How many movies can you remember a line from verbatim? Like, an “I'll be back”-level line that will stick in your head forever? Not that many, I bet.
When fans put forth the best lines they've ever heard from a movie, it's not all about how clever the line is. An elite turn of phrase or line of dialogue sticks in your craw—fans couldn't scrub these lines from their memory banks with a movie theater's worth of bleach.
1. A Few Good Men
When Tom from accounting asks you whether you want to join his bowling league or your wife asks whether her new dress makes her look fat, this iconic line from A Few Good Men might go through your mind. Don't say it, don't say it…
“You can't handle the truth!”
2. Airplane!
No movie line is as readymade for use in everyday conversation as Leslie Nielsen's iconic retort in Airplane!
“Surely you can't be serious!”
“I am serious, and don't call me Shirley.”
3. Kingsman: The Secret Service
Kingsman is a film built on snappy dialogue and countless one-liners. Colin Firth's Harry Hart counterbalances the biting British wit with memorable monologues packed with genuine wisdom, including this beauty:
“Being a gentleman has nothing to do with one's accent. It's about being at ease in one's own skin. There's nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man. True nobility is being superior to your former self.”
4. The Princess Bride
Few movies resonate with multiple generations as The Princess Bride does. Mandy Patinkin's Inigo Montoya repeated one phrase that may just be the most quoted line of dialogue ever written (besides “I'll be back,” of course).
“Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
5. Top Gun
We've all said it when we're going super fast in a go-kart or trying to beat our friends in a race;
“I feel the need, the need for speed.”
The only difference is we're not flying a super-fast airplane miles above Earth.
6. Office Space
Few movies sum up modern existential dread quite like Office Space. One specific line perfectly encapsulates the unrivaled misery of the cubicle.
“So I was sitting in my cubicle today, and I realized, ever since I started working, every single day of my life has been worse than the day before it. So that means that every single day that you see me, that's on the worst day of my life.”
7. Field of Dreams
If “wanna have a catch?” doesn't immediately cue waterworks, you're either not a baseball fan, on solid terms with your dad, or out of touch with your emotions. Or, you just haven't seen Field of Dreams and don't get the reference.
8. Gladiator
Thanks for coming in, go ahead and tell me a bit about yourself, Maximus.
“My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.”
Okey dokey. You got the job, Max. Just don't kill me, please.
9. No Country for Old Men
Few lines invoke the bone-trembling, goosebumps-raising chill of Anton Chigurh's ominous question: “What's the most you've ever lost in a coin toss?”
10. Fast Times at Ridgemont High
While the “doesn't that make it our time?” line is far more quotable, Sean Penn's Jeff Spicoli drops a stoner-ific knowledge bomb that Fast Times at Ridgemont High stans will quickly recognize.
“What Jefferson was saying was, hey, you know, we left this England place 'cause it was bogus; so if we don't get some cool rules ourselves—pronto—we'll just be bogus, too! Get it?”
11. Dirty Harry
“Do you feel lucky, punk?” Well, do ya?
12. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Arguably the most forgettable of the Harry Potter films delivered a timeless line about talent versus work ethic.
“It's our choices, Harry, that show us what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
13. Dead Poets Society
There are a lot of quotes that spark great change in our lives, but there's still something so powerful about this quote from Dead Poets Society:
“Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.”
14. The Devil Wears Prada
We love sarcasm. We love Meryl Streep's performance in The Devil Wears Prada. We love this quote.
“By all means, move at a glacial pace. You know how that thrills me.”
15. Spider-Man
Uncle Ben is one of the most beloved characters in the 2002 version of Spider-Man and his quote, “With great power, comes great responsibility,” that thinking about it might bring tears to your eyes.
