# Princess Bride: Why so many quoted lines?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-bride-why-so-many-quoted-lines/641609
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [November 20, 2012, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-bride-why-so-many-quoted-lines/641609 "2012-11-20T12:31:02Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2012, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-bride-why-so-many-quoted-lines/641609/1 "2012-11-20T12:31:02Z")
Inspired by [this thread,](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=672447) it occurs to me that most Dopers and their contemporaries could probably quote (or at least easily recognize) dozens of lines from _The Princess Bride._ I think you could use almost any line in the entire flick and the source would be recognized. Why is that movie so [quotable?](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093779/quotes) Is it merely William Goldman’s clever way of turning a phrase?
And it’s not just a phrase. Say the single word “Inconceivable!” or “Mah-wage!” and see what happens. It’s a way of separating the Dopers from the screaming eels.
Can you think of another with as many recognizable lines? _Casablanca_ comes to mind.
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### Author:  [@dimmy\_derko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dimmy_derko)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2012, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-bride-why-so-many-quoted-lines/641609/2 "2012-11-20T12:33:08Z")
_Inconceivable!_
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### Author:  [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2012, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-bride-why-so-many-quoted-lines/641609/3 "2012-11-20T12:35:45Z")
> [@dimmy\_derko](#):
>
> _Inconceivable!_
You keep using that word…
See?
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### Author:  [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2012, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-bride-why-so-many-quoted-lines/641609/4 "2012-11-20T12:46:47Z")
> [@Musicat](#):
>
> You keep using that word…
>
> See?
Yes, you’re very smart. Shut up.
I think you’ll find a sizable subset of any appropriately large fandom that can (and will) quote entire movies to each other endlessly. _Casablanca_ may be a good candidate, but something tells me comedies are more suited to this kind of thing. The Monty Python movies come to mind, as well as those of Mel Brooks (_Blazing Saddles_ and _Young Frankenstein_ in particular). Mayhap the SDMB just has an over-representation of these fans.
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### Author:  [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2012, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-bride-why-so-many-quoted-lines/641609/5 "2012-11-20T12:47:55Z")
_The Big Lebowski_ gets quoted a lot:
> **[The Big Lebowski (1998) - Quotes - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118715/quotes/)**
>
> The Big Lebowski: Directed by Joel Coen, Ethan Coen. With Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi. Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire of the same name, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling...
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### Author:  [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2012, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-bride-why-so-many-quoted-lines/641609/6 "2012-11-20T12:51:04Z")
> [@Just\_Ed](#):
>
> Mayhap the SDMB just has an over-representation of these fans.
So you’re saying Dopers are not typical of contemporary society but the exception? What would happen if you took a random person off the street and asked for a _Princess Bride_ quote?
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### Author:  [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2012, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-bride-why-so-many-quoted-lines/641609/7 "2012-11-20T12:56:14Z")
Surely you must consider Airplane!
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### Author:  [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2012, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-bride-why-so-many-quoted-lines/641609/8 "2012-11-20T12:59:08Z")
Well, the exception may be the _Princess Bride_ contingent, but I don’t think the effect is absent in society as a whole. Chances are if you asked a random person off the street, if they can’t quote from _Princess Bride_, they could probably quote from some other movie favorite of theirs (unless they were not a movie fan at all).
But yeah, if you’re asking if the SDMB is atypical in its enthusiasm for _The Princess Bride_, I would think yes, it probably is. I love the movie (and quote it to friends and family who share my opinion), but I’m not entirely sure it’s as popular amongst the unwashed masses as it is here.
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### Author:  [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2012, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-bride-why-so-many-quoted-lines/641609/9 "2012-11-20T13:01:12Z")
> [@cmkeller](#):
>
> Surely you must consider Airplane!
Don’t call me Shirley, but is there a common thread in this thread? Do the frequently-quoted movies have a certain something that you can put your finger on?
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2012, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-bride-why-so-many-quoted-lines/641609/10 "2012-11-20T13:12:14Z")
Basically, quotability deals with phrases that are short and witty. Long sentences, no matter don’t work. The more of these in a film, the more quotable they are, but it’s very hard to be truly witty.
It also helps if the phrase is repeated in the film.
BTW, you’ll shoot your eye out.
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### Author:  [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2012, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-bride-why-so-many-quoted-lines/641609/11 "2012-11-20T13:13:00Z")
> [@Musicat](#):
>
> Don’t call me Shirley, but is there a common thread in this thread? Do the frequently-quoted movies have a certain something that you can put your finger on?
A certain _je-ne-sais-quoi_?
Hmm . . . If we’re talking comedy, I think part of it is the call-and-response of set-up and punchline. Some quotes are single lines, to be sure, but a lot are back-and-forth exchanges that give two or more parties to a conversation the opportunity to participate in the quote-fun. These things can even be started innocently enough by one who isn’t consciously quoting, but provides the perfect set-up for a quote the other(s) can’t resist providing (for instance, I have to mentally restrain myself every time I hear someone say “It’s possible” so that I don’t immediately say " - pig.").
