Timeless dialogues

From "Casablanca" to "The Godfather", here are 10 memorable movie lines!

Image: Myke Simon

Although they are comprised of hundreds of words and scenes, movies tend to be extremely memorable: All of us can quote from memory our favorite moments from our favorite films. However, there is a special kind of lines that tend to stick with us: those insanely remarkable pieces of dialogue that are forever ingrained in pop culture. With that in mind, here are 10 of the most unforgettable movie quotes out there, which we guarantee will make you look back on some of the most iconic movies of all time. Enjoy!

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We’ll start with an American classic. By the end of Gone With the Wind, the character of Rhett Butler, wonderfully portrayed by the irreplaceable Clark Gable, perfectly summarizes how his love for Scarlett O’Hara has dried up with the simple line: "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

Gable’s wonderful voice and nonchalant manner add a layer of gravitas to this amazing line.

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Leave it to a robot to deliver one of the most surprisingly menacing lines of this article. The 1984 film The Terminator skyrocketed the career of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who portrayed the titular Terminator in his chase against Sarah Connor.

One of the most terrifying aspects of this robot is how silent he is, relentlessly hunting down his victim. With that in mind, when the Terminator delivered his now-iconic line "I’ll be back," we couldn’t help but feel chills.

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The 1995 film Apollo 13 is an astonishing tribute to the bravery of the astronauts stranded in the titular mission. For many critics, this movie is considered one of the best films of all time and extremely close to being a perfect movie.

This is in no small part thanks to the amazing dialogue: Case in point, Tom Hanks’ iconic delivery of the line "Houston, we have a problem" is still relevant almost 30 years after this film’s release.

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For such a terrifying movie, it’s funny that one of the few humorous moments of the 1975 thriller Jaws is also one of the most memorable lines of this groundbreaking film. And yet, we can’t help but laugh a nervous chuckle when we hear Chief Brody (played by Roy Scheider) say: "You are going to need a bigger boat."

Interestingly, this line was improvised and came as an inside joke from the production crew, who asked for a bigger boat to carry equipment.

Image: Geert Pieters

What can we say about Casablanca that hasn’t been said a million times? This 1942 film is not only considered a masterpiece but it has been referenced and parodied countless times, up to the point of being instantly recognizable by people who haven’t even seen this film.

In that sense, most film buffs are aware of what’s perhaps Casablanca's most memorable line, when Humphrey Boggart’s character asks the pianist to "play it again, Sam." The one small problem with this is that this line was never in the film: It is actually a juxtaposition of two different lines, spoken by Boggart and by Ingrid Bergman.

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The 1976 film Taxi Driver is to this day considered one of Martin Scorsese’s best films, as well as one of the most powerful characters portrayed by the great Robert De Niro. This movie is an exploration of the human psyche, through the eyes of Vietnam veteran Travis Bickle, who takes a job as a taxi driver to deal with his insomnia.

De Niro wonderfully plays Travis’ descent into chaos, which can be perfectly summarized in the film’s most famous scene, when Travis rehearses his toughness in front of a mirror and says the line "You talkin' to me?"

Image: Cole Kitchen

The Godfather is considered the quintessential mafia film: It was the first to portray this criminal organization as a precise and intricately woven system, held by a belief system deeply rooted in honor and tradition.

Marlon Brando plays Vito Corleone, the titular Godfather, a highly-respected leader who delivers what’s perhaps the most memorable line of the movie: "I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse."

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Did you know that Clint Eastwood rarely portrayed a villain on film? That doesn’t mean his characters are all knights in shining armor: Quite the contrary, they tend to be grizzly, no-nonsense tough guys, although they are good guys without a doubt.

From these characters, Detective Harry Calahan, first introduced in the 1971 action-thriller Dirty Harry, perfectly embodies these characteristics commonly played by Eastwood. Case in point: His chilling delivery of the line "Go ahead, make my day" in the 1983 sequel Sudden Impact.

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Few movies have been as essential in the development of modern cinema as The Wizard of Oz. This 1939 film was groundbreaking in every sense of the word, from its amazing use of technicolor to its musical score and memorable characters.

We could easily include numerous iconic lines from this movie, but we ultimately chose this one: When Dorothy (played by Judy Garland) says " "Toto, I've a feeling we're not In Kansas anymore," she perfectly conveys the sense of wonder that the land of Oz has to offer.

Image: Tommy van Kessel

We’ll finish with what’s perhaps the most quoted line in science fiction history. What’s interesting about this line is that it is not related to a single scene, but it is rather spoken as some sort of motto: Whenever a Jedi says "May the force be with you" in any of the films that comprise the Star Wars filmography, he is wishing their companion good luck and protection in all their endeavors.

Worth a thousand words

10 uncommon adjectives you should reintroduce into your vocabulary

Image: Pearse O'Halloran

Languages are a wonderful thing, not only because they are a means of communication and thought development, but also because they showcase the human mind’s ability for description. Sadly, many words that were once considered common have slowly become obsolete, and the English language has lost unique ways of expressing specific realities. Here are some fancy adjectives that you should consider reintroducing into your daily vocabulary.

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Meaning: related to ducks.

From the Latin anas, ‘duck’, this adjective can be used for anything pertaining to that particular animal. It might seem an unnecessary adjective, but it is nonetheless useful because you never know when you will have to discuss something duck-related.

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Meaning: pleasant to look at.

We can describe things and people as lovely, beautiful, charming, and more. But sometimes, these things and people are just simply pleasant to the eye. For times like that, we have the adjective ‘comely’.

Image: Jakub Kriz

Meaning: lacking life or spirit, languid.

Some might think that the word languid is fancy enough for expressing a lack of energy, but don’t you think that ‘lackadaisical’ is a good conversation starter? It comes from the phrase ‘alack the day’, where ‘alack’ was used to express sorrow or regret.

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Meaning: showy, falsely attractive, pretentious.

The origins of this word are not exactly pleasant. From the Latin meretrix, a word used for women of questionable morals, its meaning shifted to refer to things that appear attractive but lack integrity or value.

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Meaning: dull, without significance or interest.

This adjective comes from a Latin word, jejunus, that meant ‘empty of food, hungry, meager’. Once adopted into English, it began being used for things that lack substance. Additionally, ‘jejune’ also means ‘juvenile’, a meaning created by its confusion with the French jeune (‘young’).

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Meaning: fluent but insincere and shallow.

From glibberig, an Old German word meaning ‘slippery’, the term ‘glib’ was initially incorporated into English to describe things that were physically smooth or slippery. Over time, it came to describe someone who speaks easily and fluently, but does not convey sincerity.

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Meaning: threatening, of pernicious influence.

Of Old English origin, ‘baleful’ comes from the word bealu, ‘evil’. Sometimes confused with ‘baneful’ (from Old English bana, ‘slayer’ or ‘murderer’), these two words have close meanings. However, while ‘baneful’ is used for things that cause evil, ‘baleful’ usually refers to a threat or sign of evilness.

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Meaning: skilled, clever, resourceful.

Originally a French word meaning both ‘handsome’ and ‘skilled in combat’, it is no longer used solely for physical skills, but also to denote intellectual capacities.

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Meaning: intemperate or excessive in eating and drinking.

Totally unrelated to a certain swear word quite common in English, the term ‘crapulous’ comes from the Latin crapula, meaning ‘intoxication’, derived in turn from the Greek term for a hangover headache.

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Meaning: whiny, with a tendency to complain.

Related through its origins to ‘quarrel,’ the adjective ‘querulous’ comes from the Latin queri, ‘to complain’. But beware: this word applies only to whiny people who complain for fun, not to justified or occasional complaints.