Sophia Michaels
So you’re a movie fan that prides themselves on knowing some of the most notable quotes from the history of cinema. That’s a bold claim, and we’re here to put it to the test. Enjoy this quiz of the most famous lines of dialogue from films across the rich history of the medium!
The slides ahead alternate between question and answer…
The Line: “I love you 3000.”
It was the ultimate sign of affection between a reformed genius billionaire playboy philanthropist and his daughter. It also became a catchphrase used by Marvel Studios to honor its fans after its debut in the MCU.
The Movie: Avengers: Endgame (2019)
As Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) puts young Morgan (Lexi Rabe) to bed in Avengers: Endgame, she coined this iconic phrase. It’s ok to take a moment to dry your eyes, as it’ll always be a tear jerker.
The Line: “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”
This one’s an understatement, as Steven Spielberg’s iconic invention of the summer blockbuster saw three men hunting an aquatic menace named Bruce.
The Movie: Jaws (1975)
Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) warns expert fisherman Quint (Robert Shaw) that they’re in more trouble than they thought, thanks to Jaws’ most memorable line.
The Line: “May the odds be ever in your favor.”
Don’t be fooled: this line is more passive aggressive than you’d think. Especially when, for the pairs of Tributes from each District, it’s practically a death sentence.
The Movie: The Hunger Games (2012)
Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) delivered this message in The Hunger Games, just before District 12 would see Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteer as one of its Tributes.
The Line: “Do you guys ever think about dying?”
It’s not easy to dance the night away when you’re contemplating mortality, as seen in this iconic movie.
The Movie: Barbie (2023)
Conventionally Attractive Barbie (Margot Robbie) dropped this hard bomb of existential thought during a big dance number in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. Apparently a constant sense of dread wasn’t sold separately.
The Line: “May the Force be with you.”
Six words uttered in 1977 ushered in a new era of sci-fi movie magic, inspired by movie serials like Flash Gordon.
The Movie: Star Wars (1977)
The adventures of the Skywalker Saga kicked off thanks to George Lucas’ mythic creation, which grew from an indie surprise to a massive cultural touchstone.
The Line: “Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need roads.”
This is one of the most memorable endings to a movie ever, as an unintended sequel tease became dialogue gold.
The Movie: Back to the Future (1985)
Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) promised the world a future with flying cars at the end of Back to the Future. Unlike reality, the sequel Back to the Future Part II delivered on that promise.
The Line: “I’ll be back.”
An argument erupted over this deadpan line in this blockbuster classic. I wonder if the two participants would travel back in time and eliminate that moment, given the chance?
The Movie: The Terminator (1984)
Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Cameron once got into a profane fight over whether this line in The Terminator was a good fit or not. Judging by how connected it’s become to the series, we’d say history won out on this one.
The Line: “I am serious. And don’t call me Shirley.”
An epidemic of food poisoning inspired some serious laughs in one of the best comedies of all time. Spoofing the very straight laced Zero Hour! gave audiences this gem.
The Movie: Airplane! (1980)
Delivering this line with the dramatic gravitas he was known for, dramatic actor Leslie Nielsen opened a new door in his career as a comedic actor. The rest, as they say, was history.
The Line: “A boy’s best friend is his mother.”
If you read between the lines on this one, you’ll discover a well known spoiler to this Alfred Hitchcock horror classic. Just don’t answer this question in the shower.
The Movie: Psycho (1960)
Good old Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) spoke so lovingly of his dear mother. Who’d have known that he’d be Psycho’s secret killer, thanks to a case of multiple personality disorder?
The Line: “Say hello to my little friend!”
The explosive finale to director Brian DePalma’s epic crime drama saw its star delivering this line during a heated standoff. Pure “bad guy” energy radiates from this quippy declaration.
The Movie: Scarface (1983)
Tony Montana (Al Pacino) went out in style, giving Scarface one of its many historically quotable moments. It may not have saved him from his downfall, but it fit Tony’s blazing path to the top.
The Line: “Houston, we have a problem.”
Based on a harrowing historical event, this fateful NASA mission brought us an iconic best picture loser that should have won. What’s better, this memorable line actually came from history itself.
The Movie: Apollo 13 (1995)
Tom Hanks’ portrayal of astronaut Jim Lovell included getting to bring this memorable moment from the beginning of the Apollo 13 crisis. It may be fun to use in conversation, but the actual delivery in this Ron Howard-directed classic is terrifying.
The Line: “Hold onto your butts.”
Admit it: you or someone you know have said this one when you reboot a computer, a circuit breaker, or maybe even just your phone. The dinosaurs don’t blame you for doing that, though they may try to take your arm to complete the reference.
The Movie: Jurassic Park (1993)
Samuel L. Jackson’s big ticket moment as Ray Arnold reboots the system in Jurassic Park includes this line, apparently inspired by director Robert Zemeckis as he and writer David Koepp were working on edits for Death Becomes Her.
The Line: “Snap out of it!”
This line helped land an A-lister’s first Oscar nomination, and they actually won for this classic romantic comedy. For once a slap actually won someone an Oscar!
The Movie: Moonstruck (1987)
Moonstruck’s Lorretta Castorini (Cher) responded to the lovesick declarations of would-be suitor Ronny Cammareri (Nicolas Cage). Not even this strong warning, and a sharp slap across the face, could shake this case of puppy love.
