In a century of cinema, there are some lines of dialogue that people justknow, even if they’ve never seen the actual source film. An iconic film line is instantly recognizable, memorable, and quotable, and you can automatically place what movie it’s from. These lines come from a variety of genres, from action to sci-fi to romance and horror.
Update August 13, 2025: This list has been updated with even more iconic film quotes that have been favorites for generations.
Whether it is the delivery by the actor or the writing of the dialogue itself, there is something about these quotes that has made them stand the test of time. To speak to how great these lines are, notably ones like “say hello to my little friend” fromScarfaceor “to infinity and beyond” fromToy Story, just barely missed the list. Here are the most iconic film quotes of all time.
15“Here’s looking at you, kid”— Casablanca
Casablancais one of the most classic American films to date. Made in 1942, filmed and set during World War II, it stars Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Paul Henreid. The story focuses on an American expatriate named Rick who must choose between his love for a woman, Ilsa, and helping her husband, a Czechoslovakian resistance leader, escape from the Vichy-controlled city of Casablanca to continue his fight against the Germans.
“Here’s looking at you, kid” is what Rick repeatedly says to Ilsa during their relationship, and he often uses the line as a toast while they’re having a drink. It’s simple, classic, and has a melodic cadence to the words that just makes it stick out so perfectly. Another notable line from this film is, “of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.” Uttered by Rick after Ilsa walks into his café in Casablanca after not seeing her for many years, there’s something so punchy and unique about this line that it sticks with you. The line even inspired a Fall Out Boy song, “Of All the Gin Joints in All the World”.
14“What, like it’s hard?”— Legally Blonde
Legally Blondefollows Elle Woods, a sorority girl played by Reese Witherspoon, who attempts to win back her ex-boyfriend Warner by becoming a lawyer at Harvard, but in the process, overcomes stereotypes about feminine-presenting women and triumphs as a successful lawyer. Said to Warner as a comment on Elle’s ability to get into Harvard when she shows up as a new student unannounced, this quote perfectly captures Elle’s fiercely driven personality and her boundless self-confidence. It’s a great piece of character dialogue that has becomevery popular as a meme format.
13“I’m Batman”— Batman
The 1989Batmanfilm was directed by Tim Burton and starred Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl, Pat Hingle, Billy Dee Williams, Michael Gough, and Jack Palance. The film takes place early in Batman’s war on crime and focuses on the conflict between Batman and his nemesis, The Joker. Supposedly,Michael Keaton forgot his linesof “I am the night” and instead said, “I’m Batman.”
Thanks to Michael Keaton’s memory slip, we got one of the best superhero lines ever. Since the 1989 film, the “I’m Batman” line has become so well known that it’s almost a spoof now and has lost some of the seriousness of the original delivery.
12"I’m the King of the World" — Titanic
James Cameron’s historical disaster filmTitanicis still one of the highest-grossing films of all time, despite being over 25 years old. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as two members of opposite social classes who fall in love aboard the R.M.S Titanic on its doomed maiden voyage. Somany aspects of the film have become famousin popular culture, from the iconic “paint me like one of your French girls” scene to Celine Dion’s power ballad of a theme song to the devastating moments on a floating door.
However, possibly the most quotable line is uttered by DiCaprio’s character, Jack. As he leans over the front of the ship, with his arms stretched out and the wind in his hair, he joyfully cries, “I’m the king of the world!”. The line alone is iconic enough but in the context of Jack being poor and his eventual ill-fate, it takes on greater meaning.
11"Frankly, My Dear, I Don’t Give a Damn" — Gone with the Wind
Titanicmay be one of the highest-grossing films nowadays, but for a long time, 1939’s historical romance,Gone With the Wind, was THE highest-grossing film and, adjusted for inflation, still holds the record. It’s position as such, means it has gained a solid place in popular culture. Set against the backdrop of the American Civil War and the end of slavery, it centers around the turbulent relationship between Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh), the daughter of a plantation owner, and Rhett Butler (Clark Gable), a charming philanderer.
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Despite being over 80 years old, the film still hasa lot of relevance today. The famous line “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn” is spoken by Butler and comes at the end of the film, after Scarlett tearfully asks him, “Where shall I go? What shall I do?” and is meant as a rejection by Gable’s character. Interestingly, the line appears in the original 1936Gone With the Windnovel by Margaret Mitchell, only without the “frankly”. It has, on many occasions, been voted one of the most iconic movie quotes.
10“Get in loser, we’re going shopping”— Mean Girls
One of the most iconic teen comedies from the early 2000s,Mean Girlsstars Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried, Tim Meadows, Amy Poehler, and Tina Fey. The movie focuses on Cady, a formerly homeschooled girl, learning to navigate her way through the social hierarchy of a modern American high school. Truthfully,Mean Girlsis full of iconic lines, from “On Wednesdays, we wear pink” to “She doesn’t even go here.” However, this is probably the most famous line out of them all. Said by Regina to Cady, it’s so sharp and backhanded, much like Regina’s personality, and shows how fake the friendship between these girls is.
9“What’s in the box?”— Se7en
Se7enis a 1995 crime thriller directed by David Fincher starring Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Kevin Spacey. The movie follows an old detective and his new partner in a crime-ridden, unnamed city as they attempt to stop a serial killer before he can complete a series of murders based on the seven deadly sins.
This line, in particular, is memorable because of Pitt’s delivery. Said during the climax of the movie as the killer John Doe has Paltrow’s head shipped in a box right to Pitt’s character, his panicked, whining, and elongated pronunciation of “box” makes the line stand out. It’s so easy to throw this quote into conversation, especially when you’re opening a package.
8“Life moves pretty fast…”— Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
One of the titular John Hughes films of the 1980s,Ferris Bueller’s Day Offstars Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, Alan Ruck, Jennifer Grey, and Jeffery Jones. It tells the story ofa high school slackerwho fakes an illness to skip school with his best friend and his girlfriend for a day of fun in Chicago. This movie is nothing but a joy to watch and such a fun portrayal of youth, which is what this quote perfectly captures.
The full line is, “Life moves pretty fast, and if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Frankly, this is justgood life adviceand a reminder to enjoy the little things in your day-to-day routine.
7“Just keep swimming”— Finding Nemo
Finding Nemofollows an overprotective clown fish named Marlin and his unlikely companion, Dory, as he searches for his missing son Nemo. Along the way, Marlin learns to take risks and comes to terms with Nemo taking care of himself.Finding Nemois a computer-animated Pixar film directed by Andrew Stanton with the voices of Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe, and Geoffrey Rush. Despite being a line said by an anthropomorphic fish in a Pixar movie, “Just keep swimming” is an incredibly simple but effective mantra for life that reminds us all to keep going even when things get hard. It’s simple, positive, and motivating.
6"I’m Gonna Make Him an Offer He Can’t Refuse" — The Godfather
Frances Ford Coppola’s mafia masterpieceThe Godfatheris often considered one of the greatest movies of all time. And it hasn’t achieved such status without having the odd iconic moment or two. From the horse’s head in the bed to the exploding car to the baptism scene, the film is filled to the brim with memorable moments andquotes. The most iconic among them, though, has to be the line “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse”.
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Uttered by Marlon Brando’s character, the head of the family Don Vito Corleone, the line is said right at the start of the film and gives audiences a good insight into how the Corleone family operates. When the head of a film studio refuses to give Corleone’s godson, Johnny, a part in a film, Corleone reassures Johnny that he will convince the Hollywood big shot by making him an offer he can’t refuse. In other words, refusing would get him killed. It’s a great line that has been parodied and paid homage to time and time again.
