Bill's List of Iconic Movie Sayings

William Kercher
Jun 22, 2017
2 min read

For some time, I’ve off-and-on thought about those phrases that began as just a line in a movie and over time have been elevated to being part of our everyday speech – An Iconic Movie Sayings.

I put my choice of iconic sayings down in a list. Every now and then, I’d add one or take one off. Then, I decided to post my list to see if anyone else has had a similar stream-of-consciousness moment. Probably, no two people will have written down the same list. Someone younger may have a saying that sticks out in their mind. Someone else might simply like a particular movie more than I did, and therefore they might find a saying in one of their favorite movies to be more iconic than I do.

On the other hand, someone older might have on their list the 1950 line from All About Eve, “Fasten your seatbelt, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.” I never saw that movie I have heard that line, but it is far from being an iconic line for me.

And, I know there are people who love the 1989 movie, Field of Dreams. For someone who feels that way, the line in that movie, “If you build it they will come,” may be an iconic phrase for them. However, I am just not a fan of that movie. So, I didn’t pick that as an iconic like. And, to be very accurate, the actual line is not what has come to be accepted. The actual line is “If you build it he will come.”

Iconic Movie Sayings. What is it that propels a simple line of script from being just that, a line in a movie, and elevates it to where it becomes an Iconic Saying, a saying which has been integrated into our culture?

It must be spoken by a fascinating character, in an important scene.
Movie viewers react to it and as they are leaving the theater, they are thinking about that line.
It spreads into the everyday vocabulary.
Naturally, there is a time element to being an iconic saying. Every age group will have their own iconic phrases.

My list of Iconic Movie Sayings

1. Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.

2. And, don’t call me Shirley.

3. I’ll be back.

4. Go ahead, make my day.

5. You’re gonna need a bigger boat.

6. I’m not dead yet.

7. I’m the king of the world.

8. I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.

9. Heeeere’s Johnny.

10. May the Force be with you.

11. Play it again, Sam.