Context

This line is spoken by Johnny Castle, played by Patrick Swayze, in the film Dirty Dancing, directed by Emile Ardolino (1987).

Baby (Jennifer Grey) hasn't yet had the time of her life at the end of Dirty Dancing, and it's not looking like she's going to, either.

Her parents, taking a page from Jennifer Alba's parenting handbook, have told Baby to go stick her nose in the corner by seating her far away from the stage. But Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze) knows she deserves better. He marches into the room, grabs her hand, and tells her, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner." 

And then it's time to dance.

Where you've heard it

You've heard it if there's an actual baby in a corner… or if someone is getting ready to do that iconic dance.

Additional Notable References

• Fall Out Boy has a song called "Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner," which is part of the reason people tend to misquote it.
• Patrick Believe it or not, Swayze tried to get the line cut from the movie. Nobody puts Swayze in a corner.

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.

Some people think Baby should be in the corner, but we just want to dance with Patrick Swayze.