160 Fun Facts About Who Said It? Famous Quotes

Who said 'That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind'?

He spoke the words as he became the first person to set foot on the Moon in July 1969.

Which US president declared 'the only thing we have to fear is fear itself'?

He said it in his first inaugural address in 1933, at the depth of the Great Depression.

Who urged Americans to 'ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country'?

It came in his 1961 inaugural address.

Which US president said 'Speak softly and carry a big stick, and you will go far'?

He first used the West African proverb publicly in 1901 to describe his foreign policy.

Who pledged 'I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat'?

It was his first speech as prime minister, delivered to the House of Commons in May 1940.

Who declared 'We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds...'?

He gave the speech to the Commons in June 1940 after the evacuation from Dunkirk.

Which speech opens 'Four score and seven years ago'?

Abraham Lincoln delivered it in 1863 at the dedication of a cemetery on the Gettysburg battlefield.

Who delivered the 'I Have a Dream' speech in 1963?

He spoke from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington.

Which American patriot is famous for the cry 'Give me liberty, or give me death!'?

He is said to have spoken it at the Second Virginia Convention in 1775.

Whose reputed last words were 'I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country'?

He was a Continental Army spy hanged by the British in 1776.

Who reported to mission control, 'Okay, Houston, we\'ve had a problem here'?

He said it during the Apollo 13 crisis, and commander Jim Lovell repeated it moments later.

Which US president demanded 'Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!'?

He spoke at the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin in 1987.

Who spoke the words 'Ich bin ein Berliner' in West Berlin in 1963?

The line means 'I am a Berliner', a show of solidarity during the Cold War.

Which US president said 'We choose to go to the Moon' in a 1962 speech at Rice University?

The speech helped launch the Apollo programme.

The Latin boast 'Veni, vidi, vici' - 'I came, I saw, I conquered' - is attributed to whom?

He reportedly wrote it to the Roman Senate after a swift victory at the Battle of Zela around 47 BC.

Which French philosopher wrote 'I think, therefore I am' (cogito, ergo sum)?

He made it the first principle of his philosophy.

Who confessed 'If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants'?

He wrote it in a 1675 letter to his rival Robert Hooke.

The saying 'I know that I know nothing' is associated with which ancient Greek philosopher?

It captures his habit of disavowing knowledge while questioning others.

The famous exclamation 'Eureka!' - 'I have found it!' - is credited to which ancient thinker?

Legend says he shouted it after discovering the principle of buoyancy in his bath.

Who became famous for the abolitionist speech remembered as 'Ain\'t I a Woman?'

She delivered it on a lecture tour of New York State in 1851.

Yogi Berra is famous for the paradox that a game or race is not finished until what?

He said it about a pennant race his team went on to win.

Which Soviet cosmonaut cried 'Poyekhali!' - 'Let\'s go!' - as he launched into space in 1961?

He became the first human to orbit the Earth aboard Vostok 1.

A jury named which line the most memorable American movie quotation of all time?

Clark Gable spoke it as Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind, and the AFI ranked it number one.

The catchphrase 'I\'ll be back', from the 1984 film The Terminator, is associated with which actor?

He reused variations of it in later films.

The Jedi valediction 'May the Force be with you' comes from which film franchise?

It has passed into everyday pop-culture use.

Which US president kept a sign reading 'The buck stops here' on his Oval Office desk?

It meant that the responsibility for decisions ended with him.

'Let them eat cake' is traditionally but wrongly attributed to whom?

There is no evidence she ever said it; it is now seen as a journalistic cliché.

Who actually wrote 'I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it'?

She wrote it under a pen name to summarise Voltaire's attitude, not as his own words.

Sherlock Holmes never actually says which phrase in any of Arthur Conan Doyle's sixty stories?

Holmes calls things 'elementary' and calls Watson 'my dear Watson', but never joins the two.

Which US admiral is credited with 'Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!' at Mobile Bay?

He led Union warships past Confederate mines, then called torpedoes, in 1864.

Which Roman general, crossing the Rubicon in 49 BC, is said to have quoted 'let the die be cast'?

