Society Quotes

Societies, like Jennifer Lawrence on the red carpet, have a habit of rising and falling. Click on any society quote below to see it in context and find out where it falls on Shmoop's pretentious scale. We'll give you details on who said it, when they said it, and in some cases, why on earth they thought it was okay to say it.

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Coco Chanel
"A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous."
Source: Quoted in The Gospel According to Coco Chanel : Life Lessons from the World's Most Elegant Woman (2009) | Speaker: Coco Chanel
Frank Underwood
"A lion does not ask permission before he eats a zebra."
Source: House of Cards | Speaker: Frank Underwood
Cherry Valance
"A Swiss watch or a woman from anywhere."
Source: Red River | Speaker: Cherry Valance
Jeannie
"All I do is think and blink."
Source: I Dream of Jeannie | Speaker: Jeannie
Sister Jude Martin
"All monsters are human."
Source: American Horror Story: Asylum | Speaker: Sister Jude Martin
Taylor Swift
"And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet.""
Source: Love Story | Speaker: Taylor Swift
Walter Cronkite
"And that's the way it is."
Source: CBS Evening News | Speaker: Walter Cronkite
Mitt Romney
"And they brought us whole binders full of women."
Source: 2012 Presidential Debate | Speaker: Mitt Romney
Hannah Horvath
"Any mean thing someone's gonna think of to say about me, I've already said to me, about me. Probably in the last half hour."
Source: Girls | Speaker: Hannah Horvath
Leslie Knope
"Anything. Can be a slam. Poem. If you say it like this."
Source: Parks and Recreation | Speaker: Leslie Knope
Cher Horowitz
"As if!"
Source: Clueless | Speaker: Cher Horowitz
Jim Garrison
"Back and to the left."
Source: JFK | Speaker: Jim Garrison
Backstreet Boys
"Backstreet's back, all right!"
Source: "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" | Speaker: Backstreet Boys
Galileo Galilei
"But it does move."
Source: Unknown | Speaker: Galileo Galilei
Rodney King
"Can we all get along?"
Source: Press Conference | Speaker: Rodney King
Youngblood Priest
"Can you dig it?"
Source: Super Fly | Speaker: Youngblood Priest
Destiny's Child
"Can you pay my bills?"
Source: "Bills Bills Bills" | Speaker: Destiny's Child
John D. Hackensacker III
"Chivalry is not only dead, it's decomposed."
Source: The Palm Beach Story | Speaker: John D. Hackensacker III
Nirvana
"Come as you are"
Source: "Come as You Are" | Speaker: Nirvana
The Coneheads
"Consume mass quantities."
Source: SNL sketch "The Coneheads" | Speaker: The Coneheads
Frank Underwood
"Democracy is so overrated."
Source: House of Cards | Speaker: Frank Underwood
Barbara Jordan
"Do not call for Black power or green power. Call for brain power."
Source: Campus Speeches, Quoted in the Chicago Tribune | Author: Barbara Jordan
Captain James Miller
"Earn this. Earn it."
Source: Saving Private Ryan | Speaker: Captain James Miller
George Washington Carver
"Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom."
Source: 1896 Letter to Booker T. Washington | Author: George Washington Carver
Jessica Jones
"Everyone keeps saying that. It must be a conspiracy."
Source: Jessica Jones | Speaker: Jessica Jones
Randy
"Give me some of your tots."
Source: Napoleon Dynamite | Speaker: Randy
The Village People
"Go west."
Source: Go West | Speaker: The Village People
Men at Work
"He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich."
Source: "Down Under" | Speaker: Men at Work
Beavis and Butt-Head
"Heh heh."
Source: Beavis and Butt-Head | Speaker: Beavis and Butt-Head
The Daily Show
"Here it is, your moment of Zen."
Source: The Daily Show | Speaker: The Daily Show
Lt. Col. Frank Slade
"Hoo-ah!"
Source: Scent of a Woman | Speaker: Lt. Col. Frank Slade
Tom Powers
"I ain't so tough."
Source: The Public Enemy | Speaker: Tom Powers
Dr. Hannibal Lecter
"I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti."
Source: The Silence of the Lambs | Speaker: Dr. Hannibal Lecter
Lily Allen
"I don't know what's right and what's real anymore."
