Ferris Bueller's Day Off Fear Quotes

How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

Quote #1

CAMERON: (whispering to himself) I'm dying. The phone rings, and Cameron answers.
FERRIS: (over the phone) You're not dying, you just can't think of anything good to do.

These two little words from Cameron do a good job of establishing his character very early in the film.

Quote #2

FERRIS: Pardon my French, but Cameron is so tight that if you stuck a lump of coal up his ass, in two weeks you'd have a diamond.

In other words, Cameron's one seriously anxious dude.

Quote #3

FERRIS: I'm serious, man. This is ridiculous, making me wait around the house for you.
CAMERON: Why can't you let me rot in peace?
FERRIS: Cameron, this is my ninth sick day. If I get caught, I don't graduate. I'm not doing it for me; I'm doing it for you.
CAMERON: Do you know what my diastolic is?
FERRIS: Be a man, take some Pepto-Bismol, get dressed and come on over here, I'm tired of this stuff.
CAMERON: Oh, shut up!

There are a few things to unpack here, Shmooper. First, all of Cameron's talk about rotting and his diastolic blood pressure reveals a lot about his mindset. He's fearful, he's making up excuses, and he talks like he's eighty years old, not eighteen.

Second, the fact that Cameron shouts an exasperated, "Oh, shut up!" suggests that he knows Ferris is right; he just doesn't want to hear it. Finally, it's definitely worth noting here that Ferris explicitly states that he's taking this day off for Cameron's sake, not his own. He knows his best friend's a basket case, and he wants to help before they graduate and go their separate ways.