100 Greatest movie quotes from 100 years of film – KAKE

100 greatest movie quotes from 100 years of film

Notable movie lines become part of the cultural lexicon, working their way into pop culture, parodies, andin the digital agecirculating as gifs and memes.

It's only fitting, then, that the American Film Institute (AFI) in 2005 compiled a list of the greatest movie quotesbased on feedback from more than 1,500 leaders in the creative community including film artists, critics, and historians. There have, of course, been many worthyadditions over the last decade and a half that warrant future consideration: Lines like I drink your milkshake, from There Will Be Blood, or I wish I knew how to quit you, from Brokeback Mountain, were delivered shortly after the cut-off date. Look at me, Im the captain now, from Captain Phillips has also received full meme treatment, as has Why so serious? from The Dark Knight.

The quotes in AFI's list were selected from a ballot that included 400 choices from American films that have deeply circulated throughout popular culture over the years toexpand theirhistorical legacies. The earliest film quote comes from 1927s The Jazz Singer, with Wait a minute, wait a minuteyou aint heard nothin yet, a slick self-reference to its status as the first talkie. The final year represented is 2002s The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers with the line My precious delivered by Andy Serkis unforgettable Gollum.

1939 saw the most movie quotes on the ballot, the year that powerhouse films The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind premiered. Casablanca is the film with the most quotes in the top 100a whopping sixwhittled down from 10 quotes. Three of the lines are delivered on the foggy tarmac where Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman say goodbye with iconic panache.

Read on to see how many of the quotes from the top 100 you already know by heart.

- Quote: "I'm the King of the World!"- Character: Jack Dawson- Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio

James Cameron famously shouted this movie line (delivered as Jack Dawson spreads his arms and shouts it from the ships prow) after winning the Oscar for Best Director for Titanic in 1998. Twenty years later, he told Vanity Fair that he regretted the hubris. I now realize what was wrong with my choice to do that. Titanic is still tied with Ben-Hur and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King for the most Oscar wins of all time.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

#99. The Wizard of Oz (1939)

- Quote: "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too!"- Character: Wicked Witch of the West- Actor: Margaret Hamilton

The Wizard of Oz remains one of the most influential films in history, in part because it features witches (both good and bad). These on-screen witches gave way to the popular Broadway show Wicked, and this famous line pops up anywhere witches are referenced.

Great American Films Limited Partnership

#98. Dirty Dancing (1987)

- Quote: "Nobody puts Baby in a corner."- Character: Johnny Castle- Actor: Patrick Swayze

Dirty Dancing writer Eleanor Bergstein, explained that Patrick Swazye didnt want to say the iconic line, but he gave it one take. Swayzes earnest performance as Johnny Castle made this line an enduring classic, both silly and sweet. The line was also a 2005 song title for the rock band Fall Out Boy.

#97. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

- Quote: "My mother thanks you. My father thanks you. My sister thanks you. And I thank you."- Character: George M. Cohan- Actor: James Cagney

Released in 1942, this story about the composer of Americas most patriotic songs, became easy propaganda to get the U.S. in a rousing mood for World War II. James Cagney as Cohan speaks the line to President Roosevelt after receiving a medal for serving his country. The line solidifies the notion of the family as a cornerstone of patriotism, and as an extension of the strength of powerful, good men.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

- Quote: "Snap out of it!"- Character: Loretta Castorini- Actor: Cher

As Loretta, Cher slaps Nicolas Cagetwice beforespeaking this famous admonition. Lorettas inspired anger in the face of a declaration of love comes across as a spirited rebellion against traditional romantic norms.

#95. Dead Poets Society (1989)

- Quote: "Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary."- Character: John Keating- Actor: Robin Williams

Robin Williams was already a star when Dead Poets Society premiered, but he would grow into a beloved cultural icon after this film. Dead Poets Society endures due to its theme, tied to this powerfully optimistic line, in a film thats beautiful, but sorrowful.

- Quote: "I feel the needthe need for speed!"- Character: Pete Mitchell & Nick Bradshaw- Actor: Tom Cruise & Anthony Edwards

Tom Cruises hotshot pilot Maverick was a famously adorable rapscalliona trait embodied in this short, simple line. Despite its overall campiness, reflected best in the unforgettable volleyball scene, the films sequel is set to release in 2020. Cruise will reprise his role.

- Quote: "Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!"- Character: Mame Dennis- Actor: Rosalind Russell

This film became famous for bucking Hays Code restrictions in the 1950s with open references to homosexuality and gender-bending. This film became a camp classic for its gay sensibility and for Rosalind Russells exuberant costumes and one-liners like this one, delivered to her repressed nephew.

- Quote: "Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a mirac...It's in the hole! It's in the hole! It's in the hole!"- Character: Carl Spackler- Actor: Bill Murray

Bill Murrays famous Cinderella monologue didnt appear in the Caddyshack scriptthe actor was only given directions to lop the heads off tulips while practicing his golf swing. Murray requested mums instead, and improvised the famous riff doing imaginary sports commentary.