Plutarch says he quoted the playwright Menander in Greek as his army marched on Rome.

Malala Yousafzai is best known worldwide for campaigning on which issue?

She survived a Taliban attack and became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Nelson Mandela titled his autobiography, based on a prison manuscript, what?

He published it in 1994, the year he became South Africa's president.

Which Swedish teenager became a global voice demanding action on climate change?

Her school strikes grew into a worldwide youth movement.

The German pastor Martin Niemoller wrote a famous confessional piece that begins with which words?

It warns about staying silent while others are persecuted.

The romantic line 'Here\'s looking at you, kid' is spoken by Humphrey Bogart in which 1942 film?

He plays Rick, an American running a nightclub in wartime Morocco.

Which film's villain uses the catchphrase 'Hasta la vista, baby'?

Arnold Schwarzenegger's character says it before destroying an enemy in the 1991 sequel.

The names 'Rhett Butler' and 'Scarlett O'Hara' belong to which classic 1939 film?

Its last line was later voted the most memorable in American cinema.

Which president is remembered for the 1961 inaugural line asking citizens to serve their country?

He was the youngest man elected US president at the time.

The first person to journey into outer space, in 1961, was which Soviet pilot?

He completed a single orbit of the Earth aboard Vostok 1.

Which line topped the AFI's 2005 list of the 100 greatest American movie quotes?

A jury of 1,500 film artists and critics picked Rhett Butler's Gone with the Wind line.

Which character says 'I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse' in The Godfather?

Marlon Brando delivered the AFI's number-two movie quote.

Who says 'Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore' in The Wizard of Oz?

Judy Garland's line ranks fourth on the AFI list.

Which actor delivers 'Go ahead, make my day' as Harry Callahan in Sudden Impact?

Dirty Harry's dare is the AFI's sixth-greatest movie quote.

Who says 'You talkin' to me?' in Taxi Driver?

Robert De Niro's line places tenth on the AFI list.

Which character delivers 'I love the smell of napalm in the morning' in Apocalypse Now?

Robert Duvall speaks the line, ranked twelfth by the AFI.

Who says 'E.T. phone home' in the 1982 Spielberg film?

Pat Welsh voiced the alien; the line is 15th on the AFI list.

Which character famously says 'Rosebud' in the 1941 Orson Welles film?

Orson Welles's dying word drives the film's mystery.

Who tells the census-taker story with 'a nice Chianti' in The Silence of the Lambs?

Anthony Hopkins's line ranks 21st on the AFI list.

Which character gives the famous surname-first introduction in Dr. No?

Sean Connery first said it in the 1962 film.

Who says 'Show me the money!' in Jerry Maguire?

Cuba Gooding Jr.'s line is 25th on the AFI list.

Which character shouts 'You can't handle the truth!' in A Few Good Men?

Jack Nicholson's courtroom line ranks 29th.

Who says 'You're gonna need a bigger boat' in Jaws?

Roy Scheider's ad-libbed line is 35th on the AFI list.

Which character says 'Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth'?

Gary Cooper played Gehrig in The Pride of the Yankees.

Who says 'My mama always said life was like a box of chocolates'?

Tom Hanks's line ranks 40th on the AFI list.

Which character says 'I see dead people' in The Sixth Sense?

Haley Joel Osment's whisper is 44th on the AFI list.

Who shouts 'Stella! Hey, Stella!' in A Streetcar Named Desire?

Marlon Brando's cry is 45th on the AFI list.

Which character declares 'Greed, for lack of a better word, is good' in Wall Street?

Michael Douglas's speech ranks 57th on the AFI list.

Who advises 'Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer' in The Godfather Part II?

Al Pacino's line is 58th on the AFI list.

Which character says 'Say hello to my little friend!' in Scarface?

Al Pacino's line ranks 61st on the AFI list.

Who says 'Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!'?

Peter Sellers played the president in Dr. Strangelove.

Which character says 'Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape'?

Charlton Heston's line comes from Planet of the Apes.

Who says 'Here's Johnny!' in The Shining?

Jack Nicholson improvised the line, ranked 68th.