Source: The Fear | Speaker: Lily Allen
Destiny's Child
"I don't think you ready for this jelly."
Source: "Bootylicious" | Speaker: Destiny's Child
James Patterson
"I don't wanna grow up, I'm a Toys "R" Us kid."
Source: Toys "R" Us Commercial | Author: James Patterson
Charles M. Schulz
"I love mankind… It's people I can't stand."
Source: Peanuts (comic) | Author: Charles M. Schulz
Ogden Nash
"I might love the people upstairs more If only they lived on another floor."
Source: The People Upstairs | Author: Ogden Nash
Bob Marley
"I shot the sheriff"
Source: I Shot the Sheriff | Speaker: Bob Marley
Hannah Horvath
"I think that I may be the voice of my generation. Or at least a voice. Of a generation."
Source: Girls | Speaker: Hannah Horvath
John Mayer
"I wanna run through the halls of my high school."
Source: No Such Thing | Speaker: John Mayer
Various
"I want my MTV!"
Source: MTV commercial | Speaker: Various
Mayor Deebs
"I would rather be with the people of this town than with the finest people in the world."
Source: Roxanne | Speaker: Mayor Deebs
Jefferson Smith
"I wouldn't give you two cents for all your fancy rules."
Source: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington | Speaker: Jefferson Smith
Abbi Jacobson
"I'm an adult, and I'm responsible. Let's go get some candy."
Source: Broad City | Speaker: Abbi Jacobson
Tina Belcher
"I'm no hero. I put my bra on one boob at a time like everyone else."
Source: Bob's Burgers | Speaker: Tina Belcher
Ron Swanson
"I'm not interested in caring about people."
Source: Parks and Recreation | Speaker: Ron Swanson
Norma Desmond
"I'm ready for my close-up."
Source: Sunset Boulevard | Speaker: Norma Desmond
Danny Kaye
"I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts."
Source: "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts" | Speaker: Danny Kaye
Pinocchio
"I've got no strings to hold me down, to make me fret, or make me frown."
Source: I've Got No Strings | Speaker: Pinocchio
3 Doors Down
"If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman?"
Source: "Kryptonite" | Speaker: 3 Doors Down
Prince Geoffrey
"If you're a prince, there's hope for every ape in Africa."
Source: The Lion in Winter | Speaker: Prince Geoffrey
Coco Chanel
"In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different."
Source: Quoted in Coco Chanel: Her Life, Her Secrets (1971) | Speaker: Coco Chanel
Margaret Thatcher
"In politics, if you want anything said, ask a man. If you want anything done, ask a woman."
Source: 1965 Speech | Speaker: Margaret Thatcher
Harry Lime
"In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, and they had 500 years of democracy and peace. And what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."
Source: The Third Man | Speaker: Harry Lime
Commercial Narrator
"It keeps going and going and going..."
Source: Energizer Commercials | Speaker: Commercial Narrator
John Cameron Swayze
"It takes a licking and keeps on ticking."
Source: Timex Commercials | Speaker: John Cameron Swayze
Billy Idol
"It's a nice day for a white wedding."
Source: White Wedding (Part 1) | Speaker: Billy Idol
Detective John Kimble
"It's not a tumor!"
Source: Kindergarten Cop | Speaker: Detective John Kimble
Tira
"It's not the men in your life that counts. It's the life in your men."
Source: I'm No Angel | Speaker: Tira
Delphine LaLaurie
"It's this century. It still does perplex me so."
Source: American Horror Story: Coven | Speaker: Delphine LaLaurie
Jerome
"Jerome's in the house! Watch your mouth!"
Source: Martin | Speaker: Jerome
Mame Dennis
"Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!"
Source: Auntie Mame | Speaker: Mame Dennis
Protagoras
"Man is the measure of all things."
Source: Truth | Author: Protagoras
Han Solo
"May the Force be with you."
Source: Star Wars | Speaker: Han Solo
Count Leon d'Algout
"Ninotchka, it's midnight. One half of Paris is making love to the other half."
Source: Ninotchka | Speaker: Count Leon d'Algout
Barney Fife
"Nip it in the bud!"
Source: The Andy Griffith Show | Speaker: Barney Fife
Thomas Hobbes
"No arts; no letters; no society."
