not only because of Tom Hanks's great delivery in Apollo 13, but because it actually happened. In 1970, spacecraft Apollo 13 was headed for the moon, but when an oxygen tank exploded and caused a loss of electrical power, Commander Jim Lovell had no choice but to radio Mission Control, informing them of the "problem."
9. "Go ahead, make my day." (Sudden Impact)
The legendary catchphrase in Sudden Impact, the fourth film in the Dirty Harry series, is often wrongly attributed to the first movie. But "Go ahead, make my day" was spoken by Clint Eastwood in this film, the only one in the series directed by Eastwood himself, during a showdown in a hostage situation at a diner.
10. "If you build it, he will come." (Field of Dreams)
Kevin Costner plays Ray Kinsella, an Iowa farmer, in this Oscar-nominated movie. While walking through his cornfields, Kinsella sees a vision of a baseball field and hears a voice that quietly says, "If you build it, he will come." Kinsella listens to the voice, and builds a baseball field on his property in a quest to find out who "he" is.
11. "What we've got here is failure to communicate." (Cool Hand Luke)
This well-known line is spoken twice in Cool Hand Luke—first by the prison captain after he lashes out at prisoner Luke, played by Paul Newman, and secondly by Newman himself. The only difference is that when Newman delivers the line, he adds an "a," making it: "What we've got here is a failure to communicate."
12. "May the force be with you." (Star Wars)
You can't hear "May the force be with you" without thinking of Star Wars—it has been spoken at least once in each of the movies. In the films, the phrase is used to wish people luck before upcoming challenges.
13. "The name's Bond. James Bond." (James Bond)
No matter who plays James Bond—Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan or Daniel Craig, to name a few––one thing's for sure: He'll always introduce himself as "…Bond. James Bond."
14. "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine." (Casablanca)
Casablanca has many memorable lines—like "Play it, Sam" and "We'll always have Paris"––but who can forget this lament from a heartbroken Rick Blaine, played by Humphrey Bogart?
15. “Bueller…Bueller…” (Ferris Bueller's Day Off)
This scene wouldn't be the same without Ben Stein's famous nasal drone. When calling roll for class, Stein arrives at Ferris Bueller's name, but when he gets no response, just hilariously keeps on repeating "Bueller."
What's your all-time favorite movie quote? Let us know in the comments section!
