Context

This line is spoken by Superman, played by Christopher Reeve, in the film Superman, directed by Richard Donner (1978).

Superman drops this famous line during an interview with Lois Lane on the balcony of her apartment. This is the first interview he's given, so Lois is pretty psyched to get the scoop.

She's also swooning a whole lot.

But that doesn't stop her from asking some tough reporter questions. When Superman reveals that he's actually an alien from outer space, Lois wonders how a tall drink of water like him ended up in Metropolis on her balcony. Why is he on Earth anyway?

It's easy—Superman is here to fight for Truth, Justice, and the American Way, of course. (We're gonna go ahead and capitalize those words because we're pretty sure that's how Superman means them.)

Lois can't help but laugh at how naïve he sounds. It is pretty idealistic, even for a goody-two-shoes like Superman. But that's what this fly guy stands for. No one is gonna stop him from defending Lady Liberty and all kinds of other really cool buzzwords.

Where you've heard it

This is one of Superman's more classic mottos, so chances are if you're a red-blooded American you've heard about someone out there fighting for truth, justice, and the American way.

Additional Notable References:

• Lex Luthor doesn't think much of this slogan in the "Lex Luthor: Man of Steel" comics. In fact, he thinks it kind of makes Superman seem like the world's greatest Boy Scout.
• Another Superman comic played on this line with the title "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way?"
• Superman always fought for truth and justice, but the American way was actually a late addition.

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.

Superman could never seem arrogant, but you might come off as just a tiny bit grandiose if you announce that you'll now be fighting for these Really Big Ideas.