Source: Leviathan | Author: Thomas Hobbes
The Cast of Cheers
"Norm!"
Source: Cheers | Speaker: The Cast of Cheers
J. Robert Oppenheimer
"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."
Source: 1965 TV Broadcast | Speaker: J. Robert Oppenheimer
Karen Smith
"On Wednesdays, we wear pink."
Source: Mean Girls | Speaker: Karen Smith
The Phantom
"Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind."
Source: The Phantom of the Opera (1986 Musical) | Speaker: The Phantom
Ida Corwin
"Personally, Veda's convinced me that alligators have the right idea. They eat their young."
Source: Mildred Pierce | Speaker: Ida Corwin
Prince Otto von Bismarck
"Politics is the art of the possible."
Source: St. Petersburgische Zeitung | Author: Prince Otto von Bismarck
Hall and Oates
"Private eyes. They're watching you. They see your every move."
Source: "Private Eyes" | Speaker: Hall and Oates
Rufus T. Firefly
"Remember, you're fighting for this woman's honor, which is probably more than she ever did."
Source: Duck Soup | Speaker: Rufus T. Firefly
Tony Montana
"Say hello to my little friend."
Source: Scarface | Speaker: Tony Montana
Damian Leigh
"She doesn't even go here."
Source: Mean Girls | Speaker: Damian Leigh
T.E. Lawrence
"Sherif Ali, so long as the Arabs fight tribe against tribe…"
Source: Lawrence of Arabia | Speaker: T.E. Lawrence
Loretta Castorini
"Snap out of it!"
Source: Moonstruck | Speaker: Loretta Castorini
Thorn
"Soylent green is people!"
Source: Soylent Green | Speaker: Thorn
Sean McNamara and Christian Troy
"Tell me what you don't like about yourself."
Source: Nip/Tuck | Speaker: Sean McNamara and Christian Troy
Maya Angelou
"The caged bird sings of freedom"
Source: Caged Bird | Author: Maya Angelou
Elsa
"The cold never bothered me anyway."
Source: Frozen | Speaker: Elsa
Thomas Hobbes
"The life of man [is] solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short."
Source: Leviathan or The Matter, Forme and Power of a Common Wealth Ecclesiasticall and Civil | Author: Thomas Hobbes
Hannah Arendt
"The most radical revolutionary will become a conservative the day after the revolution."
Source: The New Yorker | Author: Hannah Arendt
Che Guevara
"The revolution is not an apple that falls when it is ripe! You have to make it fall."
Source: Libération | Speaker: Che Guevara
Hannah Arendt
"The trouble with Eichmann was precisely that so many were like him…"
Source: Eichmann in Jerusalem | Author: Hannah Arendt
Terry Pratchett
"The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it."
Source: Diggers (The Bromeliad Trilogy) | Author: Terry Pratchett
Rust Cohle
"The world needs bad men. We keep the other bad men from the door."
Source: True Detective | Speaker: Rust Cohle
Jan Morrow
"There are some men who don't end every sentence with a proposition."
Source: Pillow Talk | Speaker: Jan Morrow
Unknown
"There is a house in New Orleans they call the Rising Sun."
Source: "House of the Rising Sun" | Speaker: Unknown
Margaret Thatcher
"There is no such thing [as society]!"
Source: Interview with Woman's Own magazine in 1987 | Speaker: Margaret Thatcher
Charles Bukowski
"there's a bluebird in my heart that/ wants to get out/ but I'm too tough for him"
Source: Bluebird | Author: Charles Bukowski
Kurt Vonnegut
"There’s only one rule that I know of, babies—God damn it, you’ve got to be kind."
Source: God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater | Author: Kurt Vonnegut
Joni Mitchell
"They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot."
Source: "Big Yellow Taxi" | Speaker: Joni Mitchell
Citizens of Halloween Town
"This is Halloween!"
Source: This Is Halloween | Speaker: Citizens of Halloween Town
Marnie Michaels
"This is not one of your more convincing fake showers."
Source: Girls | Speaker: Marnie Michaels
Sergeant Joe Friday
"This is the city."
Source: Dragnet | Speaker: Sergeant Joe Friday
The Vicar
"This is the people's war!"
