10 GREAT WAR MOVIE QUOTES

POSTED BY Buckminster Schumacker III | THURSDAY MAY 21 AT 9:33 PDT

General - Movies

Well, Memorial Day is upon us: a time to reflect on all those who fought for our country. Try to fit some time for that into your three-day weekend... maybe in between screenings of Terminator Salvation and Star Trek.

After all, war is, as the saying goes, hell… but war movie dialogue totally blows us away! (Oh yes we did!!) Yeah…watching guys get shot up into less grotesque versions of the "Real Housewives of New York City" is awesome, but some of the high caliber conversation from war flicks sticks with you longer than a Vietnam flashback.

Here are some of our favorite lines from war flicks that have left the biggest scars on our memories...

“I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for 12 hours. When it was all over, I walked up. We didn't find one of 'em, not one stinkin' dink body. The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like…victory. Someday this war's gonna end...” - Apocalypse Now (1979)

Robert Duvall as Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore, expressing his enchanting fondness for the adorable chemical that turns terrain into toast and human flesh into kebob to surfing superstar Pvt. Lance B. Johnson during a pitched firefight and just before he orders him into the water to shred some awesome waves!

Apocalypse Now Speech - Watch more Movie Trailers

“Now I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country.” - Patton (1970)

George C. Scott as General George Patton addressing his pants-stained troops before sending them into battle.

“Are you smoking this sht so's to escape from reality? Me, I don't need this sht. I am reality. There's the way it ought to be, and there's the way it is. - Platoon (1986)

Tom Berenger as scary Sgt. Barnes who burst into a bigass hash party in a GI camp on frontlines back in the ‘NAM, man!!!

Platoon Speech - Watch more Movie Trailers

“Stanley, see this? This is this. This ain't something else. This is this. From now on, you're on your own.” - The Deer Hunter (1978)

Robert DeNiro as “Michael,” one of the war buddies set to ship off to Vietnam while on a hunting trip with their pals. The recipient of this enduring piece of knowledge is “Stanley” played by the late John Casale…who could have used it when he was “weak and stupid” brother Fredo in The Godfather. Not so fun fact! He died shortly after this film was released.

Speech The Deer Hunter - Watch more Movie Trailers

“War is too important to be left to politicians. They have neither the time, the training, nor the inclination for strategic thought.” - Dr. Strangelove (1964)

Sterling Hayden as psycho General Jack D. Ripper as he regales the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Presidential War room about the obvious merits of nuking the Soviet Union into a puddle of borscht.

Dr. Stranglove Speech - Watch more Funny Videos

“You will be a minister of death praying for war. But until that day you are pukes. You are the lowest form of life on Earth. You are not even human, fucking beings. You are nothing but unorganized grabastic pieces of amphibian shit... I am hard but I am fair. There is no racial bigotry here. I do not look down on niggers, kikes, wops or greasers. Here you are all equally worthless.” - Full Metal Jacket (1987)

R. Lee Ermey as Gunnery Sgt. Hartman doing his best to offer a warm welcome to his newest beloved troops on the first day of boot camp where he will break them down…to break them down some more.

R Lee Ermeys Speech from Full Metal Jacket - Watch more Movie Trailers

"Only two kinds of people are gonna stay on this beach: those that are already dead and those that are gonna die. Now get off your butts. You guys are the Fighting 29th." The Longest Day (1967)

Robert Mitchum as Brigadier Gen. Norman Cota as he addresses his men as they are about hit the shore at Normandy on D-Day…and walk into a beach blanket made out of bullets.

“We're not here to do the decent thing, we're here to follow f***ing orders!” - Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Tom Hanks as Captain Miller, artfully explaining to his corporal why he doesn’t have the time to take a lost kid to the next town to find her family and get out of harm’s way.

Saving Private Ryan - Hanks Speech - Watch more Movie Trailers

“When I go home people will ask me, ‘Hey Hoot, why do you do it man? What, you some kinda war junkie?’ You know what I'll say? I won't say a goddamn word. Why? They won't understand. They won't understand why we do it. They won't understand that it's about the men next to you, and that's it. That's all it is.” - Black Hawk Down (2001)

Eric Bana as Norman "Hoot" Hooten, loads up his weapon to go on the rescue mission to help pull a squad of Army Rangers out of a huge pile of shit in Somalia. Thanks for the help, President Clinton!

Black Hawk Down Speech - Watch more Movie Trailers

“And what are you? So full of hate you want to go out and fight everybody! Because you've been whipped and chased by hounds. Well that might not be living, but it sure as hell ain't dying. And dying's been what these white boys have been doing for going on three years now! Dying by the thousands! Dying for you, fool! I know, 'cause I dug the graves. And all this time I keep askin' myself, when, O Lord, when it's gonna be our time?” - Glory (1989)

Morgan Freeman as Sgt. Major John Rawlins as he tries to motivate the former slave troops to fight side-by-side with guys that would crap their pants if they found out The United States would have a black President.

Glory - Morgan Freeman Speech - Watch more Funny Videos

-- MIKE HAMMER

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Says:
May 22nd, 2009 at 09:25 am Nice collection. Started following your updates on Twitter. Saving Private Ryan, my favorite movie of all time!

Buckminster Schumacker III Says:
May 22nd, 2009 at 10:11 am

Appreciate the support!

Says:
May 22nd, 2009 at 02:25 pm Awesome, that you threw in the Eric Bana one. Out of the entire movie full of A-listers his "Hoot" was the most badass.