Which character says 'Soylent Green is people!'?

Charlton Heston's line ranks 77th on the AFI list.

Who says 'Open the pod bay doors, HAL' in 2001: A Space Odyssey?

Keir Dullea's line ranks 78th on the AFI list.

Which character says 'and don't call me Shirley' in Airplane!?

Leslie Nielsen delivered the deadpan line.

Who shouts 'Yo, Adrian!' in the 1976 boxing film?

Sylvester Stallone's cry ranks 80th on the AFI list.

Which character says 'My precious' in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers?

Andy Serkis voiced the line, 85th on the AFI list.

Who says 'Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys' in Dead Poets Society?

Robin Williams's teacher speech ranks 95th.

Which character says 'Nobody puts Baby in a corner' in Dirty Dancing?

Patrick Swayze's line ranks 98th on the AFI list.

Who declares 'I'm the king of the world!' in Titanic?

Leonardo DiCaprio's line closes the AFI list at 100.

Which character actually says 'You had me at hello' in Jerry Maguire?

Renée Zellweger's line ranks 52nd on the AFI list.

Who really says 'Play it, Sam. Play As Time Goes By' in Casablanca?

The line is often misquoted as 'Play it again, Sam'.

Which line does Rick Blaine actually speak at the end of Casablanca?

Humphrey Bogart's closing line ranks 20th on the AFI list.

Who says 'I'll have what she's having' in When Harry Met Sally...?

Director Rob Reiner's mother Estelle delivered the famous line.

Which line does the Terminator say in the first 1984 film?

'Hasta la vista, baby' came in the 1991 sequel instead.

The misquote 'Beam me up, Scotty' addresses which Enterprise chief engineer?

James Doohan played Scotty and even used the misquote as his memoir title.

In Shakespeare's play, who speaks the line 'Et tu, Brute?'

There is no evidence the historical Caesar ever said it.

Which scientist is said to have muttered 'And yet it moves' after recanting to the Inquisition?

The 1633 remark is likely apocryphal; his first biographer never mentions it.

Who actually first reported the Apollo 13 emergency with 'Okay, Houston... we've had a problem here'?

Commander Jim Lovell repeated it; the movie changed it to the present tense.

Where did the exact phrase 'Elementary, my dear Watson', absent from Conan Doyle, first appear?

It appears in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939) and The Return of Sherlock Holmes.

Which Latin phrase, meaning 'the die is cast', marked the crossing of the Rubicon?

Suetonius records the word order as iacta alea est.

Which Spartan king reputedly replied 'Molon labe' ('come and take them') to a Persian surrender demand?

It was his answer at Thermopylae in 480 BC, per Plutarch.

Who shouted 'Sic semper tyrannis' after firing the shot at Ford's Theatre in 1865?

It is also the state motto of Virginia.

General John Stark coined which US state's motto, 'Live free or die'?

He wrote it in an 1809 toast; the state adopted it in 1945.

Which US general replied 'Nuts!' to a German surrender demand at Bastogne?

He was the acting commander of the 101st Airborne in the Battle of the Bulge.

To whom is 'Let them eat cake' wrongly attributed?

There is no evidence she said it; the phrase traces back to Rousseau.

Which British PM declared 'peace for our time' after the 1938 Munich Agreement?

World War II began less than a year later.

Who pledged 'Read my lips: no new taxes' at the 1988 Republican convention?

Peggy Noonan wrote the line that later hurt him politically.

Who demanded 'Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!' at the Brandenburg Gate in 1987?

Peter Robinson wrote the speech.

Who offered 'nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat' in a 1940 speech?

It was his first speech as prime minister.

Who warned of an 'iron curtain' in a 1946 speech at Fulton, Missouri?

He gave the 'Sinews of Peace' address as Leader of the Opposition.

Who said 'Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few'?

The 1940 speech honoured RAF pilots in the Battle of Britain.

Who delivered the 'I Have a Dream' speech from the Lincoln Memorial in 1963?

Mahalia Jackson shouted 'Tell 'em about the dream, Martin!' during it.

Who proclaimed 'Ich bin ein Berliner' in West Berlin in 1963?

