Top 21 movie quotes of all time

Top 21 movie quotes of all time

The subjectivity of this list makes it too tough to be appreciated by those who look at it. This is because a single line or two can and cannot leave a lasting impression in your mind based on how you perceive it. Also, while few quotes maybe quite memorable to some, to others they maybe plain as any. Hence, here we are going to look at some movie quotes that either tell us something of paramount importance to the film or the character or those that are simply iconic enough to be here- 

#21- V for Vendetta: 

"Ideas are bulletproof"

Source: Tumblr

Part of a longer quote as awesome as this - "Beneath this mask there is more than flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea, Mr. Creedy, and ideas are bulletproof"- these three words define all that the film stands for. That's what a good quote is supposed to do right?


#20- La Dolce Vita - 

"You're the first woman of creation. You're mother, sister, lover, friend, an angel, a devil, the earth, the home."

What do you get when a womanizing journalist in search of love and happiness tries to woo a famous actress? You get the above line. 

#19- Wall Street- 

"Greed, for lack of a better word, is good"

Source: Tumblr

When Gordon Gekko talked about the only thing he thinks will take the business at hand as well as the entire USA out of crisis, this quote, along with its dashing monologue, became a classic.


#18- Amelie-  

"Without you, today's emotions would be the scurf of yesterday's"

Amelie was a film like nothing anyone had seen before and the only struggle I went through while its first viewing was to put it into a definite genre. But when this line came through, I gave up trying.

#17- The secret in their eyes: 

"You said life"

It's a climax defining line that gives shape to the entire movie and meaning to why you actually went through 129 minutes to see it.

#16-  The Good, the bad and the ugly": 

"You see, in this world there's two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig."

Source: YouTube

With many such two kinds of men analogies, the two leads try to out-do each other throughout the film. But this one from 'the man with no name' steals the show.

#15- Mughal-e-Azam: 

"Saleem tumhe marne nahi dega; aur hum Anarkali tumhe jeene nahi denge" 

(Salim will not let you die, And I shall not let you live, Anarkali)

Quite inarguably, the film with the best dialogues in Indian cinema featured this timeless classic that is still talked about everywhere, even after 55 years of the film.

#14- The Shining: 

"Here's Johnny......."

Source: Tumblr

There are few things better than an improvised dialogue. Jack Nicholson impromptu took this pop-culture slang and used it to create, what could be the most frightening scene in a horror flick ever.

#13- Dirty Harry: 

"You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?"

Dirty, greasy and cold. That's how Clint Eastwood delivered this gut wrenching line to the guy on the other side of the Magnum.44.  Rest is history.

#12-  The Usual Suspects: 

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist"

Souce: Epic Movie Dialogues (Facebook page)

There are quotes that don't require an exposition. This is one of them. Agree?

#11-  Apocalypse Now: 

"I love the smell of napalm in the morning"

Souce: Tumblr

Apocalypse Now is the greatest war film ever and while Marlon Brando was booked to show the 'horror' Vietnam has brought unto people, this line by Robert Duvall predefined the whole context of the movie.

#10- Tokyo Story:

"Isn't life disappointing? - Yes, it is".

Source; Tumblr

A common reality? But when Noriko delivers this reply with the above smile, it makes for a movie moment truer than any you would find.

#9-  Deewar(1975):  

"Mere paas Maa hai." 

(I have my mother)

Source: NDTV

Jam packed with iconic dialogues one after the other, this one from Shashi Kapoor steals the spotlight from Amitabh Bachchan as he firmly asserts the value of his choice of life.

#8- Star Wars: 

"May the force be with you"

Source: giphy

After all, what's more famous than the best line of the greatest film franchise ever ?

#7- On the Waterfront: 

"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."

Source:  meetup.com

The whole film, Terry Malloy remains impervious to any person or feeling. But when he finally breaks down after his brother, this line explains more to us about his life than we would ever know.

#6- Taxi Driver: 

"You talkin' to me?"

Source: Tumblr

Funny and serious at the same time, this line, probably this whole sequence captures the inner twistedness of Travis's character and gives a fairly good idea of his lonely, dull, insipid life. Talking with a mirror image was never this ripping.

#5-  Sunset Boulevard: 

"I am big! It's the pictures that got small."

The 40s Hollywood knew how to capture the psych of a character and portray it just enough to the audiences without giving too much away. This here, might be the greatest example of it.

#4- Casablanca- 

"We'll always have Paris".

Source: Examiner.com

When the no-nonsense Rick Blaine says those words to the love of his life, it brings about notions of tenderness, love ,care and sacrifice altogether to the initially badass character of his. Nothing spoken to a parting woman was ever so awesome.

#3- Gone with the wind: 

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

Source: Tumblr

Clark Gable was so charismatic that when he said this line quite out his character at that point, we instantly believed that if he says so, he surely doesn't give a damn.

#2- The Matrix- 

"My name is Neo".

Yes, you can come to me personally and give me a tight beating if you don't like this quote at such a high spot. But for me, if there is any movie line I would ever get a tattoo of, it would be this. 

#1- Grave of the Fireflies- 

" Why do fireflies have to die so soon?"

Nothing in cinema is more emotionally charged than this line for me and you would agree too if you have seen this film. (Read Review)

Bandwidth Verdict: Although we have only talked about quotes here, all movies in the list are equally iconic so that leaving any of them unwatched would be a sin.