Says:
May 22nd, 2009 at 02:34 pm There should be shit from Generation Kill on here. Like Cpl. Persons rant about how war is really about pussy. "Look at this shit, how come we can't ever invade a cool country, like chicks in bikinis, you know, how come counties like that don't ever need Marines, I'll tell you why, it's lack of pussy that fucks countries up, lack of pussy is the root fucking cause of all global instability, if more hajis were getting quality pussy, there'd be no reason for us to come over and fuck em up like this, cause a nutbusting haji, is a happy haji." Or this jem [in response to a child’s letter] "Dear Frederick, thank you for your nice letter, but I am actually a US Marine who was born to kill, whereas clearly you seam to have mistaken me for some sort of wine sipping, communist dick suck. And although peace probably appeals to tree hugging bi-sexuals like you and your parents, I happen to be a death-dealing, blood-crazed warrior who wakes up every day just hoping for the chance to dismember my enemies and defile their civilizations. Peace sucks a hairy asshole, Freddy. War is the mother-fucking answer."

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May 22nd, 2009 at 02:35 pm Madness!...Madness!

Says:
May 22nd, 2009 at 04:49 pm Maybe doesn't really qualify as a "war" movie, but Jack from "A Few Good Men" was a classic: "Son, we live in a world that has walls and those walls need to be guarded by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lieutenant Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago and curse the Marines; you have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives and that my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use then as the backbone of a life trying to defend something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said "thank you," and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest that you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to."

Says:
May 22nd, 2009 at 05:10 pm not the quote from "We Where Soldiers" when that one sgt. said, "men prepare to defend yourselves" thats a dope ass line

Says:
May 23rd, 2009 at 06:22 am Happy Memorial Day America ... what a heritage we have!

Says:
May 23rd, 2009 at 01:04 pm Those Generation Kill quotes suck and the show wasn't even that good. The first quote posted by Anonymous sucked because it was just plain stupid. Most of the dialogue in the series failed at trying to be witty or humorous in any way and the last quote sucked especially because it was being delivered by some 120 lbs douche bag who could be considered anything but hard. You know that once the shit hit the fan all his hard talk wouldn't mean shit and his balls would crawl back inside his body.

Says:
May 23rd, 2009 at 01:06 pm I forgot to mention that this was a pretty good list, but I thought it could have had some Band of Brother quotes. They usually ended each part with some form of closure which would make great quotes.

Says:
May 23rd, 2009 at 04:06 pm generation kill fucking rocked!!! Those qoutes are bad ass!!

Says:
May 24th, 2009 at 06:20 pm I've always been partial to Kirk Douglas in "In Harm's Way". "We've got ourselves another war...a gut-busting, mother-loving Navy war!" ...

Says:
May 24th, 2009 at 11:11 pm From Gardens of Stone, Sgt Hazard (James Caan) describes his outfit the Old Guard which conducts the funeral ceremonies at Arlington during the Vietnam War: "know this unit in Nam. They print up little cards. They say, ” Killing is our business and business is good.” Here, burying is our business. Our business is better."

Says:
May 25th, 2009 at 08:21 pm Come on, how can you not have THE THIN RED LINE????

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May 26th, 2009 at 09:24 am Police up all your ammo and frags, don't leave nothin' for the dinks. Willem Dafoe, Platoon.

Says:
June 3rd, 2009 at 02:15 am the Dr. Strangelove quote is misplaced. General Ripper never spoke directly to he chiefs of staff. The quote comes from his explanation of his actions in the sealed off base to Group Captain Lionel Mandrake played by Peter Sellers. The only character Gen Ripper interacts with through most of the movie is Mandrake.

Says:
September 22nd, 2009 at 07:43 am Who said generation kill quotes sucked? you serious? I think its hilarious

Says:
October 21st, 2009 at 08:34 pm It's funny all you yanks feel like your the only ones that are great at war, war quotes. or war period. People around the world know more about world and American history than Americans do about there own history. Tragic, misplaced thoughts, plated by golden memories of your favorite war movie quotes. Americans don't have the amplitude for war. They would rather watch "Springer" and "Povich" than make love to all those sweet babes that are walking around in this world. Good luck with working that line in on a cultured woman boys! Gee I love the smell of nail polish in the morning. Nice, real nice. Good luck with that! Read a book. Travel. Think twice then ask yourself "What can I do for my country"?

Says:
January 10th, 2010 at 07:26 am Fuck up with the yank bashing. Thats just another form of condoned ignorance. You want to take about war mongering ignorants take a look a Churchill or Brit stag parties in Budapest. Now contrast that with all the intelligent and cultured muthafuckers in NYC. Every country has its flaws your just using lazy intellectualism to make yourself feel you have point. In fact your just one step away from racism by passing judging a whole country based on stereotypes. I'm not american by the way.

Says:
January 12th, 2010 at 10:24 pm NYC! What the Kite flying are you doing Bud! Budapest. Wasn't that invitation only. You want real ignorance. Try OIL, or are you going to give me quotes now from another war movie. Greatest army in the world bring used for the good old boys network. Get a grip before you come to the rescue. Check your history all of it, before you come on board with your small bit about Churchill and stags. I'm a idiot just like you. If we fund our time to plant a seed that there is a whole world out there to some of these 'shut ins' maybe just maybe one will reed a book or pick up a atlas. But I think ignorance is bliss. Therefore Complete your thesis in political science get your job at the world bank and OIL the machine that makes the financial, cultural and enviromental ruin of our planet. While these guys go on quoting the very very best of American war cinema. And use the spell check bud can't take you seriously if you can't even grammar.

Says:
February 4th, 2010 at 02:00 pm Need some shit from Enemy at the Gates. That war movie kicked major ass.