This topic is a little harder. Not necessarily our favorite opening lines or ending lines from books but lines that have
been lifted from their source and become part of everyday lingo. I can think of:

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

"Is this the face that launched a thousand ships?"

skyp

"I'm a lost soul. We do wail."

"I always didn't say it!"
"What difference does *that* make?"

"Dogs of war."

by
Shakin' Willie

Hands down one I've heard a lot -- and I mean colloquially, and not just by those who have read the poem, "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost -- has to be, "... miles to go before I sleep" and variants thereof.

"Words, words, words"
(_Hamlet_) Each time I'm asked what I'm reading.

"quod scripsi, scripsi" (what I've written, I've written) Gospel of John. Each time I'm asked about what I've written.



Juan in Andalucía

"Neither a borrower nor a lender be."

I've heard a lot of people quoting it thinking it is a bible verse. But, it is spoken by Polonius in Shakespeare's Hamlet.

"No man is an island."

"For whom the bell tolls."


Both from John Donne "Meditation 17"

"water water everywhere, and not a drop to drink" RotAM

"I will fart in your general direction" MPSftHG

I understood the RotAM (Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner), and suspect that the MP stands for Monty Python, given the quote, but I am not familiar with the SftHG portion. Please elucidate.

Donnie

It's a mistake on my part. I have always called "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," MP and the Search for the Holy Grail. It's a habit I can never remember to correct.

Nothing will come of nothing

Shakespeare (KIng Lear)

Edited because I selected from movies, not literature.

How many lines from Shakespeare?

"Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war"
"A rose by any other name"
"Out, damn spot" (particularly appropriate for this board!)
"To be or not to be"

Just a few of the many that are part of daily language.

Disclaimer - These are dredged from my memory before coffee has kicked in. I haven't checked them against the sources, so they may be inaccurate.

2nd one: Romeo & Juliet.
3rd one: Macbeth.
4th one: Hamlet.

1st one...? I don't recognise it!

'All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players.
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.'

-William Shakespeare, As You Like It.

I've occasionally heard people quote these lines (or variants of them) at various times in my life.

Does anyone know where, "I buys ye books and buys ye books, but all ye do is eat the kivvers" comes from? I've heard it for years from varioius people out there, but can't find the source.

1st quote is Marc Antony in "Julius Caesar"

And while we're quoting Big Willie, how about "The course of true love never did run smooth" from "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

"The night has a thousand eyes" ------- Francis William Bourdillon

Judybug

"It was a dark and stormy night...."
"Winter of our discontent..."(Shakespeare)
"The best laid plans of mice and men oft go gang-a-gley...."(Robert Burns)
"....a pound of flesh"(Merchant of Venice)
"Much Ado About Nothing"(Shakespeare)

John

From Shakespeare:

"My kingdom for a horse"

"The devil can cite scripture for his purpose"

"All the world's a stage"

"Though this be madness, yet there is method in it."

And so many more.

"All the world's a stage" is also in Macbeth... I think it was a common idea in early theatre.

While we're on Macbeth,
"Full of sound and fury"

And while we're on Shakespeare (there are so many):
"salad days"
"neither rhyme nor reason"
"give the devil his due"

I KNEW IT!! I knew I read it somewhere in MacBeth! Darn it! I just can't remember where!



- Sherlock Holmes, "Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Abbey Grange"

Took me bloody ages to source that quote in my book!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think "no man is an island" is said in For Whom the Bell Tolls. Something like "no matter how you try, a man alone ain't got a bloody chance".

I'm not quoting (I don't have that book at hand); just my clumsy memory.

Juan

I've occasionally heard people quote these lines (or variants of them) at various times in my life.
[/quote]

Elvis Presley is one of them.

Juan

Here's another favorite of mine:

"If we eliminate the impossible, whatever remains -however unlikely- must be the truth"

Sherlock says this in different variations in his adventures, but the first time is in The Sign of Four, I think.

Oh, BTW, Old Holmes NEVER said "elementary (my) dear Watson". I mean in the Sherlockian canon by Conan Doyle; the pastiches are full of them. The only one I tolerate is Billy Wilder's The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes.

Juan

I know that in the Rathbonian version he did.


John

Apart from the Shakespeare, there are two others that have become very common. I have encountered the first one quite often in school over the doorway of many a classroom. The second is probably more apt for the experience of school (probably graduate school).

