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10 Movies With the Best One-Liners You’ll Want to Say Over and Over

These classic movies are unforgettable for many reasons, including these famous one-liners.

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From ‘The Wizard of Oz’

When Dorothy finds herself plunked into a new and strange land she speaks this famous line to her dog. It’s the perfect thing to say whenever you encounter anything unfamiliar. You can pretty much count on that kind of thing happening one or twice a week. There’s a reason this movie is a beloved classic that everyone’s seen over and over again. Metaphor for life. And also, you know there’s no place like home, right?

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From ‘The Terminator’

Arnold Schwarzenegger is not exactly known for being a thespian, which is why his line delivery worked perfectly as a robot assassin. The terminator delivers the famous line to a police station bureaucrat who won’t let him in. Sure enough, he comes back—this time barreling through in a car and destroying the police station and everything in it. Now the iconic line is also beloved as meme or GIF. Want more scary movies? Here are the scariest movies of all time.

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From ‘Casablanca’

Humphrey Bogart makes it seem so smooth and cool to be totally practical. He sends Ilsa off with Laszlo in a grand sacrifice for the greater good. He’s thinking of long term outcomes. He’s not ruled by some irrational, romantic notion—because “the problems of three little people don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.” Calling gorgeous Ingrid Bergman “kid” is perfect since he’s acting just like a levelheaded dad. Which is fine, since they’ll “always have Paris.” Add these 10 most romantic movies of all time to your list.

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From ‘Gone with the Wind’

Back in the day this line was doubly shocking because Clark Gable was cussing. That was shocking enough, but how can he walk out on Miss Scarlet? It was such a burn! Then he sauntered out into the fog leaving her sobbing on that gothic staircase. Don’t worry! She’ll go back to Tara and figure out a way to get him back. Because tomorrow is another day.

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From ‘Jaws’

Chief Brody was casually tossing shark bait into the water, no big deal, when we finally get a glimpse of Jaws. He’s ginormous. He backs into the engine room of their tiny little ship and murmurs the famous catchphrase. This is the perfect line to say whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed by anything. Doesn’t have to be a shark.

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From ‘A Few Good Men’

Jack Nicholson’s witness stand meltdown is melodrama at its best. Made even better by Tom Cruise and Kevin Bacon hamming it up in the background. If only everybody could be cajoled into confessing this easily. While Colonel Jessup may be grotesque, as he puts it, he is saving lives. And you need him on that wall. But also, he ordered the code red and now he’s going to jail.

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From ‘Friday’

Felicia shows up out in front of Ice Cube’s porch and constantly asks to borrow this and that. Everybody has an annoying neighbor, office mate, roomie or otherwise bothersome person who needs to be properly dismissed. Those types are now collectively known as “Felicia.” You don’t need to respond to these requests. Just say goodbye. Done and done. It’s a throwaway line that is now ubiquitous. Thanks, Felicia.

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From ‘Jerry Maguire’

Tom Cruise comes in and gives Renee Zellweger a big romantic speech. The great part is that he has to deliver it in front of a women’s support group. Brilliant. Finally, Renee interrupts him with her famous line and falls into his arms. Everyone cries! It’s even better than “you complete me” as a great catchphrase. You can substitute just about anything for “hello” and interrupt your friends with: “You had me at coffee . . . wine . . . baseball . . . ice cream.” Watch one of these best tearjerker movies.

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From ‘Sudden Impact’

Clint Eastwood, aka “Dirty Harry,” utters this one-liner with characteristic grit. He’s in a fire fight with the slowest, most uncoordinated crooks ever. One of them grabs a hostage. Eastwood cocks his famous Smith & Wesson and slays him with the notorious catchphrase. The criminal surrenders. Go ahead and say this line whenever you want to slay people (works best if you pretend you’re Clint Eastwood.)

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From ‘The Warriors’

Counterculture youth made this thriller a cult favorite while it scared the daylights out of their conservative parents. It’s about the legions of street gangs who run amok at night in the city. Each gang has a gimmick like wearing overalls, purple vests or baseball outfits with mime make-up. Luckily they mainly want to fight each other. A gang leader sing-songs the famous catchphrase at the end while clicking glass bottles. This is a great line to use on your co-workers! Now, check out the most iconic movies set in every state.

Molly Pennington, PhD
Molly is a writer and collage artist with a PhD in film and cultural studies from the University of Pittsburgh. Her professional astrology services and artwork are available at Baroque Moon Astrology. She covers the zodiac, books, movies, TV and culture for Reader’s Digest, and loves to talk about all the ways we make meaning.