So many screenplays, so many character quotes. Inspirational, funny, dramatic. Always unique.
Many of them contributed to make their characters memorable and avoid one of the Top 7 Deadly Flaws of a Bad Screenplay: uninteresting characters.
If you're committed to get your screenplay read, not tossed, study these film quotes and their skillful use of dialogue techniques.
And check this page regularly as we keep updating it with our daily character quotes.
Polexia Aphrodisia: Forgive me father, for I may sin tonight.
Almost Famous | Anna Paquin | Screenplay: Cameron Crowe
Lefty : In our thing, you get sent for, you go in alive, you come out dead. And it's your best friend that does it.
Donnie Brasco | Al Pacino | Screenplay: Paul Attanasio
Yoda: Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. I sense much fear in you.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace | Frank Oz | George Lucas
Jake Gittes: What can I tell you, kid? You're right. When you're right, you're right, and you're right.
Chinatown | Jack Nicholson | Screenplay: Robert Towne
Gus: Everyone that she plays with dies.
Basic Instinct | George Dzundza | Screenplay: Joe Eszterhas
Joel: Constantly talking isn't necessarily communicating.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind | Jim Carrey | Charlie Kaufman
Calvin Candie: Gentlemen, you had my curiosity. But now you have my attention.
Django Unchained | Leonardo DiCaprio | Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino
Leonard: If we talk for too long, I'll forget how we started. Next time I see you, I'm not gonna remember this conversation. I don't even know if I've met you before..
Memento | Guy Pearce | Screenplay: Christopher Nolan
John Tuld: There are three ways to make a living in this business: be first, be smarter, or cheat.
Margin Call | Jeremy Irons | Screenplay: J.C. Chandor
Frank T.J. Mackey: In this big game that we play, life, it's not what you hope for, it's not what you deserve, it's what you take. I'm Frank T.J. Mackey, a master of the muffin and author of the Seduce and Destroy system now available to you on video and audio cassette.
Magnolia | Tom Cruise | Screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson
Mike Waters: I'm a connoisseur of roads. I've been tasting roads my whole life. This road will never end. It probably goes all around the world.
My own private Idaho | River Phoenix | Screenplay: Gus Van Sant
Harvey Milk: All men are created equal. No matter how hard you try, you can never erase those words.
Milk | Sean Penn | Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black
Forrester: No thinking - that comes later. You must write your first draft with your heart. You rewrite with your head. The first key to writing is... to write, not to think!
Finding Forrester | Sean Connery | Screenplay: Mike Rich
Galadriel: Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | Cate Blanchett | Screenplay: Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson
Whip: This is going to sound real stupid coming from a man in prison. But for the first time in my life, I'm free.
Flight | Denzel Washington | Screenplay: John Gatins
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* Saving Private Ryan, screenplay written by Robert Rodat
It's not your fault.
Sean Maguire on the repetition dialogue technique and how it works.
I had to go and see about a girl.
The setup and payoff dialogue technique and how it works.
The Trigger dialogue technique:
Harvey Milk on a very effective way to spice up your dialogues.
"Take your Mother to Khandala and eat some chiki!"
Show master Prem Kumar on the put down dialogue technique.
"Honey, there's a spider in your bathroom the size of a Buick"
Alvy Singer on the exaggeration dialogue technique.
You know I don't like to wear any underwear,don't you, Nick?
Catherine Trammel on the unexpected dialogue technique.
I was a reasonably happy kid. I was brought up in Brooklyn during World War II
The juxtaposition dialogue technique and how it works.
"There's two things that aggravate me. Being ignored and being lied to."
Erin Brockovich on the list dialogue technique.
Dialogue function #1:
Colonel Jessep from A Few Good Men reveals in an explosive interview the 5 dialogue functions
Gladiator - the script structure in 11 pictures
General Maximus about the 6 stages and 5 turning points that constitute his life
Dead Poets Society - the script structure in 11 pictures
Neil Perry about the 6 stages and 5 turning points that constitute his character's life
The 10 commandments of screenplay format:
What they are and why you must live by them
Screenplay Format Commandment #5:
How to direct without using camera directions.
Screenplay Format Commandment #10:
Phone calls. They are in every movie. How do you write them?
Screenplay Format Commandment #9:
How to deal with foreign and sign language, accent and translation.
Screenplay Format Commandment #6
It's all about cars scenes and includes a Top 6 of Common Car Situations with examples.
Screenplay Format Commandment #3
How to have the reader turn the pages of your screenplay quickly.
