When Harry Met Sally Quotes

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Source: When Harry Met Sally

Speaker: Harry Burns

"When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

"I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

Context

This famous line is spoken by Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) to Sally Albright (Meg Ryan) at the end of When Harry Met Sally (directed by Rob Reiner, 1989).

"Can women and men be friends without sleeping with each other?" was the question of the 1980s. The answer according to Rob Reiner? No way.

When Harry Met Sally may be only 90 minutes long, but it's about the twelve-year-and-three-month-long relationship between Harry Burns and Sally Albright that goes from friendship to marriage.

After over a decade of late night phone calls to Carrie Fisher and faked orgasms in delis, Harry declares his love to Sally with this memorable speech at a New Year's Eve party. He lists all the little things he loves about her, and concludes with, "I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

This is one of those classic romantic comedy lines, and, because of When Harry Met Sally, every flick in the genre has to have one. Jerry Maguire has "You complete me." Ghost has "Ditto." And When Harry Met Sally has this one.

Where you've heard it

If you want your wedding to be Real Simple, Real Simple magazine suggests this as a perfect wedding quote, and some people use it as the heading for their Pinterest boards of luv.

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.

It's a lot less pretentious than most romantic comedy lines out there. We're looking at you, Love, Actually.