You’ll recognize these lines from famous movies — but do you remember who said them?
“Here’s looking at you, kid.” “There’s no place like home.” “Show me the money!”
Movie history is full of incredible one-liners that make us laugh or cry, or at the very least take us on a nostalgia trip.
We all have our favorite movie quote — here are 50 of the best.
‘Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.’
Movie: “Gone With the Wind”
Year of release: 1939
Who said it? Rhett Butler (Clark Gable)
Voted the number one movie line of all time by the American Film Institute in 2005, Butler’s closing remark to Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh) is the ultimate farewell to a never-satisfied spouse.
But it very nearly didn’t make it into the film — it was almost cut because it contained “a vulgarism.” Luckily, the movie got special dispensation to use “damn” (and also “hell”) in specific situations.
‘I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse.’
Movie: “The Godfather”
Year of release: 1972
Who said it? Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando)
Probably the most famous line to leave the lips of a movie gangster, this one makes it into each of Francis Ford Coppola’s epic “Godfather” films in some way or another.
In the first installment, Corleone uses his clout to secure his godson Johnny Fontane (Al Martino) a role in a Hollywood movie.
‘You don't understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am.’
Movie: “On the Waterfront”
Year of release: 1954
Who said it? Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando)
Brando won his first Oscar for his performance in “On the Waterfront.”
His “I coulda been a contender” line is from a crucial scene, in which boxer Malloy is close to tears as he thinks about how different his life could have been if his brother hadn’t encouraged him to throw a fight.
‘Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.’
Movie: “The Wizard of Oz”
Year of release: 1939
Who said it? Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland)
It’s often misquoted as “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore, Toto” or “Looks like we’re not in Kansas anymore,” but it doesn’t matter — everyone knows what it means.
And as one of the most famous movie quotes in film history, it’s become a common idiom used when someone finds themselves in a strange situation or unfamiliar place.
‘Here's looking at you, kid.’
Movie: “Casablanca”
Year of release: 1942
Who said it? Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart)
Another iconic movie line that was almost never spoken, this was originally “Here’s good luck to you, kid.”
Reportedly, Bogart changed the line after teaching Ingrid Bergman, who played Ilsa Lund (Rick’s former lover), how to play poker during filming.
‘Go ahead, make my day.’
Movie: “Sudden Impact”
Year of release: 1983
Who said it? Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood)
Short but intense, “Go ahead, make my day” features in the fourth installment in the “Dirty Harry” film series, as Callahan takes out all but one of a bunch of criminals in a diner.
The line resonated with audiences and Hollywood scriptwriters alike — it was referenced or parodied in everything from “Back to the Future III” to “The Golden Girls.”
‘May the Force be with you.’
Movie: “Star Wars: A New Hope”
Year of release: 1977
Who said it? General Dodonna (Alex McCrindle)
Obi-Wan Kenobi is widely credited for being the first Star Wars character to say the famous phrase, “May the Force be with you,” but it was actually a minor character, General Dodonna, who said it to his Rebel troops before the Battle of Yavin.
It’s the first of many utterances throughout the entire film franchise and is instantly recognizable even to those who’ve never watched the movies.
‘You talking to me?’
Movie: “Taxi Driver”
Year of release: 1976
Who said it? Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro)
Sometimes, actors take liberties with their script — and thanks to De Niro ad-libbing in a scene where Bickle talks to himself in the mirror, one of the most iconic movie quotes of all time was born.
He’s never been able to leave it behind, either — he revealed at a 40th-anniversary screening of the movie at the 2016 TriBeCa Film Festival that “every day for 40 f***ing years, at least once of you has come up to me and said — what do you think — ‘You talkin’ to me?’”
‘What we've got here is failure to communicate.’
Movie: “Cool Hand Luke”
Year of release: 1967
Who said it? Captain (Strother Martin)
One of the greatest lines to come out of ‘60s Hollywood, “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate” wasn’t said by the leading man, Paul Newman.
As prisoner Luke Jackson, he was on the receiving end of those words from Strother’s prison warden, a tone-deaf description of the master-prisoner relationship.
‘I love the smell of napalm in the morning.’