"All hope abandon, ye who enter in."

"The mind can make a heaven out of hell or a hell out of heaven"

And, just because I am always trying to get people to learn, anyone out there know where the quotes come from?

-Cody

Say what? Does pop culture count?

1 small step for man, one giant leap for mankind

Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn

I did not have sexual relations with that woman

Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.

I am the greatest

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

take this job and shove it

We shalll overcome

the buck stops here

read my lips, no new taxes

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Superman!

Elvis has left the building

Are you ready for some football?????

I never met a man I didn’t like

I have a dream

If you build it they will come

Houston, we hafe a problem

Have a nice day

See ya later alligator

Heeeeeerrree’s Johnny!

Life is like a box of chocolates

Win.. one for the Gipper

What we have here is a failure to communicate.

From my cold dead hands

Inquiring minds wants to know

Badges? We don’t need no (stinking) badges

You killled kenny!

Hi-yo Silver, away

I wish I knew how to quit you

ET phone home

Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall

Marcia! Marcia! Marcia!

You can’t handle the truth

make love not war

If it doesn’t fit you must aquit

Go ahead, make my day

Hasta la vista, baby

here’s looking at you kid

Show me the money!

May the force be with you

Can’t we all just get along?

What’s up doc?

Vote for Pedro

Brother can you spare a dime?

Let’s roll

Ask not what your country can do for you...

I’m going to make him and offer he can’t refuse

Is if bigger than a breadbox?

It ain’t over until the fat lady sings

A date which will live in infamy

Just say no

Lu-cy I’m Ho-me

You talkin’ to me?

Oh, the humanity!

No soup for you!

I coulda been a contender

I am not a crook

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself

Is that your final answer?

Say it ain’t so, Joe

D’oh

The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat

and that’s the way it is

There’s no place like home

It's not a complete line of course, but the Orwellian concept of "Big Brother" is certainly part of our popular lexicon these days. Rather unfortunate, that one! (Source: George Orwell's 1984)

Since you are on pop culture, I just wanted to say, "Hidely-ho neighborino."

-Cody

One of my favorites.

"Love is Hate,
Truths are Lies,
War is Peace."

-Cody

Cody, I believe the first one is from The Divine Comedy, specifically The Inferno. The sign over the gateway to Hell. The second quote is familiar, but not sure where it came from.

Say what? Does pop culture count?

1 small step for man, one giant leap for mankind - ?

Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn - Rhett Butler/William Clarke Gable.

I did not have sexual relations with that woman - Bill Clinton?

Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore - Dorothy/Judy Garland.

I am the greatest - ?

R-E-S-P-E-C-T - ?

take this job and shove it - George Carlin.

We shalll overcome - ?

the buck stops here - ?

read my lips, no new taxes - ?

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Superman! - Superman!

Elvis has left the building - Elvis?

Are you ready for some football????? - ?

I never met a man I didn’t like - ?

I have a dream - Dr. Martin Luther King Jnr.

If you build it they will come - ?

Houston, we hafe a problem - Apollo 13.

Have a nice day - ?

See ya later alligator - ?

Heeeeeerrree’s Johnny! - The Shining.

Life is like a box of chocolates - "Mah muther always said life was like a box ah chocolates..." - Forrest Gump.

Win.. one for the Gipper - ?

What we have here is a failure to communicate - Garfield the Cat.

From my cold dead hands - ...? (Martin Crane in 'Frasier' says that at one point...)

Inquiring minds wants to know - ?

Badges? We don’t need no (stinking) badges - ?

You killled kenny! - South Park.

Hi-yo Silver, away - Lone Ranger.

I wish I knew how to quit you - ?

ET phone home - ET.

Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall - Oooooh...who was it? An American president is all I can remember. JFK?

Marcia! Marcia! Marcia! - ?

You can’t handle the truth - Lieut. Col. Francis Slade/Al Pacino? ("Scent of a Woman")

make love not war - John Lennon?

If it doesn’t fit you must aquit - ?

Go ahead, make my day - Dirty Harry.

Hasta la vista, baby - Arnie!!

here’s looking at you kid - Richard Blaine/Humphrey Bogart.

Show me the money! - ?

May the force be with you -...Yoda?

Can’t we all just get along? - ?

What’s up doc? - Bugs Bunny/Mel Blanc.

Vote for Pedro - ?

Brother can you spare a dime? - Bing Crosby.

