Say It Again, Sam-Famous Movie Quotes

Do you recite popular movie quotes during casual conversation? Ready-made dialogue is there for the taking, providing a legion of material for any situation. That’s likely one reason so many famous movie quotes are included on today’s sitcoms and used by guests on talk shows. Here is a list of some of the most popular movie quotes of all time, along with a description of the movie scenes that inspired these quotes. Did any of your favorites make the list? Read on to find out!

“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” – Gone With the Wind
This line, number one on the American Film Institute’s Top 100 Movie Quotes, represents Rhett Butler’s final words to the selfish Scarlett O’Hara. They were married and had a daughter, but the death of the child made Rhett realize that their troubled relationship was beyond salvage. He packed to leave and Scarlett begged him to stay, asking, “Where will I go? What will I do?” Rhett then delivers the immortal line, making it clear to both himself and the audience that the relationship is irrevocably severed.

“Play it again, Sam.” – Casablanca
This is quite possibly one of the most famous movie misquotes of all time. In fact, this line never actually appears in the movie. The actual quote by character Ilsa Lund is, “Play it, Sam, for old time’s sake, play as time goes by.” Later, Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine says, “You played it for her, you can play it for me. If she can stand it, I can! Play it!” Ilsa’s correct line is listed on the American Film Institute’s 2005 list of Top 100 Movie Quotes.


“Nobody puts Baby in a corner.” – Dirty Dancing
This 1987 film follows the adventures of Frances “Baby” Houseman as she comes of age at a Catskills resort during the summer of 1963.

In the film’s climactic ending scene, Baby’s dance partner and lover, Johnny, who was fired due to their relationship, returns to the resort to perform the last dance of the season. He approaches Baby, seated at a corner table with her family in front. Johnny then delivers the famous line and brings Baby onstage to dance with him.

“If you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in. Listen, you hear it? ---- Carpe -- hear it? – Carpe, Carpe Diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary.” – Dead Poets Society
Set in a conservative boy’s school in 1959, this award winning film inspires us to dare to follow our dreams. Robin Williams play English teacher John Keating.


“I am not going to sit on my ass as the events that affect me unfold to determine the course of my life. I’m going to take a stand. I’m going to defend it. Right or wrong, I’m going to defend it.” – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
This 1986 film follows the adventures of Ferris Bueller, his girlfriend Sloane Peterson and his best friend Cameron Frye as they skip school to spend the day exploring Chicago.

“Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.” – Forrest Gump


Forrest Gump won six Academy Awards for its portrayal of a mentally challenged man and his heroic impact on world events. Forrest takes the role of narrator, telling of his adventures to an ever-changing cast of characters who occupy the seat next to him at a bus stop. As he speaks of his next adventure, it unfolds onscreen. Throughout the film, Forrest quotes sayings that his mother taught him. One of the best loved of several memorable movie quotes in the film is this line.

* “Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night!” Screen legend Bette Davis uttered this famous line when she played Margo Channing in All About Eve. The classic 1950 film told the story of life in and around the theater. Davis plays an aging star who takes in an aspiring actress and fan.

* “Houston, we have a problem.” Tom Hanks plays real-life astronaut Jim Lovell in this 1995 film based on the dramatic story of the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission.

* “Failure is not an option.” Ed Harris plays real-life NASA Flight Director Gene Kranz in the above-mentioned film, Apollo 13.


* “Find a truly original idea. It is the only way I will ever distinguish myself. It is the only way I will ever matter.” Russell Crowe said this famous line in the 2001 film A Beautiful Mind, that tells the story of mathematician genius (and Nobel Prize winner) John Nash.

* “You tell the men there are four ways of doing things on this ship: The right way, the wrong way, the Navy way, and my way. They do things my way, and we'll get along just fine.” Screen legend Humphrey Bogart said this famous line in his role as Lt. Commander Philip Francis Queeg in the 1954 film Caine Mutiny.

* Orson Welles said one word in Citizen Cane: “Rosebud.” The meaning of the word in the movie has been debated for years.

* “I know what you're thinking. Did he fire six shots or only five? Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I've kinda lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya punk?” When the 1972 film Dirty Harry was released, many moviegoers quoted all or part of this quote by Clint Eastwood’s character Harry Callahan.