The Line: “We are the weirdos, mister.”
This statement may not be light as a feather, or stiff as a board, but it’s a classic one-liner that cemented a horror villain who’s easy to love. If you and your friends think of yourselves as strange and unusual, you may use this line as a substitute when out on the town.
The Movie: The Craft (1996)
Yes Nancy Downs (Fairuza Balk) is technically The Craft’s big bad, but she still had a way with words when she dropped this all-timer on a bus driver. So it’s kind of hard to root against her, even as she did some nasty stuff.
The Line: “A martini. Shaken, not stirred.”
Ok, you know this is from the James Bond movies. But do you have the Midas touch to figure out the first film that you saw 007 order this legendary drink?
The Movie: Goldfinger (1964)
Sean Connery’s third Bond movie was the first time he actually requested this spirit with those specific instructions. Definitely a simpler drink order than Casino Royale’s Vesper.
The Line: “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
Somewhere in a mythical land, a young farm girl meets some charming friends to defeat a wicked adversary. Talk about (literally) bringing down the house.
The Movie: The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) uses this classic description to fill the audience in on how The Wizard of Oz went from her sepia toned reality into a technicolor dreamland.
The Line: “If we’re kind and polite, the world will be right.”
This young kids book protagonist has a heart of gold, which is also a shade of his favorite sandwich spread. Hint: If you don’t get this one, ask Florence Pugh, as she’s apparently a fan of this series of films too.
The Movie: Paddington 2 (2017)
Paddington Bear (Ben Whishaw) taught the world this important lesson in Paddington 2; with an assured smile and wide eyes. Aunt Lucy would indeed be proud. And as we hinted, Florence Pugh and Paddington had a charming Twitter exchange about marmalade.
The Line: “Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here! This is the war room!”
A dark comedy satire on warfare, politics, and the Cold War, this oxymoronic gem is one of many memorable laughs that doesn’t involve riding heavy ordinance like a madman.
The Movie: Dr. Strangelove, Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb (1964)
In one of three roles in Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove, Peter Sellers’ US president admonished some of the military personnel in the room who were looking to scrap.
The Line: “Nobody puts Baby in a corner.”
Have you had the time of your life taking this quiz? You just may owe it all to lines like this rom-com staple involving one wild summer in the Catskills.
The Movie: Dirty Dancing (1987)
The Dirty Dancing moment where Johnny (Patrick Swayze) and Baby (Jennifer Grey) show off their dance moves to a crowded ballroom is still one of the best movie finales out there. Prove us wrong.
The Line: “You had me at ‘hello.’”
You may have heard this one in a radio edit of a Bruce Springsteen song used to promote this late ‘90s rom-com. Sometimes all it takes to fall in love is the right greeting.
The Movie: Jerry Maguire (1996)
Renée Zellweger pulled out this heater during Jerry Maguire, showing the world that Dorothy Boyd and Tom Cruise’s titular sports agent were meant to be.
The Line: “You talkin’ to me?”
A young man wants to clean up the streets in this dark thriller that counts among the many re-teamings of a legendary actor/director pair. It’s not a Batman movie, though the director would have some rather charged thoughts for you mistaking it for one.
The Movie: Taxi Driver (1976)
Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) practiced this line in the mirror during Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver, signaling the origins of madness in this legendary menace.
The Line: “I see dead people.”
You’re probably still getting chills from this quote out of a blockbuster focused on a young man with a terrifying gift. Just use your senses to recall this haunting moment.
The Movie: The Sixth Sense (1999)
Haley Joel Osment and Bruce Willis helped M. Night Shyamalan land his breakout hit with The Sixth Sense, a film that also nabbed Osment an Academy Award nomination.
The Line: “My precious.”
Some thought this mythic trilogy of high fantasy novels were unadaptable. Six movies, and a Prime Video series later, this middle entry’s catchphrase has been oft repeated.
The Movie: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Gollum (Andy Serkis) really did love The One Ring, and fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy were just as enamored with The Two Towers when it was released in 2002.
The Line: “EVE-RY-ONE!”
One word was all it took for a memorable movie menace to land himself, and the actor portraying him, into the pop culture consciousness. Of course, that one word is shouted in three syllables, by an Academy Award winner with a bit of magic on his side.
The Movie: Léon: The Professional (1994)
Norman Stansfield (Gary Oldman) made a pretty demanding request in Léon: The Professional, and it was one of the lines you couldn’t stop people from quoting ad nauseum in the mid ‘90s.
The Line: “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”
One of the landmark romantic dramas of its time, this Oscar juggernaut’s title is technically the very genre of movie this entry happens to be. Or, if you’re a Swiftie, this is the title to one of her most well known songs from her early career.
The Movie: Love Story (1970)
Ali McGraw tells Tatum O’Neal this bittersweet pearl of wisdom in the cinematic adaptation of author Erich Segal’s novel Love Story. For you younger readers, it was kind of the A Walk to Remember of its time.
So how’d you do? Did you remember more of these classic phrases than you thought, or is it time to start brushing up on your Hollywood quotes? In any case, we certainly hope you’ve enjoyed this quiz of the most famous lines of dialogue from huge landmark films. Next time you’re gathered with friends or family, try quizzing the room with these wise words, and see who emerges victorious.
