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10 Movie Quotes that Will Give You Goosebumps

Inspiring Quotes, Re

One of the greatest things about the movies is those perfect goosebump-inducing moments when something on screen just reaches out and touches you. That something is usually a quote from a character that stays with you long after you’ve left the theater or turned off the DVD player. This is a list of 10 of my all time favorite goosebump-inducing moments that have reached out and touched me over the years.

“I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need. We’re the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War’s a spiritual war… our Great Depression is our lives. We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won’t. And we’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very, very pissed off.”
-Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden in Fight Club (1999)

Fight Club starred Brad Pitt & Edward Norton, and was based on the 1996 book of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk. In this scene Brad Pitt’s character is explaining to Edward Norton’s character what is wrong with American society today. This line reached me because I believed it to be, and still do, a very true statement of the effect pop culture has had on people of my generation. It’s a very deep statement on the the generation that came to be after the highly praised Generation X. The .Com boom didn’t last as long as many people thought it would. An entire generation of kids went to college expecting to strike gold in the Silicon Valley and on the internet after graduating, only to discover the gold was gone.

“We’re all worried, we’re all in pain. That just comes with having eyes and having ears. But just remember one thing – it can’t get any worse, it can only get better. High school is the bottom, being a teenager sucks, but that’s the point, surviving it is the whole point. Quitting is not going to make you stronger, living will. So just hang on and hang in there.”
-Cristian Slater as Mark Hunter in Pump Up The Volume (1990)

Pump Up The Volume told the story of a young high schooler named Mark Hunter. Mark was painfully shy, and having just moved to town was unable to make friends. He found an outlet by anonymously running a pirate radio show from his basement bedroom. Mark’s alter ego, “Hard Harry”, becomes an overnight cult sensation with his fellow classmates. This line is Mark speaking to his fellow classmates after receiving a phone call form a student contemplating suicide. These words were something that I took to heart through my junior high and high school years. A poignant message on the turbulent teen years, I thought then and still think now, that every high school freshman should receive these words on a laminated card to read every morning of high school.

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“The making of a great compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do and takes ages longer than it might seem. You gotta kick off with a killer, to grab attention. Then you got to take it up a notch, but you don’t wanna blow your wad, so then you got to cool it off a notch. There are a lot of rules. Anyway… I’ve started to make a tape… in my head… for Laura. Full of stuff she likes. Full of stuff that make her happy. For the first time I can sort of see how that is done.”
-John Cusack as Rob Gordon in High Fidelity (2000)

High Fidelity was based on the 1995 Nick Hornby novel. Rob Gordon is a used record store owner dealing with the break-up of his live in girlfriend, Laura. Rob narrates much of the story to the camera. After much soul searching, Rob finally wins Laura back and as he ends the movie with these lines, begins to understand what it takes to make a relationship work. This is a great story about the reality of love and relationships. Rob’s obsession with music is an attribute I personally related too. This quote, the analogy of love and a perfect mix tape, seemed to me to be perfect.

“I find I’m so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it’s the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend, and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope.”
-Morgan freeman as Red in The
Shawshank Redemption

Based on the story Rita Hayworth & The Shawshank Redemption from Stephen King’s legendary collection of short stories, 1982’s, Different Season, The Shawshank Redemption was and is one of my all time favorite movies. Red who is having a hard time adjusting to life outside of prison finally decides to jump parole and find his old friend Andy in Mexico. Throughout the movie Andy & Red debate about the importance of having hope in a place like Shawshank Prison. Though Andy feels it should never be lost, Red through the movie feels hope doesn’t have a place there. This quote, from the end of the movie as we see Red arrive at the ocean for the first time, is narrating about finally having hope. Always a true goosebump moment, no matter how many times I’ve seen the movie. Who can’t use a reminder from time to time about the importance of having hope?

“Ray, people will come Ray. They’ll come to Iowa for reasons they can’t even fathom. They’ll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they’re doing it. They’ll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won’t mind if you look around, you’ll say. It’s only $20 per person. They’ll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack. And they’ll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They’ll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they’ll watch the game and it’ll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they’ll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh… people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.”
James Earl Jones as Terrence Mann in Field Of Dreams (1989)

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The movie Field Of Dreams is actually one big goosebump. It’s hard to choose a specific quote from this movie based on W.P. Kinsella’s Shoeless Joe from 1983. This quote is from towards the end of the movie, as Terrance Mann reassures Kevin Costner’s character, Ray, that he doesn’t have to sell his farm. The movie continues to cause tears from this quote on to the last lines of the film. You don;t have to be a baseball fan to feel the mystical depth of James Earl Jones eloquent speech on the sport. One of my all time favorites.

“The only true currency in this bankrupt world… is what you share with someone else when you’re uncool.”
Philip Seymour Hoffman as Lester Bangs in Almost Famous (2000)

In Cameron Crowe’s ode to Rock N Roll, Almost Famous, Philip Seymour Hoffman’s character, Lester Bang’s counsels the young William Miller over the phone about the pitfalls of being uncool, living in the cool world of rock stars. This quote stayed with me because growing up, I was chronically uncool. My very best friend was someone who grew up chronically uncool as well, creating a forever bond that only uncool people would ever understand. I always think of her when I watch this classic tale of Rock N Roll.

“Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes. You must look into that storm and shout as you did in Rome. Do your worst, for I will do mine! Then the fates will know you as we know you: as Albert Mondego, the man!”
Jim Caviezel as Edmond Dantes (2002)

Base on the 1844 classic Alexandre Dumas’s tale of revenge, The Count Of Monte Cristo starred Jim Caviezal as the title character. In this classic quote, The Count is advising the young Albert Mondego, son of The Count’s main rival, Fernand. The fatherly and inspiring words take on even more as the story unfolds and we find Albert is actually the Count’s son. This about strength and perseverance, are words to live by under any circumstances, and still come to mind whenever I am facing a difficult situation.

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“Although I hadn’t seen him in more than ten years I know I’ll miss him forever. I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anybody?”
Richard Dreyfus as the adult Gordie in Stand By Me (1986)

Yet another short story adaptation, based on The Body from Stephen King’s Different Seasons, Stand By Me was a critical and box office success. The above quote captures the essence what most American adults feel, from any era when looking back on their childhood. I was almost 12 when this movie came out, and found this quote to strike me deeply when looking at my own friends at the time. Now at thirty, I find truer words never spoken.

” As God is my witness, as God is my witness they’re not going to lick me. I’m going to live through this and when it’s all over, I’ll never be hungry again. No, nor any of my folk. If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill. As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again. ”
Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara (1939)

I could not have included a list of the top movie quotes of all time without including this timeless quote form this American classic. Based on Margaret Mitchell’s 1936 novel. Scarlett O’Hara is one of the film and literary world’s most famous heroines. This quote captures the shear determination and sharp southern edge that defined her. Women of every generation since this movies release, including your truly, have found strength in the above quote at some point in their life. Truly one of the most memorable goosebump moments ever captured on film.

“Dear George, Remember no man is a failure who has friends. Thanks for the wings! Love Clarence.”
Henry Travers as the beloved Angel Clarence in It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)

Capra’s amazing tale of love, loyalty, and friendship has been retold a million times over since it’s release over sixty years ago. Nothing captures the true moral and essence of this story then the quote inscribed by Clarence in the copy of Tom Sawyer he leaves for george Bailey at the end of the film. Never a better quote in a better movie. My all time favorite quote, form my all time favorite movie. A beautiful piece of wisdom we should all take time to remember each and every day.