Movie: “Apocalypse Now”
Year of release: 1979
Who said it? Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore (Robert Duvall)
In a 2004 poll of U.K. movie fans, the famous “napalm” speech in Francis Ford Coppola’s Vietnam War epic “Apocalypse Now” was voted the best in cinema history.
Spoken as soldiers surf the waves behind a ruined village, no other line is quite as powerful in defining the horrors of war.
‘Love means never having to say you're sorry.’
Movie: “Love Story”
Year of release: 1970
Who said it? Oliver Barrett (Ryan O’Neal)
If there’s a movie line that’s made for a meme, it’s “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”
And if you don’t agree with the sentiment, you’ll appreciate the scene in the screwball comedy “What’s Up Doc” (1972) when Barbra Streisand says the same line to O’Neal’s character Howard Bannister, and he replies, "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."
‘The stuff that dreams are made of.’
Movie: “The Maltese Falcon”
Year of release: 1941
Who said it? Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart)
Another winning line from Bogart, “The stuff that dreams are made of” actually has its roots in “The Tempest,” a play by William Shakespeare.
The magician Prospero says, “We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.”
He’s reminding his daughter and her fiancé that mortal life ends quickly. By alluding to the fact that the Maltese Falcon is insubstantial, Spade is basically saying the same thing.
‘E.T. home phone.’
Movie: “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial”
Year of release: 1982
Who said it? E.T.
Another one that’s usually misquoted — the lovable alien never actually says “Phone home,” this line is a reminder to always check in with where you came from, no matter how far you stray.
‘They call me Mister Tibbs!’
Movie: “In the Heat of the Night”
Year of release: 1967
Who said it? Detective Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier)
This line comes in arguably the most impactful scene of the movie, when Tibbs stands up to a group of racist policemen who are making fun of his name.
The words were spoken more than 50 years ago, but they’ve never been more relevant.
‘Rosebud.’
Movie: “Citizen Kane”
Year of release: 1941
Who said it? Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles)
Sometimes, a single word can be more powerful than an entire sentence. In Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane,” which was declared the greatest American film of all time by the American Film Institute, Kane’s dying word has been the subject of great debate.
However, Welles himself said that Rosebud was the trade name of a cheap sled on which Kane was playing the day he was taken away from his home and his mother.
He added, “it represented the simplicity, the comfort, above all the lack of responsibility in his home, and also it stood for his mother’s love, which Kane never lost.”
‘Made it, Ma! Top of the world!’
Movie: “White Heat”
Year of release: 1949
Who said it? Cody Jarrett (James Cagney)
In a scene in one of the greatest gangster movies of all time, deranged crime leader Jarrett reacts to the death of his mother by climbing on top of a giant gas storage tank.
He just has time to shout the famous line before the entire thing goes up in flames.
‘I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!’
Movie: “Network”
Year of release: 1976
Who said it? Howard Beale (Peter Finch)
Finch won a posthumous Oscar for his role in “Network,” and his most memorable line in the movie is part of his breakdown on national television, when he announces he’s going to kill himself live on air.
Another one that rings true today.
‘Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.’
Movie: “Casablanca”
Year of release: 1942
Who said it? Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart)
Another “Casablanca” classic, this line comes when Blaine has lost everything.
As he lets Ilsa Lund board a place and leave Casablanca, Blaine takes some comfort in his unlikely bond with Captain Louis Renault (Claude Rains) and leaves the audience on an optimistic note.
‘A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.’
Movie: “The Silence of the Lambs”
Year of release: 1991
Who said it? Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins)
One of the most popular villains in movie history, Hannibal Lecter is a serial killer like no other.
The fava bean/Chianti quote is one of his most memorable, shiver-down-the-spine lines.
‘Bond. James Bond.’
Movie: “Dr. No”
Year of release: 1962
Who said it? James Bond (Sean Connery)
Bond isn’t just a super spy and a big hit with the ladies — he’s a master of the one-liner.
The first film in the series features Sean Connery as Bond, which means this line is way more effective when said with a Scottish accent.
‘There's no place like home.’
