There have been so many great lines in so many great movies it would be impossible to compile them all into a single list. Some movie lines have become staples of society. Others have been quoted and used by presidents. Still others have taken on new meanings and relevance beyond their original usage. Listed here are just a few of the best known, best loved, and most original movie lines of all time. How many do you remember, and can you name the movie in which they were first spoken? Some will be easy, others a little more difficult, but all should be memorable.
A top 25 of sorts, of some of the best lines ever written or spoken. The list of which movies go with the lines are listed below. Enjoy.
“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”
“Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
“Go ahead, make my day.”
You want to go home, find Jason Bourne.”
“E.T. phone home.”
“You can’t handle the truth!”
“Yippie Kia Mother F****r.”
“A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.”
“You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”
“Just smile and wave boys, just smile and wave.”
“I’ll be back.”
“If you build it, he will come.”
“I don’t know, I’m making this up as I go.”
“I see dead people.”
“Houston, we have a problem.”
“You’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well do ya, punkl?”
“There’s no crying in baseball.”
“Say hello to my little friend.”
“Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!”
“Here’s Johnny!”
“Listen to them. Children of the night. What music they make.”
“I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse.”
“I’ll have what she’s having.”
“A boy’s best friend is his mother.”
Okay, there they are, twenty-five of my favorite movie lines. How many did you get right? True, some are as extremely easy, while others may challenge you.
All 25 – You are an expert, but probably spend too much time watching movies, but that’s okay.
21 to 24 correct – You are above average and can be considered an authority on the subject.
16 to 20 – You are very good and you know your movies. Well done.
Less than 15 – You are probably not a big movie buff and as a result you are not concerned with how many you got right, so why grade from here down. I hope you enjoyed reviewing some great film moments. If you have any favorites you feel strongly about that were not listed here, please be sure to pass them along.
“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” – Gone with the wind. – Possibly the most famous line of any movie. At the time (1939) this was an extremely controversial line. In those days you did not say the word ‘damn’ in a movie, it was unheard of.
“Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” – The Wizard of Oz – You know it is a great line when it is used in other areas of life and in other movies. How many times have you seen or heard someone say this line, or something very close to it any they are in no way referring to the film?
“Go ahead, make my day.” – Sudden impact – This line was almost used to death after the movie was released. Possibly the most famous person to say the line, other than Clint Eastwood, was Ronald Reagan in a speech about the Former Soviet Union.
You want to go home, find Jason Bourne.” – The Bourne Supremacy – A great line from the movie. The team that is hunting Bourne feel they have an advantage on him but in fact while they are just starting their search, he already has them in his cross hairs, literally.
“E.T. phone home.” – E.T. the Extra-terrestrial – One of the best films ever made. Tens of millions of people fell in love with the wrinkly little alien. Once again, this line has been used by countless people from comedians to politicians.
“You can’t handle the truth!” – A few good men – A famous line from one of the most intense scenes in cinematic history. The exchange between the two actors was so real the emotion and tension in the room could be felt. THis line was the punctuation mark for the scene.
“Yippie Kia Mother F*****.” – Die Hard – Okay, if you guessed any of the Die Hard movies you can count this one as correct. John Mcclain is a true American hero who refuses to quit. He is constantly in the wrong place at the wrong time but is the only one who can get the job done. This line concludes each climatic battle between John and the bad guy.
“A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.” – The silence of the lambs – The line itself is chilling, but the way in which it was acted out makes it terrifying. The character of Hannibal Lector had seemed like a mild mannered gentleman until this line in which he reveals himself. Just a trivia note. Did you know Hannibal Lector never once blinked in the film?
“You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” – Jaws – A very serious and realistic observation as Chief Brody gets the first look at the star of Jaws. There is an element of comedy as well which serves as a nervous releif of the tension the movie manitained throughout. By the end of the movie they were all wishing they indeed had a bigger boat.
“Just smile and wave boys, just smile and wave.” – Madagascar – Some of my favorite characters from the film yet they had a very small role. The Penguins were hilarious and were as inventive and resourceful as any character in any movie. Way to go skipper.
“I’ll be back.” – Terminator – One of the few lines spoken by the Terminator in this classic sci-fi movie. A machine from the future comes back in time to kill the one person who can stop the machines in the future. It gets deep at some points, but like this line, it is also very basic. Lots of action.
“If you build it, he will come.” – Field of dreams – A line you did not understand the true meaning of until the very end of the film. Everything you thought was important, everything you thought the movie was about turned out to be wrong. The movie is about family, love, and second chances.
“I don’t know, I’m making this up as I go.” – Raiders of the lost ark – Once again this line was used in more than one of the Indiana Jones movies, but its true effect comes from the first film. Harrison Ford has to stop a heavily guarded truck, get to Cairo, and somehow sneak a large crate containing the Ark out of the country. How is he going to do it… even he doesn’t know, yet.
“I see dead people.” – The sixth sense – This is one of the best films of all time with perhaps the most surprising ending of any movie in recent history. Be honest, how many people really knew what was going on? How many saw the clues and knew the truth.
“Houston, we have a problem.” – Apollo 13 – A historical line that shocked NASA and the nation. The actual line, according to NASA transcripts was “Houston we have had a problem”. The words were so famous they were used in to promote the movie. It was in fact, the movie in a nutshell.
“You’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well do ya, punkl?” – Dirty Harry – The line, uttered twice during the movie, introduced us to one of the most memorable movie characters of all time, Dirty Harry. Did he fire six shots, or only five? To be honest with you, in the excitement of watching the movie, I kinda lost count myself.
“There’s no crying in baseball.” – A league of their own – Tom Hanks second entry in our most famous lines but on a far different level. As a crusty old ball player Hanks finds himself managing a women’s baseball team and the emotions displayed by the players are not quite what he is used to dealing with in the dugout.
“Say hello to my little friend.” – Scarface – Oh what a line, from one of the most violent movies ever made. Has anyone ever tried to complete a body count for this film? If you should do so, try to see just how many people fell victim to ‘my little friend.
“Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!” – Planet of the apes – One of several great lines from a movie that sparked a long string of sequels and very recently a re-make. The special effects of the re-make were far better, but the emotion and tension was missing, as was the great cast.
“Here’s Johnny!” – The Shinning – Axe in hand and a smile on his face, ol’ Jack knows how to make an entrance. It is interesting this scene was also used in Twister. Remember which movie scene was on the screen when the tornado hit the drive-in movie?
“Listen to them. Children of the night. What music they make.” – Dracula – The oldest entry into our listing and possibly the least seen. Even though many have not seen the film in its entirity, the clips of this line have been shown over and over again. If you are a film buff, you know this one.
“I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse.” – The Godfather – According to Tom Hanks in “You’ve Got Mail” the answer to any question can be found in the Godfather. This is just one of many memorable lines and scenes from one of the all time best movies. It is also interested that this movie, as well as its sequal won the Oscar for best picture. The third instalment of the series was nominated for best picture, but did not win.
“I’ll have what she’s having.” – When Harry met Sally – Did you know that was Meg Ryan’s mother sitting beside her in the dinner and had this great line? Okay, you probably did, but how hard would it be to act out that scene with mom sitting beside you? The scene itself was great, but when topped off with this famous line, it became a movie classic.
“A boy’s best friend is his mother.” – Psycho – As a child this was one of the first horror movies I remember seeing. The shower scene is famous, as is the final conflict in the basement with the swinging light and dear old mom in all her glory. This movie was creepy from the very beginning, and this line summed up the feeling very well.