Source: Mrs. Miniver | Speaker: The Vicar
Arthur Kirkland
"This whole court's out of order!"
Source: …And Justice for All | Speaker: Arthur Kirkland
Reporter
"Those stories (and Andy Rooney) tonight, on 60 Minutes."
Source: 60 Minutes | Speaker: Reporter
Dr. Seuss
"Those who matter don't mind, and those who mind don't matter."
Source: Dr. Seuss | Speaker: Dr. Seuss
John "Bluto" Blutarsky
"Toga! Toga!"
Source: Animal House | Speaker: John "Bluto" Blutarsky
Edwin Starr
"War—huh yeah—what is it good for? Absolutely nothing!"
Source: War | Speaker: Edwin Starr
Ned "Scotty" Scott
"Watch the skies. Everywhere. Keep looking. Keep watching the skies."
Source: The Thing from Another World | Speaker: Ned "Scotty" Scott
Stacker Pentecost
"We are canceling the apocalypse!"
Source: Pacific Rim | Speaker: Stacker Pentecost
Every Famous Singer Ever
"We are the world."
Source: We Are the World | Speaker: Every Famous Singer Ever
Malcolm X
"We didn't land on Plymouth Rock. The rock was landed on us."
Source: Speech at the Audubon Ballroom | Speaker: Malcolm X
Anaïs Nin
"We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are."
Source: Seduction of the Minotaur | Author: Anaïs Nin
Carter G. Woodson
"We should emphasize not Negro History, but the Negro in history. What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world void of national bias, race hate, and religious prejudice."
Source: "The Celebration of Negro History Week" in The Journal of Negro History | Author: Carter G. Woodson
Lorde
"We'll never be royals."
Source: "Royals" | Speaker: Lorde
Colonel Ehrhardt
"What he did to Shakespeare we are doing now to Poland."
Source: To Be or Not to Be | Speaker: Colonel Ehrhardt
Grizabella
"When the dawn comes, tonight will be a memory, too."
Source: Cats (1981 Musical) | Speaker: Grizabella
Charlie Dattolo and Ray Ploshansky
"Where are you going in those Keds?"
Source: Girls | Speaker: Charlie Dattolo and Ray Ploshansky
Leo Burnett
"Wii (We) would like to play."
Source: Wii Commercial | Author: Leo Burnett
Hannah Horvath
"You are from New York; therefore, you are just naturally interesting."
Source: Girls | Speaker: Hannah Horvath
Oprah Winfrey
"You are your possibilities. If you know that, you can do anything."
Source: "Building a Dream" in Oprah Magazine | Speaker: Oprah Winfrey
Bob Dylan
"You better start swimming or you'll sink like a stone, 'cause the times they are a-changing."
Source: The Times They Are a-Changin' | Speaker: Bob Dylan
Lorde
"You can call me green bean."
Source: "Royals" | Speaker: Lorde
Joni Mitchell
"You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone."
Source: "Big Yellow Taxi" | Speaker: Joni Mitchell
Jessa Johansson
"You know what the weirdest part about having a job is?"
Source: Girls | Speaker: Jessa Johansson
Lois Lowry
"You may lie."
Source: The Giver | Speaker: Lois Lowry
Mahatma Gandhi
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
Source: Unknown | Author: Mahatma Gandhi
Ogden Nash
"You must never lend any money to anybody unless they don't need it."
Source: Bankers Are Just Like Anybody Else, Except Richer | Author: Ogden Nash
Travis Bickle
"You talkin' to me?"
Source: Taxi Driver | Speaker: Travis Bickle
Jefferson Smith
"You think I'm licked. You all think I'm licked. Well, I'm not licked."
Source: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington | Speaker: Jefferson Smith
Joan Holloway
"You want to be taken seriously? Stop dressing like a little girl."
Source: Mad Men | Speaker: Joan Holloway
Matty Walker
"You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man."
Source: Body Heat | Speaker: Matty Walker
Trent Walker
"You're so money and you don't even know it."
Source: Swingers | Speaker: Trent Walker
Judge May
"You're the sanest man that ever walked into this courtroom."
Source: Mr. Deeds Goes to Town | Speaker: Judge May
Roger Sterling
"Your whole generation, you drink for the wrong reasons."
Source: Mad Men | Speaker: Roger Sterling