Movie: “The Wizard of Oz”
Year of release: 1939
Who said it? Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland)
As Dorothy clicks her ruby slippers together and makes her wish, the iconic words, “There’s no place like home,” tug on the heartstrings of anyone who’s ever been homesick.
‘I am big! It's the pictures that got small.’
Movie: “Sunset Boulevard”
Year of release: 1950
Who said it? Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson)
One of the best movies ever made about the movies, the best line in “Sunset Boulevard” belongs to silent film star Desmond.
When she meets writer Joe Gillis (William Holden), he says to her, “You used to be big,” and she has the perfect comeback: “I am big! It’s the pictures that got small.”
‘Show me the money!’
Movie: “Jerry Maguire”
Year of release: 1996
Who said it? Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise)
This well-known line from “Jerry Maguire” is actually said by two of the film’s stars.
In a memorable scene, Maguire and Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.) say the phrase, with increasing enthusiasm, over and over.
‘Why don't you come up sometime and see me?’
Movie: “She Done Him Wrong”
Year of release: 1933
Who said it? Lady Lou (Mae West)
When sexy saloon singer Lady Lou invites Captain Cummings (Cary Grant) to pay her a private visit, she says a line that would subsequently be misquoted for decades.
This was understandable — ads for the movie used “Come up and see me sometime,” as did those for another West-Grant project, “I’m No Angel.” And in the latter, those exact words were spoken.
‘I'm walking here! I'm walking here!’
Movie: “Midnight Cowboy”
Year of release: 1969
Who said it? Ratso Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman)
The famous “I’m walking here!” line in “Midnight Cowboy” wasn't actually in the script.
During filming of the scene in New York City, Hoffman yells at the driver of a taxi that was in the shot, and the scene made the cut.
‘Play it, Sam. Play “As Time Goes By.”’
Movie: “Casablanca”
Year of release: 1942
Who said it? Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman)
“Play it again, Sam,” is a common misquotation of Lund’s line from the classic film “Casablanca.”
This is largely attributed to the fact that Woody Allen’s 1969 Broadway play was titled, “Play It Again, Sam.” What Lund actually says is, “Play it, Sam. Play ‘As Time Goes By.”
Before the movie was released, the 1931 song wasn’t famous, but it went on to be placed at No. 2 on a list of the 100 greatest songs in film.
‘You can't handle the truth!’
Movie: “A Few Good Men”
Year of release: 1992
Who said it? Colonel Nathan R. Jessup (Jack Nicholson)
“You can’t handle the truth!” is a great line, but Nicholson’s delivery of it in the hit legal drama takes it to another level.
It’s part of a crucial scene, in which Jessup is testifying in court-martial proceedings and Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) holds him in the witness stand against his will.
‘I want to be alone.’
Movie: “Grand Hotel”
Year of release: 1932
Who said it? Grusinskaya (Greta Garbo)
The most famous quote attributed to Greta Garbo is the short, sharp “I want to be alone.”
It seems fitting, given that the actress regularly shunned reporters, avoided red carpet events, and ignored fan mail. But according to a 1955 article in LIFE magazine, Garbo claimed she was misquoted. “I only said, ‘I want to be let alone! There is all the difference,” she said.
However, she does say “I want to be alone,” in the film “Grand Hotel,” when her character Grusinskaya pleads with her maid and manager.
‘After all, tomorrow is another day.’
Movie: “Gone With the Wind”
Year of release: 1939
Who said it? Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh)
It wasn’t only Rhett Butler who got the good lines in “Gone With the Wind.” Scarlett O’Hara spoke the final words of the movie, revealing that she wasn’t quite ready to give up on her departed lover.
“I’ll go home, and I’ll think of some way to get him back,” she said. “After all, tomorrow is another day.”
‘Round up the usual suspects.’
Movie: “Casablanca”
Year of release: 1942
Who said it? Captain Louis Renault (Claude Rains)
In “Casablanca,” “Round up the usual suspects” is said by Captain Renault when he witnesses Rick Blaine’s shooting of Major Strasser.
It marks a huge turning point for Renault — instead of turning Blaine in, he covers for him and tells his men to find some other criminals to lay the blame on.