#91. The Naughty Nineties (1945)

- Quote: "Who's on first?"- Character: Dexter- Actor: Bud Abbott

Its hard to imagine this long bit about about a baseball player named Whos would appeal to a contemporary audience. The classic comedy duo Abbott and Costello use the line Whos on first? as fodder for wordplay antics. In this routine filled with dialogue about baseball players, some also have the names Tomorrow and Naturally, allowing for extended comic hijinks.

- Quote: "A martini. Shaken, not stirred."- Character: James Bond- Actor: Sean Connery

This line captures the essence of the special agent hero: handsome and cultured, with impeccable taste. Not surprisingly, the line (which originated in Ian Flemings 007 novels) endures not only in the films, but in contemporary cocktail culture.

#89. Knute Rockne, All American (1940)

- Quote: "Tell 'em to go out there with all they got and win just one for the Gipper."- Character: Knute Rockne- Actor: Pat O'Brien

George Gipp was a real-life football player who became forever entwined with the political mythology of Ronald Reagan. The former president starred as the dying Gipper, and asks his coach to inspire his team with the line. It became a catchphrase during Reagans campaign, a crossover between politics and popular culture.

#88. On Golden Pond (1981)

- Quote: "Listen to me, mister. You're my knight in shining armor. Don't you forget it. You're going to get back on that horse, and I'm going to be right behind you, holding on tight, and away we're gonna go, go, go!"- Character: Ethel Thayer- Actor: Katharine Hepburn

In this tear-jerking scene, stars confront old age and mortality in a love story rarely shown in Hollywood. Katharine Hepburn performed the role while suffering from Parkinsons, and delivers this line while comforting her ailing husband.

- Quote: "Sawyer, you're going out a youngster, but you've got to come back a star!"- Character: Julian Marsh- Actor: Warner Baxter

Ruby Keeler (as Peggy) stars in this Busby Berkeley musical set in the backstage of Broadway, filled with cinematic dance numbers. When the star breaks her ankle, the show must go on, so the director sends ingenue understudy Peggy to the stage with this famous line.

#86. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

- Quote: "Attica! Attica!"- Character: Sonny Wortzik- Actor: Al Pacino

Dog Day Afternoon, about a bank heist gone wrong, got the audience on the side of the criminals. When Al Pacino (as robber Sonny) emerges from the bank and confronts the cops, he gets the crowd to chant Attica! Attica! This is a reference to the 1971 prison riot and the prisoners rights movement, demonstrating the films strong anti-establishment bent. Pacino ad-libbed the lines after consulting with the assistant director.

#85. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

- Quote: "My precious."- Character: Gollum- Actor: Andy Serkis

Gollum became an emblem for CGI performances after The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, setting the bar for characters created by animators and portrayed by actors. Gollum is especially intriguing for his grotesque obsession thats somehow still relatable. The line was quickly "memed" as a stand-in for obsessive behavior.

- Quote: "Oh, no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast."- Character: Carl Denham- Actor: Robert Armstrong

This line is delivered when King Kong has fallen off the Empire State and lies dead in the street below. Its a romantic rigaromole: it really was the airplanes, but here the men who tortured the poor creature deflect responsibility onto a woman.

- Quote: "Listen to them. Children of the night. What music they make."- Character: Count Dracula- Actor: Bela Lugosi

If the castle wasnt freaky enough, Count Dracula utters these creepy lines to an out-of-town guest who hears howls in the distance. The line is eerie, but also filled with humanity and beauty that breathes within Bela Lugosis intense performance as the iconic vampire.

#82. National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)

- Quote: "Toga! Toga!"- Character: John "Bluto" Blutarsky- Actor: John Belushi

John Belushi shines as the emblematic co-ed in this paean to college party life set in a fraternity house on probation. Belushi plays the feral Bluto with an animal-like unshackling, as if hes the unfettered id of the frat boy soul.

- Quote: "Hello, gorgeous."- Character: Fanny Brice- Actor: Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand repeated this famous line during her Best Actress Academy Award acceptance speech. In the film, the camera pans to her character, decked out in a leopard print coat and hat, gazing at herself in the mirror and greeting her lovely visage.

Chartoff-Winkler Productions

- Quote: "Yo, Adrian!"- Character: Rocky Balboa- Actor: Sylvester Stallone

After the brutal fight, and the even crueler loss to Apollo Creed, Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) tries to make his way through the throng to Adrian. Rocky was a small film, and an early major role for Stallone, but the underdog story took the country by storm and became a titan franchise.