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### Author:  [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2012, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-bride-why-so-many-quoted-lines/641609/12 "2012-11-20T13:20:44Z")
> [@Musicat](#):
>
> Don’t call me Shirley, but is there a common thread in this thread? Do the frequently-quoted movies have a certain something that you can put your finger on?
This is a great question. The ones that have been mentioned so far (except for Casablanca, which doesn’t have nearly as many quoted lines as the others, IMO) have great or at least very clever lines that are delivered in a somewhat over-the-top manner, to the point where many people quote the lines while imitating Inigo Montoya or the Black Knight from Holy Grail.
I would like to add Caddy Shack to the list. Most men my age (58) can quote lots of lines from that one.
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### Author:  [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2012, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-bride-why-so-many-quoted-lines/641609/13 "2012-11-20T13:22:16Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#):
>
> _The Big Lebowski_ gets quoted a lot
Yeah, well, y’know, that’s just, like, your opinion, man.
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### Author:  [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2012, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-bride-why-so-many-quoted-lines/641609/14 "2012-11-20T13:41:30Z")
> [@Just\_Ed](#):
>
> Well, the exception may be the _Princess Bride_ contingent, but I don’t think the effect is absent in society as a whole. Chances are if you asked a random person off the street, if they can’t quote from _Princess Bride_, they could probably quote from some other movie favorite of theirs (unless they were not a movie fan at all).
I think what may be unusual is how many Dopers know how many of those lines are from The Princess Bride. There are many lines from that movie which have entered pop culture in many different countries, but which if you asked most people where are they from, they wouldn’t be able to tell you. That happens with many other highly-quotable sources: many people make references to the Bible frequently having no idea that they do - or thinking that they’re quoting their favorite metal band (which they are, but it’s a quote of a quote); I’ve run into the same regarding quotables from Shakespeare, Molière or the Golden Century Spanish writers.
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### Author:  [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2012, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-bride-why-so-many-quoted-lines/641609/15 "2012-11-20T13:47:02Z")
A prized possession of mine is a T-shirt with one of those ‘HELLO, my name is’ labels printed on it. The blank field has ‘Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.’ printed in it. You’d be amazed the number of civilians who have no idea what that means or where it’s from.
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### Author:  [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2012, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-bride-why-so-many-quoted-lines/641609/16 "2012-11-20T14:19:37Z")
> [@Nava](#):
>
> I think what may be unusual is how many Dopers know how many of those lines are from The Princess Bride. There are many lines from that movie which have entered pop culture in many different countries, but which if you asked most people where are they from, they wouldn’t be able to tell you. That happens with many other highly-quotable sources: many people make references to the Bible frequently having no idea that they do - or thinking that they’re quoting their favorite metal band (which they are, but it’s a quote of a quote); I’ve run into the same regarding quotables from Shakespeare, Molière or the Golden Century Spanish writers.
That’s a good point. I wonder how many people quote lines from _The Simpsons_ (for example) without being aware of their origin. “Cromulent” hasn’t (yet) made it to the OED, but [Wiktionary](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cromulent) will define it for you.
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#):
>
> You’d be amazed the number of civilians who have no idea what that means or where it’s from.
Now that just makes me sad.
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### Author:  [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2012, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-bride-why-so-many-quoted-lines/641609/17 "2012-11-20T14:34:01Z")
> [@Just\_Ed](#):
>
> I have to mentally restrain myself every time I hear someone say “It’s possible” so that I don’t immediately say " - pig.").
Same here, especially if I’m the one saying, “It’s possible.”
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### Author:  [@Rollo\_Tomasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rollo_Tomasi)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2012, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-bride-why-so-many-quoted-lines/641609/18 "2012-11-20T14:41:48Z")
> [@Crotalus](#):
>
> The ones that have been mentioned so far (except for Casablanca, which doesn’t have nearly as many quoted lines as the others, IMO)
In terms of stopping a random person on the street, I actually think you’re far more likely to find someone who can quote **Casablanca** than **The Princess Bride**. “Here’s looking at you, kid” and “Play it again, Sam” (a slight misquote, but still widely used) have really permeated the culture. They’ve been constantly reused and repackaged in a way that I don’t think lines from **The Princess Bride** have been, even the Inigo Montoya bit.
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### Author:  [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2012, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-bride-why-so-many-quoted-lines/641609/19 "2012-11-20T15:09:12Z")
> [@Musicat](#):
>
> Can you think of another with as many recognizable lines? _Casablanca_ comes to mind.
There’s got to be at least 7-10 (or more) from _The Wizard of Oz_.
And, after reading this post, everyone will automatically say at least one in their head, maybe even before clicking this box.
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### Author:  [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2012, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-bride-why-so-many-quoted-lines/641609/20 "2012-11-20T15:10:20Z")
> [@Just\_Ed](#):
>
> Mayhap the SDMB just has an over-representation of these fans.
In general, Dopers are smarter than the average bear. Also, when one finds a group of people who share one’s interests, one tends to stick around. I love Monty Python and Douglas Adams and Airplane and the Princess Bride, and so do a lot of people here… so I feel comfortable in this community and decided to stay and contribute.
It’s like asking why a knitters circle is so full of people who like yarn.
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