Top Gun Quotes
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Source: Top Gun
Speaker: Peter "Maverick" Mitchell
I feel the need—the need for speed!
Context
This line is spoken by Peter "Maverick" Mitchell, played by Tom Cruise in Top Gun (directed by Tony Scott, 1986). Anthony Edwards, who plays Goose, joins in at the end.
Tom Cruise made his career by being a hot shot, and his fighter pilot persona in Top Gun is no exception.
Maverick doesn't just want to go fast…he needs to go fast. Part of being a hot shot means you don't follow the rules; you break them.
Along with the sound barrier.
Where you've heard it
You hear this any time someone wants to go fast. Like literally...every. single time.
Also, people could feel the need for anything. The need to bead, the need for mead, the need to listen to Creed…no, no one experiences that last one.
Additional Notable References
- Michael Scott feels the need…the need for tweed.
- This book reviewer feels the need…the need to read.
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.
Maverick's cockiness ends up getting his friend Goose's goose cooked later on, so feel the need responsibly.