He echoed the ancient boast civis Romanus sum.

Who gave 'The Ballot or the Bullet' speech in 1964?

He had just left the Nation of Islam.

Which British PM said 'The wind of change is blowing through this continent' in 1960?

He addressed South Africa's parliament in Cape Town.

Which fast-food chain's 1984 ad made 'Where's the beef?' famous?

Actress Clara Peller delivered the line in the 'Fluffy Bun' ad.

Who spoke in front of a 'Mission Accomplished' banner on a carrier in 2003?

He declared major combat operations in Iraq had ended.

Who concluded 'you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold' in 1896?

His free-silver speech won him the Democratic nomination.

Who called December 7, 1941 'a date which will live in infamy'?

He addressed Congress the day after Pearl Harbor.

Who declared 'A house divided against itself cannot stand' in 1858?

He gave the speech after accepting the Illinois Republican Senate nomination.

Which president warned against the 'military-industrial complex' in his 1961 farewell?

He had helped build the very elite he warned about.

Who is credited with 'Give me liberty, or give me death!' in 1775?

Biographer William Wirt reconstructed the speech decades later.

Which T. S. Eliot poem ends 'not with a bang but a whimper'?

The 1925 poem's final lines are among the most quoted of any 20th-century poet.

Which promoter coined 'Elvis has left the building' in 1956?

He said it at Elvis's last Louisiana Hayride appearance.

Which government produced the 'Keep Calm and Carry On' poster in 1939?

Most copies were never displayed; one resurfaced in 2000 at Barter Books.

Who coined the 1992 campaign phrase 'It's the economy, stupid'?

It was one of three messages for campaign workers.

Who said 'There you go again' to Jimmy Carter in a 1980 debate?

The line became a defining phrase of the election.

Which theorist coined 'The medium is the message'?

It titles the first chapter of his 1964 book Understanding Media.

Which Herman Melville novel opens with 'Call me Ishmael'?

Ishmael is the novel's first-person narrator.

Which Dickens novel begins 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times'?

It is set before and during the French Revolution.

Which Shakespeare character delivers the 'To be, or not to be' soliloquy?

It comes in the 'nunnery scene' of Act 3, Scene 1.

Who says 'A rose by any other name would smell as sweet'?

She argues that Romeo's Montague name means nothing.

Who says 'The lady doth protest too much, methinks' in the play-within-a-play?

It is often misquoted with 'Methinks' first.

In which Shakespeare history play does a king cry 'Once more unto the breach'?

He rallies his troops at the siege of Harfleur.

Who begins a funeral oration 'Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears'?

He turns the crowd against the conspirators in Julius Caesar.

Which Jane Austen novel opens 'It is a truth universally acknowledged...'?

It follows Elizabeth Bennet and her four sisters.

Which US senator's silencing in 2017 popularised 'Nevertheless, she persisted'?

Mitch McConnell said it after a Senate vote on Jeff Sessions.

Which historian wrote 'Well-behaved women seldom make history'?

She used it in a 1976 article about Puritan funeral services.

Which boxer said his style was to 'float like a butterfly, sting like a bee'?

He was born Cassius Clay in Louisville, Kentucky.

Which US president insisted 'I am not a crook' during Watergate?

The full line was 'Well, I am not a crook.'

The line 'Just the facts, ma'am' is wrongly attributed to which TV character?

A 1953 Stan Freberg parody helped cement the misquote.

In which film does Darth Vader reveal 'No, I am your father' to Luke?

The twist is often misquoted as 'Luke, I am your father'.

Which US president said 'I did not have sexual relations with that woman'?

He named Monica Lewinsky in the January 1998 remarks.

Who urged 'ask not what your country can do for you' in a 1961 inaugural?

He was the youngest person elected president and the first Catholic.

Which US president kept a sign reading 'The buck stops here'?

The phrase comes from a poker marker called the buck.

Which president's foreign policy motto was 'speak softly and carry a big stick'?

His approach is known as 'big stick' diplomacy.

Which president popularised the Russian proverb 'Trust, but verify'?