- Quote: "I am seriousand don't call me Shirley."- Character: Dr. Rumack- Actor: Leslie Nielsen

Leslie Nielsens deadpan delivery comes after the perfect set-up, Surely you cant be serious. Airplanes slapstick silliness reveled in wordplay and sight gags, but popular culture fell in love with this line as the ideal rejoinder to use upon hearing surely.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

#78. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

- Quote: "Open the pod bay doors, HAL."- Character: Dave Bowman- Actor: Keir Dullea

The sentient HAL computer in Stanley Kubricks sci-fi epic speaks with a calm and chilling voice. When Keir Dullea (as astronaut Dave) implores the computer to open the doors, the simple red eye and disembodied voice of HAL offers an eerie counterpart to the outwitted human.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

#77. Soylent Green (1973)

- Quote: "Soylent Green is people!"- Character: Det. Robert Thorn- Actor: Charlton Heston

In this sci-fi thriller about environmental disaster, set in 2022, the apocalypse has caused a shortage of food and humans subsist on a mysterious substance called, you guessed it, soylent. This famous line, which admittedly gives away the movies ending, is performed by Charlton Heston with characteristic hysteria.

#76. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

- Quote: "Hasta la vista, baby."- Character: The Terminator- Actor: Arnold Schwarzenegger

Theres something about Arnold Schwarzeneggers line deliverieshe performs in a way thats both stiff and also infused with sincerity. Since he plays a robot in the Terminator franchise, his dialogue is rife with humor. The script co-writer revealed that he and director James Cameron used to say this catchphrase to one another, but Schwarzenegger made it one of his trademarks.

#75. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

- Quote: "I have always depended on the kindness of strangers."- Character: Blanche DuBois- Actor: Vivien Leigh

Vivien Leigh captures the vulnerability of Blanch DuBois thats epitomized in this lineit also contains an irony that strangers arent kind. The world is harsh and women like her wont survive, despite her optimistic facade that hides a traumatized woman just beneath.

- Quote: "Forget it, Jake, it's Chinatown."- Character: Lawrence Walsh- Actor: Joe Mantell

In 1974, Chinatown shocked audiences with its distressing, tragic ending. The chilling effect of one of its final lines relays the dark notion that no one can be saved, and even the most twisted corruptors get away with their crimes.

#73. Little Caesar (1931)

- Quote: "Mother of mercy, is this the end of Rico?"- Character: Rico Bandello- Actor: Edward G. Robinson

Little Caesar was one of the first gangster films, brimming with corruption, violence, and indecency before the film industrys organized censorship. The famous last line, gangster Ricos dying words were toned down from Mother of God, in order to avoid offending the religious.

#72. Mommie Dearest (1981)

- Quote: "No wire hangers, ever!"- Character: Joan Crawford- Actor: Faye Dunaway

Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford doubled the appeal of glamourous rage-filled melodrama in Mommie Dearest. She delivers the line wearing a layer of face cream and smeared red lipstick in the middle of the night, as her hysteria is revealed.

#71. The Jazz Singer (1927)

- Quote: "Wait a minute, wait a minute. You ain't heard nothin' yet!"- Character: Jakie Rabinowitz/Jack Robin- Actor: Al Jolson

This famous line inaugurates the moment in film history when talkies took over. It was the first film with a synchronized soundtrack that included both dialogue and singing. The Jazz Singer is just as famous for sequences with Al Jolson donning blackface, which complicates the films history and legacy.

- Quote: "Is it safe?"- Character: Dr. Christian Szell- Actor: Laurence Olivier

The chilling irony of asking about safety during a torture scene makes Marathon Man an unforgettable horror film thats still relevant today. Laurence Olivier plays a Nazi war criminal whose brutality is especially apparent when Dustin Hoffmans character, an unwitting runner caught up in his plot, ends up in his dentist chair.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

- Quote: "They're here!"- Character: Carol Anne Freeling- Actor: Heather O'Rourke

Young Carol Anne seems happy enough when she announces the presence of the entities who are about to wreak terrifying havoc on her family. The television static, usually innocuous, becomes a sign of unrest. As in many horror films, the ideal American life is ripe for shock and horror in Poltergeist.

- Quote: "Here's Johnny!"- Character: Jack Torrance- Actor: Jack Nicholson

1980s The Shining was deemed one of the scariest movies of all time based on a study of viewers heart rates while viewing the film. This quintessential cinematic jump scare has origins in The Tonights Shows iconic introduction of Johnny Carson by Ed McMahon. During the Heres Johnny! scene, when the deranged Jack bursts through a door with an axe, viewers pulses rose by 28.2%.

- Quote: "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine."- Character: Rick Blaine- Actor: Humphrey Bogart

Rock band Fall Out Boys 2005 album, From Under the Cork Tree, has two song titles that are famous movie lines: Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner, and Of All the Gin Joints in All the World. Humphrey Bogarts leading man Rick delivers this line that captures the universal notion of fated love. More than 75 years after its release, Casablanca still has a strong hold on popular culture.

#66. Planet of the Apes (1968)

- Quote: "Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape."- Character: George Taylor- Actor: Charlton Heston

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100 Greatest movie quotes from 100 years of film - KAKE

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero