When I saw this my first thought was how perfect it was for me. This one, I thought, should be a piece of cake. Not only am I a movie buff, but (to the annoyance of my wife and friends) I tend to memorize the dialogue and say it with the actors when I watch it again. I also correct my friends (and complete strangers) if they misquote one of my favorite movies. Therefore, believing this one to be the proverbial “piece of cake” I embarked on my research (which primarily consisted of making a list of my favorite movie quotes (and double checking on line to make sure my punctuation etc. was correct). I soon encountered a rather major snag as I had surpassed 10 in the first 5 minutes without slowing. My research soon became a culling process and you have no idea how painful it is to have to exclude some of my all-time favorite quotes. Now, after my rather lengthy preamble, let us take a look at my 10 favorite movie quotes (some of them actually surprised me).
1. “What we have here is…failure to communicate.” This memorable movie quote from Cool Hand Luke was delivered by one of my all-time favorite character actors, Strother Martin, as the captain of the prison work gang where Luke (Paul Newman) has been a rather constant thorn in his side. When I first saw the movie this was a classic “little man on a power trip”, the captain being smug (being backed by several armed guards). Being a parent, especially of teenagers, this is a movie quote that has become especially meaningful to me. I find myself identifying with the captain (and occasionally wishing for a few armed guards myself).
2. “As you wish.” This line is from one of my all-time favorite movies, The Princess Bride, and was actually delivered by two actors. First was Cary Elwes as Westley the poor farm boy in love with the lovely Buttercup. He says this line at various points in the film as their relationship progresses. I could approach this in a humorous/cynical fashion and say that this movie quote is (or should be) the go to phrase for every married man in the world. To better understand how I take the meaning of this quote let’s look at the second actor in the film to deliver this line. Peter Falk says “As you wish” to his sick grandson (played by Fred Savage) when he asks him to come back and read the story to him again tomorrow. This quote epitomizes what we feel when we deeply want to make those we love happy. With the passage of time I’ve come to see that “As you wish” could often be used in to avoid arguments, provided it isn’t said sarcastically. This is the shortest and (in my opinion) one of the most useful of my favorite movie quotes.
3. “I will take it! I will take the Ring to Mordor, though I do not know the way.” This movie quote comes from Elijah Wood as Frodo in Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Representatives from the races of men, dwarves elves and (thanks to Frodo and his friends) hobbits were gathered to discuss what should be done with Sauron’s Ring of Power. Boromir wanted to take the Ring and use it against Sauron but was told that it needed to be destroyed. Furthermore, the only place it could be destroyed was in the fires of Mount Doom, in the heart of Mordor. As the others argued about who should be charged with this monumental task (which no one really wanted) Frodo spoke up, eventually having to shout to be heard. He made a commitment to a task he was convinced would lead to his death, but took it on anyway. This is the stuff of strong Sunday sermons (of which I’ve heard a few), but the lesson is there on a smaller scale for the rest of us. I would do well to remember this quote when I’m asked to do something when I’m tired, have other plans or just plain don’t want to do it.
4. “One thought he was invincible, the other thought he could fly…they were both wrong.” This one comes from Steven Seagal as retired DEA agent John Hatcher in Marked For Death. Burned out from fighting a losing battle to stem the seemingly endless supply of illegal drugs, Hatcher retires and returns to his home town, only to discover it is being overrun with drugs and home to rival Columbian and Jamaican gangs who handle the drug traffic. In search of the leader of the Jamaican gang Hatcher finds himself in a hotel room with a Mafioso who deals with them and one of the Jamaicans. The mobster comes up with a gun and takes a bullet to the head for his efforts. The Jamaican, being more afraid of his boss than Hatcher, chooses to swan dive out the window. The line is Hatcher’s response to the DEA agent who comes in and asks him what happened. This movie quote is, I believe, one of the better examples of the quips some common and often overdone in action movies.
