[originally posted on November 13, 2014]
THIS POST ABSOLUTELY CONTAINS SPOILERS AND IS NOT COMPREHENSIVE OF ALL MY FAVORITE MOVIE QUOTES. PART TWO WILL COME EVENTUALLY.
The title is pretty self-explanatory, but I want to mention that I'm not going to post the "Top Ten Quotes of All Time" list. Someone, somewhere, has written that list. These are just quotes from films that I can't get out of my head.
Stories that won't leave once you've heard them.
Moments we live in our real lives.
Most of them dangerously funny.
10. "And that's why papa says she'll never get married."
-Zipporah's sister, after she drops Moses (back) into the well (The Prince of Egypt).
The best part of this quote is that Zipporah and Moses get married. This quote gives me reassurance that I don't have to be the compliant quiet mousey girl to find someone to spend my life with. I can be Sassy Zipporah (that's just how I roll) and I will be all g.
9. "I can see you managed to get your shirt off."
- Dr. Lazarus, as Captain Taggart is being chased by a giant rock monster (GalaxyQuest).
On the one hand, we all have those friends who need to show off their bodies 100000% of the time. On the other hand, we have those friends who just can't let go of their personal problems with other people long enough to be helpful. Either way, this scene is perfect.
8. "To despair is to turn your back on God."
- Marilla, after telling Anne she cannot stay at Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables).
In context, this might be the worst thing Marilla could have said, but for me, that line is a short summary of my faith. Having despaired, I can say I had turned my back on God. Having kept my face to Him, I haven't despaired again. I'd say Marilla was right. Also, it's a beautiful contrast to Anne's moments of falling into "the depths of despair," and how as her faith grows -- and she matures -- that phrase disappears. She stops falling that low, even in her darkest hours.
7. "Who said life is fair? Where is that written?"
- Grandpa, to grandson (The Princess Bride)
Grandpa is king of spoiling-without-spoiling. If you remember this scene, he tells his grandson all about the ending without giving it away. Also, life isn't fair. Sometimes, it's not fair against us, and sometimes, life being unfair is our greatest advantage.
6. "Fight! Win! And do come back soon; I enjoy our visits."
- Edna Mode, to Helen Parr (The Incredibles)
PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER!
5. "What do you mean he don't eat no meat? Oh that's okay, that's okay, I make lamb."
- Aunt Voula, on finding out Toula's fiance Ian is a vegetarian.
This entire movie is one giant quotable mess, but this might be my favorite Voula line, just because it's so not okay. I have IBS, so whenever it is flaring up really badly and I say I can't eat something, this scene re-enacts. Or someone forgets I'm lactose intolerant and I don't have lactase pills on me. I quote this and comfort myself.
4. "Harold, if you pause to think, you'd realize that that answer is inextricably contingent upon the type of life being led. And, of course, the quality of the pancakes."
- Dr. Hilbert, explaining to Harold why someone might choose to eat nothing but pancakes instead of choosing to live. (Stranger than Fiction).
When I quote this in real life, I almost never get it right. However, it's a great point. How good is your life? How good are the pancakes? What are you willing to change?
3. "Everybody's got dead people!"
- Rocket, to Drax (Guardians of the Galaxy)
I scream this at my TV when characters blame their problems on their dead relatives. But, it's true. We've all got dead people. We all miss someone. Live a little kinder (which was absolutely not Rocket's point) and remember that, while we have a right and need to grieve, we can't justify destroying other people's lives just because we are in pain (which was Rocket's point).
2. "No, that's a simile."
- Fellow students arguing over the finer points of grammar while Madeline experiences a medical emergency.
That's how kids are. That's how we all get. We want to be right and we miss the important stuff. Also, this scene is a perfect three-part joke.
1. "There's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it's worth fighting for."
- Samwise Gamgee to Frodo Baggins (Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers)
My mom once preached an entire sermon on how everybody needs a Sam, and she was right. We all need a Sam in our lives. We all need someone who believes in us and sees the reason to keep fighting.
And my favorite: "He must have known was he was doing."
- Susan to Lucy, when Aslan has been killed on the Stone Table (The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe)
This is my favorite scene in any movie. Susan is holding onto her only hope and comfort when all hope is gone: Aslan knew what he was doing. She, who has tried to be the parent figure for so long, has to step up and be the person Lucy has to depend on. And what does she say? Not that it will be alright. Not that it makes sense. Just that Aslan knew what he was doing. And he did... but Susan just had to trust that she was right, and that even when the world made no sense, Aslan was still the King.