Let’s roll - ?

Ask not what your country can do for you... - "...but what you can do for your country..." - JFK.

I’m going to make him and offer he can’t refuse - Don Vito Andolini-Corleone/Marlon Brando.

Is if bigger than a breadbox? - ?

It ain’t over until the fat lady sings - ?

A date which will live in infamy - Franklin Delano Roosevelt. December 7th, 1941.

Just say no - ?

Lu-cy I’m Ho-me - ?

You talkin’ to me? - ?

Oh, the humanity! - Herbert Morrison.

No soup for you! - ?

I coulda been a contender - Marlon Brando.

I am not a crook - ...?

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself - Franklin D. Roosevelt?

Is that your final answer? - ?

Say it ain’t so, Joe - Bill Gannon in "Dragnet"?

D’oh - Homer Jay Simpson.

The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat - ?

and that’s the way it is - ?

There’s no place like home - ?

---

"How many times have you climbed the stairs to this room?"
"Well...many hundreds of times!"
"Then how many are there?"
"How many? I don't know..."
"You see, but you do not observe. Now I know that there are seventeen steps*, because I have both seen and observed" - Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson.

"It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has facts. Insensibly, one begins to twist facts to suit theory, rather than theory to suit facts." - Sherlock Holmes.

*The Sherlock Holmes Museum in London ("221b Baker Street") actually does have 17 steps leading from the front hall up to the first floor. I went there and counted them myself.

I think that is actually

War is peace
Freedom is slavery
Ignorance is strength

Unless you aren't referring to 1984, after all.

I believe the "hell of heaven or a heaven of hell" is Milton, isn't it?

Say what? Does pop culture count?

1 small step for man, one giant leap for mankind - ? Neil Armstrong as he stepped on the moon

Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn - Line ad libbed by Clark Gable in Gone With the Wind

I did not have sexual relations with that woman - Bill Clinton?

Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore - Dorothy/Judy Garland.

I am the greatest - Muhammad Ali

R-E-S-P-E-C-T - Aretha Franklin

take this job and shove it - song title by David Allen Coe

We shalll overcome - line from and old folk song

the buck stops here - sign on President Harry Truman's desk

read my lips, no new taxes - George Bush the first

Is it a bird, is it a plane, it's Superman! - Member of the crowd below

Elvis has left the building - announcer at his concerts

Are you ready for some football - National Football League TV slogan

I never met a man I didn't like - American Humorist Will Rogers

I have a dream - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

If you build it they will come - Line from movie Field of Dreams

Houston, we hafe a problem - Apollo 13.

Have a nice day - Smiley face caption

See ya later alligator - 1950's "hep cat" saying

Heeeeeerrrees Johnny! -. Ed Mc Mahon intorducing Johnny Carson every night on the Tonight Show

Life is like a box of chocolates - "Mah muther always said life was like a box ah chocolates..." - Forrest Gump.

Win.. one for the Gipper - Ronald Reagan in movie Knute Rockne: All American

What we have here is a failure to communicate - the Captain (Strother Martin) in Cool Hand Luke (Paul Newman)

From my cold dead hands - ... Charlton Heston at NRA convention While holding up a rifle

Enquiring minds wants to know -National Enquirer TV ad slogan

Badges? We don't need no (stinking) badges - Mexican bandit leader in Treasure of Sierra Madre (with Humphery Bogart)

You killled kenny! - South Park.

Hi-yo Silver, away - Lone Ranger.

I wish I knew how to quit you - From Brokeback Mountain

ET phone home - ET.

Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall -President Ronald Regan

Marcia! Marcia! Marcia! - About Marcia Brady on the Brady Bunch

You can't handle the truth - Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men

make love not war - 1960's "peacenik" motto

If it doesn't fit you must aquit - Johnny Cochran in OJ Simpson murder trial

Go ahead, make my day - Dirty Harry.

Hasta la vista, baby - Arnie!! Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2

here's looking at you kid - Richard Blaine/Humphrey Bogart

Show me the money! - Tom Cruise- Jerry Maguire

May the force be with you -..Obi-Wan Kenobe

Can't we all just get along? - Rodney King after rioting in LA when video showed him being beaten by cops

What's up doc? - Bugs Bunny/Mel Blanc.