5. “Honor is a man’s gift to himself.” In Rob Roy, Liam Neeson, as Robert Roy MacGregor tells this to his sons when he mentions honor and they ask him what it is. If we all believed that and lived our lives accordingly imagine how much better the world would be. This is a movie quote that needs little commentary to make an impact.
6. “In order to find his equal, an Irishman is forced to talk to God.” This humorous line comes from David O’Hara as Stephen the Irish fighter in the movie Braveheart. William Wallace has just asked Stephen (in response to a comment Stephen had just made) if he talked to God. This makes my wife feel uncomfortable (hinky as she puts it), thinking Stephen is claiming equality with God. I explained that I believe he meant that the Irish are so superior to everyone else that he has to go to God to have deep meaningful conversations…and being of Irish descent I can only chuckle.
7. “You put your hands on a child all you get is dead.” This memorable line comes from Kris Kristofferson in the HBO original movie The Tracker. In this western Kristofferson plays Noble Adams, a former lawman and Indian fighter called out of retirement by a friend to help track down Jack Stillwell, a psychotic Mormon “saint” and gunslinger (how often do the poor Mormons get vilified in westerns?)who has kidnapped a young girl, intent on making her his bride. This quote comes when Adams as his boot on Stillwell’s neck and his gun pointed in his face. Stillwell, typical of the bully breed who cringe and snivel when faced with someone they can’t cow, is asking “don’t I get a trial. For my money, this movie quote sums up how I would feel if someone hurt one of my children. Not politically correct perhaps, but I suspect most parents feel the same way.
8. “Dreams die hard and you hold them in your hand long after they have turned to dust.” This one comes from Dragonheart, spoken by Dennis Quaid. His character Bowen is a disenchanted knight who pinned all his hope on his former student Einon, son of a wicked king. Bowen has trained Einon to respect and live by the “Old Code”, a way of honor and justice. As luck would have it, after his father’s death Einon turns out to be even worse. This movie quote speaks to that sad, lonely part of the heart of anyone who has ever watched a dream die.
9. “First learn stand, then learn fly. Nature rule, Daniel-san, not mine.” From the lips of Pat Morita in the character of Mr. Miyagi, my favorite sensei (in the movies anyway), comes advice we would all do well to heed. In our fast food culture we want everything and we want it when? We want it NOW! If you doubt it just stay up late and watch a few of the infomercials that make the folks behind them a lot of money. Sure, we can get that beach body or those six pack abs in just 12 weeks, and not even have to work very hard to do it. Or, we can become wealthy working as few as 4 hours a week. Few people are willing to put in the sweat equity and lay the ground work. When this miracle system doesn’t work, instead of going back to the basics we assume its because that particular system is flawed and go in search of another on. As Mr. Miyagi was teaching Daniel, we can all use a healthy dose of both patience and perseverance.
10. “It’s not enough to marry goodness, you have to find it in yourself.” I don’t cry at movies, not that I have anything against it, I just seldom suspend my disbelief enough to get quite that involved. So, it’s a good thing I watched My Life at home, because I bawled like a baby for the last 20 minutes or so. This touching movie quote comes to us courtesy of Haing S. Ngor as Mr. Ho, a holistic healer engaged by Michael Keaton’s character Bob Jones when he learns he has incurable cancer. Mr. Ho works with Jones to help him rid himself of his anger so that he can die at peace. This quote touches me because I examine my life and realize that in many ways I thought it would be enough to “marry goodness”. I have told my wife on numerous occasions that she is the glue that holds our family together and that I am a better person because of her influence. I find myself relying on her to be my moral compass and follow her lead. What this ends up doing is putting tremendous pressure on her and its very unfair. So, like Bob Jones, I now seek to find goodness within myself, and even more difficult, to accept it when I find it.
There you have it, my 10 favorite movie quotes…today. If you ask me tomorrow you may get some different answers. As I write this I have 16 others staring at me from my notes making me feel guilty for not using them. Maybe next time.