Scholar Suzanne Massie taught him doveryai, no proveryai.

Whose 1964 'A Time for Choosing' speech launched his political career?

He gave it on behalf of candidate Barry Goldwater.

Nike's 'Just Do It' slogan was reportedly inspired by whose last words?

Gilmore said 'Let's do it' before his 1977 execution.

Which company used the slogan 'Think different' from 1997 to 2002?

It was widely seen as a response to IBM's slogan 'Think'.

Who narrates the original Star Trek mission 'to boldly go where no man has gone before'?

William Shatner delivered the line as Kirk.

Who devised the Vulcan salute paired with 'live long and prosper'?

He based it on a Jewish priestly blessing gesture.

Which villain repeatedly asks 'Why so serious?' in The Dark Knight?

Heath Ledger played him in the 2008 film.

From which Disney film did the Swahili phrase 'Hakuna matata' reach Western fame?

It means 'no worries' or 'no trouble'.

Which Toy Story character shouts 'To infinity and beyond!'?

Tim Allen voiced the space cadet action figure.

Which Big Bang Theory character says 'Bazinga!'?

Jim Parsons played him; the word is a Warner Bros. trademark.

Which Simpsons character is famous for the catchphrase 'D'oh!'?

It ranked sixth on TV Land's list of great catchphrases in 2006.

The catchphrase 'yada yada yada' was popularised by which sitcom?

An 1997 episode was even titled 'The Yada Yada'.

Which philosopher declared 'I think, therefore I am' (cogito, ergo sum)?

He first published it in French in his 1637 Discourse on the Method.

Which Roman poet's Odes gives us 'carpe diem' ('seize the day')?

It appears in Book 1, published in 23 BC.

What does the Latin phrase 'memento mori' mean?

A skull is its most common artistic symbol.

Who supposedly said 'The unexamined life is not worth living' at his trial?

Plato's Apology records the dictum.

Which philosopher wrote 'God is dead' in The Gay Science?

He used 'God' as a symbol for Christian morality's decline.

Who wrote 'Religion is the opium of the people'?

It comes from his critique of political economy.

Which 1848 work ends with the rallying cry 'Workers of the world, unite!'?

Marx and Engels wrote it; a variant is on Marx's tombstone.

Who first wrote 'the pen is mightier than the sword' in that exact wording, in 1839?

He coined it for his play Richelieu.

Which Latin proverb translates as 'Fortune favours the bold'?

It is a popular military and academic motto.

Which US justice's writing gave us 'sunlight is the best disinfectant'?

It appeared in his 1914 book Other People's Money.

Which newspaper printed the editorial 'Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus' in 1897?

Francis Pharcellus Church wrote it in reply to eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon.

Whose reputed last words were 'Woe, I think I'm turning into a god'?

He alluded to the Roman practice of deifying dead emperors.

Whose last words were reportedly 'I am still learning' (Ancora imparo)?

The Renaissance artist and poet died in 1564.

Which Founding Father's last words were 'Thomas Jefferson survives', unaware Jefferson had just died?

Both men died on July 4, 1826.

Which Union general's last words were 'They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance'?

He was shot moments later at Spotsylvania in 1864.

Who greeted a missing explorer at Ujiji in 1871 with the words 'Dr. Livingstone, I presume?'

The New York Herald had sent him to find Livingstone, who reportedly replied, 'Yes'. Stanley later tore the pages about the meeting from his diary.

Which general, having escaped the Philippines in 1942, declared in Australia 'I came through and I shall return'?

He had left Corregidor by PT boat on 11 March and reached Melbourne by train on 21 March.

Which college football coach is credited with 'Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing'?

The UCLA coach delivered it with a long pause at a 1950 physical-education workshop; it is often wrongly credited to Vince Lombardi.

Which baseball manager's 1946 remark was condensed by journalists into 'nice guys finish last'?

His actual words were 'The nice guys are all over there, in seventh place', about the New York Giants.

Which Liverpool FC manager is widely credited with a 1981 remark that football is 'more important' than life or death?

A version of the line was attributed years earlier to UCLA's Red Sanders about beating USC.