‘I'll have what she's having.’
Movie: “When Harry Met Sally”
Year of release: 1989
Who said it? Extra (Estelle Reiner)
Possibly the most memorable line from the most memorable scene in “When Harry Met Sally” isn’t said by Harry (Billy Crystal) or Sally (Meg Ryan).
In fact, the character doesn’t even have a name — she’s simply watching Sally have a fake orgasm in a diner. However, in real life she was director Rob Reiner’s mom.
‘You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow.’
Movie: “To Have and Have Not”
Year of release: 1944
Who said it? Marie “Slim” Browning (Lauren Bacall)
Slate describes the “whistle” scene in “To Have and Have Not” as “perhaps the most virtuous of flirtation ever put on screen.”
Indeed, the exchange between Browning and Harry “Steve” Morgan (played by Bacall’s real-life husband Humphrey Bogart) is the definition of chemistry.
‘You're gonna need a bigger boat.’
Movie: “Jaws”
Year of release: 1975
Who said it? Brody (Roy Schneider)
In 2016, “Jaws” writer Carl Gottlieb told The Hollywood Reporter the story behind one of the most famous movie lines in history.
“[Richard] Zanuck and [David] Brown were very stingy producers, so everyone kept telling them, ‘You’re gonna need a bigger boat,’” he said. “It became a catchphrase for anytime anything went wrong — if lunch was late or the swells were rocking the camera, someone would say, ‘You’re gonna need a bigger boat.’”
Schneider tried to get the line into several scenes; it finally made the cut when he was first faced with the great white shark.
‘I'll be back.’
Movie: “The Terminator”
Year of release: 1984
Who said it? The Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger)
“I’ll be back,” is said in some form or another in all films in “The Terminator” franchise. In the first installment, 1984’s “The Terminator,” the T-800 searches for Sarah Connor in a Los Angeles police station.
When told by a police officer that he’d have to wait, the Terminator says, “I’ll be back.” Indeed, he was — he later drives a car through the police station and starts a shoot-out.
‘If you build it, he will come.’
Movie: “Field of Dreams”
Year of release: 1989
Who said it? Voice in Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner)’s head
If you like inspirational movie quotes about believing in your dreams, this one’s for you.
Iowa farmer Kinsella has fallen on hard times, but things turn around for him after he sees a vision of a baseball field in part of his cornfield.
The disembodied voice tells him, “If you build it, he will come.” And so he does.
‘Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.’
Movie: “Forrest Gump”
Year of release: 1994
Who said it? Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks)
Forrest Gump shares several of his mother’s quotes throughout the movie, and the box of chocolates reference is one of the most memorable.
As Mrs. Gump says, life is uncertain, and nobody knows what’s going to happen.
‘We rob banks.’
Movie: “Bonnie and Clyde”
Year of release: 1967
Who said it? Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty)
It’s not a line most of us hear too often in real life. But murderous couple Bonnie and Clyde, who were on top of the public enemies list in Depression-era America, aren’t like most people.
“This here’s Miss Bonnie Parker. I’m Clyde Barrow. We rob banks,” is the kind of introduction nobody could forget.
‘I see dead people.’
Movie: “The Sixth Sense”
Year of release: 1999
Who said it? Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment)
There’s a cinematic clue behind the iconic line , “I see dead people.”
When Sear says the words, the camera goes to Malcolm Crowe’s (Bruce Willis’s) face. Spoiler: this is a subtle hint — missed by many viewers — that Crowe is one of those people.
‘Well, nobody's perfect!’
Movie: “Some Like It Hot”
Year of release: 1959
Who said it? Osgood Fielding III (Joe E. Brown)
According to director Billy Wilder, the closing line of his 1959 movie “Some Like It Hot,” is a personal one.
“That is the line that most sums up my work,” he said.
The words are spoken by Jack Lemmon, who plays Fielding III’s new love Daphne. When Daphne takes off her wig and says, “I’m a man!” Osgood deadpans, “Well, nobody’s perfect!”
‘It's alive! It's alive!’
Movie: “Frankenstein”
Year of release: 1931
Who said it? Dr. Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive)
The original line was actually "It's alive! It's alive! In the name of God! Now I know what it's like to be God!"