When I saw this my first thought was how perfect it was for me. This one, I thought, should be a piece of cake. Not only am I a movie buff, but (to the annoyance of my wife and friends) I tend to memorize the dialogue…and say it with the actors when I watch it again. I also correct my friends (and complete strangers) if they misquote one of my favorite movies. Therefore, believing this one to be the proverbial “piece of cake” I embarked on my research (which primarily consisted of making a list of my favorite movie quotes (and double checking on line to make sure my punctuation etc. was correct). I soon encountered a rather major snag as I had surpassed 10 in the first 5 minutes without slowing. My research soon became a culling process and you have no idea how painful it is to have to exclude some of my all-time favorite quotes. Now, after my rather lengthy preamble, let us take a look at my 10 favorite movie quotes (some of them actually surprised me).
1. “What we have here is…failure to communicate.” This memorable movie quote from Cool Hand Luke was delivered by one of my all-time favorite character actors, Strother Martin, as the captain of the prison work gang where Luke (Paul Newman) has been a rather constant thorn in his side. When I first saw the movie this was a classic “little man on a power trip”, the captain being smug (being backed by several armed guards). Being a parent, especially of teenagers, this is a movie quote that has become especially meaningful to me. I find myself identifying with the captain (and occasionally wishing for a few armed guards myself).
2. “As you wish.” This line is from one of my all-time favorite movies, The Princess Bride, and was actually delivered by two actors. First was Cary Elwes as Westley the poor farm boy in love with the lovely Buttercup. He says this line at various points in the film as their relationship progresses. I could approach this in a humorous/cynical fashion and say that this movie quote is (or should be) the go to phrase for every married man in the world. To better understand how I take the meaning of this quote let’s look at the second actor in the film to deliver this line. Peter Falk says “As you wish” to his sick grandson (played by Fred Savage) when he asks him to come back and read the story to him again tomorrow. This quote epitomizes what we feel when we deeply want to make those we love happy. With the passage of time I’ve come to see that “As you wish” could often be used in to avoid arguments, provided it isn’t said sarcastically. This is the shortest and (in my opinion) one of the most useful of my favorite movie quotes.
3. “I will take it! I will take the Ring to Mordor, though I do not know the way.” This movie quote comes from Elijah Wood as Frodo in Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Representatives from the races of men, dwarves elves and (thanks to Frodo and his friends) hobbits were gathered to discuss what should be done with Sauron’s Ring of Power. Boromir wanted to take the Ring and use it against Sauron but was told that it needed to be destroyed. Furthermore, the only place it could be destroyed was in the fires of Mount Doom, in the heart of Mordor. As the others argued about who should be charged with this monumental task (which no one really wanted) Frodo spoke up, eventually having to shout to be heard. He made a commitment to a task he was convinced would lead to his death, but took it on anyway. This is the stuff of strong Sunday sermons (of which I’ve heard a few), but the lesson is there on a smaller scale for the rest of us. I would do well to remember this quote when I’m asked to do something when I’m tired, have other plans or just plain don’t want to do it.
4. “One thought he was invincible, the other thought he could fly…they were both wrong.” This one comes from Steven Seagal as retired DEA agent John Hatcher in Marked For Death. Burned out from fighting a losing battle to stem the seemingly endless supply of illegal drugs, Hatcher retires and returns to his home town, only to discover it is being overrun with drugs and home to rival Columbian and Jamaican gangs who handle the drug traffic. In search of the leader of the Jamaican gang Hatcher finds himself in a hotel room with a Mafioso who deals with them and one of the Jamaicans. The mobster comes up with a gun and takes a bullet to the head for his efforts. The Jamaican, being more afraid of his boss than Hatcher, chooses to swan dive out the window. The line is Hatcher’s response to the DEA agent who comes in and asks him what happened. This movie quote is, I believe, one of the better examples of the quips some common and often overdone in action movies.
