Movie Quotes You Can Use in Real Life

Make it Sound Natural, You Movie Nut

Jeff D Gorman
It's inevitable that we will use quotes from our favorite movies in daily life. The American Film Institute has compiled a list of the 100 greatest quotes in movie history.

However, if you try out No. 1 ("Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn"), you're likely to get an eye-roll and an "Okay, Rhett" in return. Here are some that fit in to everyday conversation a little better.

No. 2 - "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse" from "The Godfather." You don't have to mumble the line like Marlon Brando, but it's a handy phrase to let people know you're serious about whatever you're offering.

No. 10 - "You talking to me?" from "Taxi Driver" - Make sure you're smiling or at least smirking when you say this line, or you could end up in a fight.

No. 16 - "They call me Mister Tibbs!" from "In the Heat of the Night." Any guy can pull off this line if he feels underappreciated or disrespected. It even worked for the warthog, Pumbaa, in "The Lion King" ("They call me Mister Pig!")

No. 29 - "You can't handle the truth!" from "A Few Good Men." What a great line. This should be ranked a lot higher. Whenever someone says "You want to know the truth?" or anything about "the truth," it's the perfect time to get your Jack on.

No. 35 - "You're gonna need a bigger boat" from "Jaws." Of course, you're not always going to say "boat," but you can plug in virtually anything. "You're gonna need a bigger bowl/cone/horse/washing machine."

No. 37 - "I'll be back" from "Terminator." So simple, so effective. Even if you're just running to the store for 10 minutes, this line will make your return seem like a big deal.

No. 41 - "We rob banks" from "Bonnie & Clyde." How often in life do you get asked "What do you do for a living?" If you work a regular office or retail job, you can always say "I rob banks" until you get a job that's really exciting.

No. 52 - "You had me at Hello" from "Jerry Maguire." I have to admit that I use this one a lot. If my wife says "After your snack, I need you to wash the floor and empty the trash," I'll say "You had me at snack."

No. 54 - "There's no crying in baseball" from "A League of Their Own." It's perfect for any game or sport. Not only is there no crying in baseball, there is no crying in soccer, tennis, Madden 2007 or Candy Land.

No. 79 - Striker: "Surely, you can't be serious." Rumack: "I am serious ... and don't call me Shirley." from Airplane - Say this once in a while, and it's hilarious. Just don't overdo it.

No. 81 - "Hello, gorgeous" from "Funny Girl" - Even though Barbra Streisand says this to herself in the mirror, this is the perfect line to say to anyone you like. Who doesn't like to be called gorgeous?

No. 96 - "Snap out of it!" from "Moonstruck." Remember, you don't need to slap someone in the face when you say this.

BEST OF THE REST

"Fra-jee-lay (Fragile). Must be Italian." from "A Christmas Story." I can't resist this line when I see the word "fragile." I even wrote it on a box of fragile items when we moved.

"I am your father" "and "Remember who you are, Simba" - James Earl Jones as Darth Vader in "The Empire Strikes Back" and as Mufasa in "The Lion King." I had to explain to my daughter who Vader was after I hit her with "I am your father."

"I know it's true. I saw it on TV" from "Wag the Dog." How true.

"I'm not gonna be ignored, Dan!" from "Fatal Attraction." Try it the next time you're arguing with a customer service representative on the phone. Just make sure you have the name right. You'll get what you want.

Published by Jeff D Gorman

Jeff Gorman is a journalist for a local newspaper, editor for BleacherReport.com and a legal writer for CNP. When he isn't writing he's pursuing his sports broadcasting career. When you need a profession...  View profile

  • You can use movie quotes in real life, but you have to pick the right ones.
"Jerry Maguire" gives us a great quote ("You had me at Hello"), an overused quote ("Show me the money!") and a Cheesy quote ("You complete me").

5 Comments

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  • Gloria Tabolt12/29/2008

    great stuff

  • Tweak4/28/2007

    I have to agree with DrDevience. "And this, is my... BOOMSTICK!" Total classic!

  • Christie Silvers4/24/2007

    Great article. Love it!

  • DrDevience4/23/2007

    'This is my boomstick' From Army of Darkness. gotta love it.

  • Susan3004/11/2007

    Theres no crying in baseball is one of my favorites!

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