Some movie lines leave an indelible mark on pop culture and live on as the most quotable moments in film. It's not just in the lines themselves, but also in the delivery. Someone in a popular online forum asked, “What is your favorite movie line of all time?” Here are the top 25 responses.
1 – Troy (2004)
Everything about this movie is iconic, but there is one line film lovers can't get over, almost two decades later.
“You won't have eyes tonight; you won't have ears or a tongue. You will wander the underworld blind, deaf, and dumb, and all the dead will know: this is Hector. The fool who thought he killed Achilles.” Chills, literal chills. Brad Pitt deserves a crown for that one.
2 – Alien (1979)
Alien had many exciting lines and memorable quotes, but there's one that stands out to movie fans. The way Ash says, “I can't lie to you about your chances, but… you have my sympathies” to Ripley is a classic movie moment.
3 – Jaws (1975)
Steven Spielberg's thriller may have highlighted the director's genius, but Quint (Robert Shaw) deserves some accolades.
“Sometimes that shark looks right at ya. Right into your eyes. And the thing about a shark is he's got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll's eyes. When he comes at ya, he doesn't seem to be livin' until he bites ya…,” he says.
4 – Dr Strangelove
“Gentlemen, you can't fight in here. This is the war room!” This is a top quote from Stanley Kubrick's 1964 film. Hilarious. If you haven't, you should see the movie — the comedy will knock your boots right off.
5 – Gladiator (2000)
Russell Crowe, who played Maximus in this epic film, delivered one of history's most hauntingly powerful lines.
“My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, and 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.” I would run for my life if someone said that to me.
6 – The Princess Bride (1987)
Here is a musing for you: “Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something,” says the Dread Pirate Roberts.
7 – The Princess Bride (1987)
Vengeance has been a recurring theme throughout the history of film. One's quest for vengeance can only stand out with heightened urgency, as is the case when Inigo chases Rugen. “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
8 – Sneakers (1992)
“There isn't a government on this planet that wouldn't kill us all for that thing,” Donald Crease says. Of course, it's a super secret important item he and his team must retrieve and guard with their lives.
9 – The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
“Get busy living or get busy dying.” Both Andy Dufresne and Ellis “Red” Redding delivered this stellar line. That pretty much sums up life.
10 – Blade Runner (1982)
“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 the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain… Time to die.”
There's something sweet and poetic about comparing memories to tears in rain and something sad about how quickly moments become forgotten like they never happened.
11 – The Lord of The Rings: The Return of The King (2003)
“My friends, you bow to no one,” Aragorn says. Listen up, this advice is what you need to avoid being taken for granted. Keep your head up, soldier.
12 – Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)
Thanks to this comedy classic, some of us can't help but say, “Kinda hot in these rhinos” when we step into a hot vehicle or building.
13 – Stand By Me (1986)
“I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?” Gordie Lachance says. There's so much jarring honesty in that line that it is almost terrifying — must be why it's stood the test of time.
14 – Heat (1995)
“Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner,” Neil (Robert De Niro) says to Vincent (Al Pacino). You already know it was a fire scene.
15 – Rambo (2008)
According to John Rambo, here's the one truth about wars: “Old men start it, young men fight it, nobody wins, everybody in the middle dies… and nobody tells the truth!”
16 – Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)
“I'm a rebel, Dottie. A loner. There are things about me you wouldn't understand. Couldn't understand. WOULDN'T Understand.” This famous line from Pee-wee's Big Adventure is one every loner can relate to.
17 – The Matrix (1999)
“Do you hear that, Mr. Anderson? That is the sound of inevitability,” Agent Smith says. Can we all agree there's almost nothing better than the sweet sound of inevitability?
18 – Annihilation (2018)
“Almost all of us self-destruct. In some way, in some part of our lives. We drink, or we smoke, we destabilize the good job… and a happy marriage. But these aren't decisions, they're… they're impulses.”
While I didn't particularly like the movie Annihilation, I agree with the movie fan who pointed out that those lines from Dr. Ventress are pretty darned cool!
19 – The Lord of The Rings: The Return of The King (2003)
“No, the journey doesn't end here,” Gandalf said to Pippin. “Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The gray rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it.” Many have much to say about death, but few compare to Gandalf's wisdom.
20 – The Godfather (1972)
“I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse.” Our humble apologies if you were wondering why you had not seen this quote yet on the list. Decades later, The Godfather is infamous for this line.
21 – Tombstone (1993)
“A man like Ringo has got a great big hole, right in the middle of him. He can never kill enough, or steal enough, or inflict enough pain to ever fill it,” Doc Holliday says.
22 – Tombstone (1993)
“You tell 'em I'm coming, and hell's coming with me!” Tombstone is filled with so many memorable lines with impeccable execution, and this is one particularly great one.
23 – Goodfellas (1990)
This movie opens with the iconic line, “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.” This iconic line sets the tone for the whole movie.
24 – Scarface (1983)
“All I have in this world is my balls and my word and I don't break 'em for no one.” Tony Montana, played by Al Pacino, dropped some of the finest lines in Scarface, so much that we could quote the entire movie. Every line is a golden gem.
25 – Unforgiven (1992)
“It's a heck of a thing, killing a man. You take away all he's got and all he's ever gonna have,” Bill Munny says in this classic film. And boy, isn't he right.
Source: Reddit.
Boloere Divine Seibidor, fondly called B.S., is a Nigerian-based writer and poet. Her favorite topics include music, especially Hip-Hop, film, lifestyle, and fashion. She's been published by Feral Journal, Fantasy Magazine, The Temz Review, and most notably, Wealth of Geeks. She enjoys romantic dinners, movie nights, and touring new sights. When she's not writing, she's delving back in time to the underground world of Hip-Hop, watching TikTok, or visiting the cinema.