5. “Honor is a man’s gift to himself.” In Rob Roy, Liam Neeson, as Robert Roy MacGregor tells this to his sons when he mentions honor and they ask him what it is. If we all believed that and lived our lives accordingly imagine how much better the world would be. This is a movie quote that needs little commentary to make an impact.
6. “In order to find his equal, an Irishman is forced to talk to God.” This humorous line comes from David O’Hara as Stephen the Irish fighter in the movie Braveheart. William Wallace has just asked Stephen (in response to a comment Stephen had just made) if he talked to God. This makes my wife feel uncomfortable (hinky as she puts it), thinking Stephen is claiming equality with God. I explained that I believe he meant that the Irish are so superior to everyone else that he has to go to God to have deep meaningful conversations…and being of Irish descent I can only chuckle.
7. “You put your hands on a child all you get is dead.” This memorable line comes from Kris Kristofferson in the HBO original movie The Tracker. In this western Kristofferson plays Noble Adams, a former lawman and Indian fighter called out of retirement by a friend to help track down Jack Stillwell, a psychotic Mormon “saint” and gunslinger (how often do the poor Mormons get vilified in westerns?)who has kidnapped a young girl, intent on making her his bride. This quote comes when Adams as his boot on Stillwell’s neck and his gun pointed in his face. Stillwell, typical of the bully breed who cringe and snivel when faced with someone they can’t cow, is asking “don’t I get a trial”. For my money, this movie quote sums up how I would feel if someone hurt one of my children. Not politically correct perhaps, but I suspect most parents feel the same way.
8. “Dreams die hard and you hold them in your hand long after they have turned to dust.” This one comes from Dragonheart, spoken by Dennis Quaid. His character Bowen is a disenchanted knight who pinned all his hope on his former student Einon, son of a wicked king. Bowen has trained Einon to respect and live by the “Old Code”, a way of honor and justice. As luck would have it, after his father’s death Einon turns out to be even worse. This movie quote speaks to that sad, lonely part of the heart of anyone who has ever watched a dream die.
9. “First learn stand, then learn fly. Nature rule, Daniel-san, not mine.” From the lips of Pat Morita in the character of Mr. Miyagi, my favorite sensei (in the movies anyway), comes advice we would all do well to heed. In our fast food culture we want everything and we want it when? We want it NOW! If you doubt it just stay up late and watch a few of the infomercials that make the folks behind them a lot of money. Sure, we can get that beach body or those six pack abs in just 12 weeks, and not even have to work very hard to do it. Or, we can become wealthy working as few as 4 hours a week. Few people are willing to put in the sweat equity and lay the ground work. When this miracle system doesn’t work, instead of going back to the basics we assume its because that particular system is flawed and go in search of another on. As Mr. Miyagi was teaching Daniel, we can all use a healthy dose of both patience and perseverance.
10. “It’s not enough to marry goodness, you have to find it in yourself.” I don’t cry at movies, not that I have anything against it, I just seldom suspend my disbelief enough to get quite that involved. So, it’s a good thing I watched My Life at home, because I bawled like a baby for the last 20 minutes or so. This touching movie quote comes to us courtesy of Haing S. Ngor as Mr. Ho, a holistic healer engaged by Michael Keaton’s character Bob Jones when he learns he has incurable cancer. Mr. Ho works with Jones to help him rid himself of his anger so that he can die at peace. This quote touches me because I examine my life and realize that in many ways I thought it would be enough to “marry goodness”. I have told my wife on numerous occasions that she is the glue that holds our family together and that I am a better person because of her influence. I find myself relying on her to be my moral compass and follow her lead. What this ends up doing is putting tremendous pressure on her and its very unfair. So, like Bob Jones, I now seek to find goodness within myself, and even more difficult, to accept it when I find it.
There you have it, my 10 favorite movie quotes…today. If you ask me tomorrow you may get some different answers. As I write this I have 16 others staring at me from my notes making me feel guilty for not using them. Maybe next time.