However, censors cut Dr. Frankenstein's full line because it was considered sacrilege, and it might not have the enduring impact had they left it alone.
‘Houston, we’ve had a problem here.’
Movie: “Apollo 13”
Year of release: 1995
Who said it? Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks)
Another example of a famous movie quote that was never actually said is “Houston, we have a problem” from Apollo 13.
In fact, the astronaut Jim Lovell said the words, “Houston, we’ve had a problem here” — as does Hanks playing Lovell in the movie.
‘We’ll always have Paris.’
Movie: “Casablanca”
Year of release: 1942
Who said it? Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart)
When Blaine tells his former lover Ilsa Lund, “We’ll always have Paris,” he’s referring to their brief romance just before World War II.
The words are in the dramatic final scene of the movie, as the ill-fated duo finally go their separate ways.
Blaine knows they’re better apart, but at least they have their memories.
‘You had me at “hello.”’
Movie: “Jerry Maguire”
Year of release: 1996
Who said it? Dorothy Boyd (Renee Zellweger)
The best movie lines stay in our heads long after the end credits roll, and “You had me at ‘hello’” from “Jerry Maguire” definitely falls into that category.
After rooting for Boyd and Maguire throughout the entire movie, everything finally falls into place in this scene.
‘One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I don't know.’
Movie: “Animal Crackers”
Year of release: 1930
Who said it? Captain Spaulding (Groucho Marx)
Captain Spaulding’s well-known line from “Animal Crackers” is funny, but it’s also a lesson in syntax.
The joke hinges on the phrase “in my pajamas,” because it’s ambiguous — was the elephant really in the Captain’s pajamas? Probably not, but that’s “Animal Crackers” for you.
‘There’s no crying in baseball!’
Movie: “A League of Their Own”
Year of release: 1992
Who said it? Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks)
When Evelyn Gardner (Bitty Schram) gets emotional on the baseball field after getting blamed for costing the Peaches the lead, their manager Dugan wastes no time in pulling her together.
“There’s no crying in baseball!” is a quote we can all relate to, whether we’ve been on a sports team or not.
‘A boy's best friend is his mother.’
Movie: “Psycho”
Year of release: 1960
Who said it? Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins)
One of “Psycho”’s most famous lines is a clever double-entendre.
Based on an ancient proverb, “a boy’s best friend is his mother” says a lot about the strange relationship between Bates and his mother, the truth of which isn’t clear until the film’s finale.
‘Greed, for lack of a better word, is good.’
Movie: “Wall Street”
Year of release: 1987
Who said it? Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas)
Some movie lines can spark hours of debate, such as Gordon Gekko’s famous “greed is good” speech in “Wall Street.”
Gekko believes that greed is a basic drive that “captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit,” but there are many who disagree with him.
Whatever you think, it’s a definite dinner party conversation starter.
‘Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.’
Movie: “The Godfather Part II”
Year of release: 1974
Who said it? Michael Corleone (Al Pacino)
If you’re part of one of the biggest organized crime families in New York City, the adage, “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer,” is probably a wise one to remember.
Unfortunately for this particular Corleone, this strategy sometimes results in loss and heartbreak.
‘Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!’
Movie: “Sons of the Desert”
Year of release: 1933
Who said it? Oliver Hardy
Here’s another misquoted one, known by most people as “another fine mess.” However, Hardy doesn’t say the words “another fine mess” in any of the Laurel and Hardy films.
Instead, he says, “Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into!” to Laurel in many of their films, including 1933’s “Sons of the Desert.”
‘All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up.’
Movie: “Sunset Boulevard”
Year of release: 1950
Who said it? Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson)
At the end of “Sunset Boulevard,” the mental instability of former silent-film star Desmond is clearer than ever.
She walks toward a camera, thinking it’s a movie camera, and announces that she’s ready for her close-up. But it’s actually a news camera, and the crowd is there because she’s about to be arrested for murder.
It’s a class quote that will never grow old — modern pop culture references include an episode of “The Rugrats” and Britney Spears’ 2008 song, “Kill the Lights.”