Vote for Pedro - Napoleon Dynamite

Brother can you spare a dime? Deprression era saying

Let's roll - September 11, 2001 inside the passenger cabin of United Airlines Flight 93

Ask not what your country can do for you... - "...but what you can do for your country..." - JFK.

I'm going to make him and offer he can't refuse - Don Vito Andolini-Corleone/Marlon Brando.

Is if bigger than a breadbox? - Question in a guessing game

It ain't over until the fat lady sings - Dan Cook said his line was a takeoff on Yogi Berra's line, "The game isn't over 'til it's over

A date which will live in infamy - Franklin Delano Roosevelt. referring to December 7th, 1941.

Just say no - ? Nancy Regan (anti drug slogan)

Lu-cy I'm Ho-me - Desi Arnez

You talkin' to me? - Robert DiNiero Cab Driver

Oh, the humanity! - Herbert Morrison.

No soup for you! - The soup nazi in Gerry Sinefield show

I coulda been a contender - Marlon Brando.

I am not a crook - ... Richard Nixon

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself - Franklin D. Roosevelt

Is that your final answer? - Regis Philbin on Do You Want to be a Millionaire? quiz show

Say it ain't so, Joe - Small boy to baseball player in the (1919 White Sox scandal about cheating)

D'oh - Homer Jay Simpson.

The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat - Opening introduction of Wide World of Sports weekly program in the 1960's-70's

and that's the way it is - Walter Cronkite

There's no place like home - Dorothy Gale in Wizard of Oz

I know that in the Rathbonian version he did.


John
[/quote]

I enjoy the Rathbone movies for the same reason I love Godzilla, fake Bruce Lees, or spaguetti westerns; they're pure (Potty Mouth). They're so bad, they're good.

Everything's wrong in the Rathbone movies: first, the time setting. You see streets filled with engine cars, modern guns, clothes, and then the deerstalker, the huge calabash pipe (most of the times it's a Peterson system pipe though), the magnifying lens, and of course the "elementary my dear Watson", which should be "elementary, you big duffer" considering how poor watson is portrayed.

For the real thing on screen, choose the Jeremy Brett episodes; those are focused on Doyle's work; the Rathbone version is a bad copy of a caricature. They're good entertainment though; I have some of them on DVD, and I can't help wondering what were they smoking when they made them.

I also recal some other crappy B movies sort of "Holmes against Dracula" or "Holmes against Fumanchu". Not sure about the titles, but you get the picture, I hope.

Juan

Of all the Rathbone Holmes movies made, I think only ONE ever kept true to Victorian times, and that was The Hound of the Baskervilles. All the rest took place in modern (1940s) times and that spoilt it horribly for me. They did the same thing with Dracula in the 1930s and I hated it.

The Jeremy Brett series is alright, but I think they could've picked a better man than Brett. He sounded like a damn opera-singer, and I cannot stand opera!

---

Another line which I'm surprised nobody has mentioned...

"Please sir! May I have some more?" - Oliver Twist.

The Jeremy Brett series is alright, but I think they could've picked a better man than Brett. He sounded like a damn opera-singer, and I cannot stand opera!

---

Well, Holmes is a violin player and a Stradivarius owner. Besides, if you lookk at the Sidney Paget illustrations in the original editions in The Strand Magazine (illustrations checked by Doyle himself), J. Brett nailed it, IMHO.

Anyway, I think this will be a subject of debate for ages; Doyle created a bigger than life character; bigger than Doyle's life at least... no surprise he killed him (The Final Problem), and then was forced to bring him back to life (The Empty House).

Juan

John Donne, 1572-1631, wrote Meditation 17, which contains both the phrase

"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main." and

"PERCHANCE he for whom this bell tolls may be so ill, as that he knows not it tolls for him"

This work (Meditation 17) is credited with having inspired Thomas Merton's No Man Is An Island and Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls

Donnie

From the other Orwell classic Animal Farm, "All are equal; some are more equal than others."

Donnie

it's life Jim...... but not as we know it

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

"To be or not to be, that is the question."

"He's dead, Jim."

"I'm a doctor, not a ["bricklayer," "mechanic," "engineer" or fill in the blank]"

Bah, humbug! (Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol)
Am I my brother's keeper? (From Genesis, Cain answering God as to the whereabout of Abel, whom Cain had slain)

I had another one, but a senior moment stole it.

Donnie

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Don't steal.

Don't murder.

Don't lie.

Well, you get the picture

When in Rome....