20 Famous Quotes From Movies That Absolutely Everyone Knows

Watching famous movies is a rite of passage for everyone.

Even if you decide you don't like the movie after watching it, you can probably name at least one person who is always telling you that you HAVE to watch “fill-in-the-blank movie here.”

These movies are famous for lots of reasons, of course, but one major factor in their popularity are their memorable moments of dialogue. A few solid lines can make an average movie into a must-watch cultural classic for the ages.

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Case in point, I’ve never seen Gone With the Wind, nor do I really want to at this point, but I do know that Rhett Butler's character says, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" because EVERYONE knows that.

The quote actually became a bigger thing that the movie itself. (Which is impressive when you consider the scale of that movie.) Old people, children, almost ANYONE in Western society recognizes "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" as a piece of pop culture vocabulary, regardless of whether or not anyone’s actually seen the film.

So I decided to sit down and write out 20 of the most famous movie quotes I could think of — maybe not from the biggest movies ever, but the kinds of movie quotes that we all drop into conversations in the same way we drop gifs into texts.

These quotes convey emotions, they enhance the meanings of the other things we’re talking about. They’re like pop culture language emoji.

Most of the famous quotes come from films that are considered classics, while others are cult movies with big niche followings.

As for the rest, they mostly made the list because these quick lines are the moments that actually MADE the film (see: anything from Twilight).

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But, kidding aside, Twilight definitely did NOT make this list because these are some of the most famous movie quotes of all time, so… standards, you know.

Here are my 20 picks for some of the most memorable, EVERYONE-knows-these, no-brainer movie quotes of all time. See if you agree with my selections and, if you’re not familiar with any of these, you need to go watch them NOW.

If you’re looking for a little inspiration, we’ve got the best quotes to share and savor. For quotes from the most inspiring celebs, activists, and poets, look no further! You might even find the quote that motivates the best parts of your life (and love!) forever.