Cultural Literacy Dept. (Pop Division)

The American Film Institute (AFI)has ranked the top 100 American movie quotations since 1927 up to 2002, and Gone with the Wind has come out on top. The AFI polled 1,500 people in the film industry's creative community, "including film artists (directors, screenwriters, actors, editors, cinematographers), critics and historians," asking them to rank quotations.

In addition to being quotations from dialogue (not songs), the quotations also needed to demonstrate cultural impact, meaning phrases "viewers use in their own lives and situations; circulating through popular culture, they become part of the national lexicon" and that leave a legacy, meaning "viewers use [the quotations] to evoke the memory of a treasured film, thus ensuring and enlivening its historical legacy."

The top 10 most memorable quotes are as follows:

1. "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" - Gone with the Wind (1939)
2. "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse" - The Godfather (1972)
3. "You don't understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am." - On the Waterfront (1954)
4. "Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." - The Wizard of Oz (1939)
5. "Here's looking at you, kid." - Casablanca (1942)
6. "Go ahead, make my day." - Sudden Impact (1983)
7. "All right, Mr DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up." - Sunset Boulevard (1950)
8. "May the Force be with You." - Star Wars (1977)
9. "Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night." - All About Eve (1950)
10. "You Talking to Me?" - Taxi Driver (1976)

You can see all 100 quotations at AFI's web site. The webpage includes interesting facts, including that Humphrey Bogart has 10 quotes on the ballot, making him the most quoted actor on the list.