If you're a film buff, you likely have lines from all your favorite flicks memorized and ready to drop into every conversation. But some movie quotes have become so ingrained into our culture that folks may not even realize their cinematic origins. Challenge yourself to see how many of these classic silver screen quotes you can remember.
“You can’t handle the truth!”
This might be an iconic line to shout in the middle of an argument nowadays, but it comes from 1992's A Few Good Men (which started out as a stage play written by Aaron Sorkin). If you’ve seen the movie, you’ll remember Jack Nicholson as Colonel Jessup yelling it at Tom Cruise’s character, Lieutenant Kaffee.
What you may not know is that the line wasn’t in the original script — Nicholson improvised it on set.
“With great power comes great responsibility.”
If you’re a comic book fan, this one is easy. It’s no secret that this line is in 2002's Spiderman (starring Tobey Maguire), but it didn’t originate there. Instead, it comes from the original Marvel comic, which introduced Spidey in 1962.
“Go ahead. Make my day.”
Now used as a taunting challenge, this line came from two 1980s films. Clint Eastwood, as Inspector Callahan (a.k.a. Dirty Harry), made the line famous in the 1983 movie Sudden Impact; but it was first used a year earlier in a Vice Squad, a crime thrilled unrelated to the Dirty Harry films.
“You ain’t heard nothing yet!”
This 1927 line from The Jazz Singer is more than just a catchy phrase. It was one of the first lines ever spoken on film. Al Jolson, the most popular actor of the time, uttered the line in the first-ever "talkie," ushering in the end of the silent film era.
“I’m king of the world!”
You only get credit for this quote if you yell it from the bow of a boat. You may remember Leonardo DiCaprio's final, tragic scene in Titanic, but this remains a popular phrase to shout during moments of pride or strength. Just watch out for any ominous icebergs.
“I’m walking here!”
What’s now an epitome of New Yorker speech came from Midnight Cowboy in 1969. Like Colonel Jessup’s line, this one was improvised when Dustin Hoffman yelled at a taxi driver. And yes, it was a real New York City taxi driver, not an actor.
Credit: REVOLT/ Unsplash