Manhattan Quotes
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Source: Manhattan
Speaker: Isaac Davis
I think people should mate for life, like pigeons or Catholics.
Context
This line is spoken by Isaac Davis, played by Woody Allen, in the movie Manhattan directed by Woody Allen (1979).
This is one of Woody Allen's most famous quips. And that's saying a lot, since Woody is almost as famous for his quip skills as he's famous for his… err… questionable relationships. Speaking of questionable relationships, Woody's character in Manhattan is in a couple of them, including an affair with his married friend's mistress (Diane Keaton) and a romance with a seventeen-year-old girl (Mariel Hemingway). This line comes in a conversation with his young love, but she's not as into mating for life as he is.
Where you've heard it
Not many have dared to re-quip this quip.
The thing that you've most likely seen from Manhattan is an homage to the famous shot with Woody and Diane Keaton talking by the Queensboro Bridge, which has been spoofed on Family Guy and the movie Stranger than Fiction.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
This one's still funny. There's nothing all that pretentious about that.