If you know where the title of this post comes from and laughed then you’ve probably had more than a few classic quote conversations in your life.

They are the catch phrases, jokes and one-liners that have made us laugh no matter how bad the impressions get.  I like to think that best ones are created by accident. Any writer will sit down and write a line of dialogue and laugh to themselves.  I don’t think anyone expects them to become a part of pop culture.  It has to be an incredible feeling though.

I wonder if the Farrelly brothers knew what they had before Dumb and Dumber was released.  I never fully understood the impact this flick would have on my life until I watched it with my friends.  To this day, we still quote that film and laugh just as hard.

“No way… that’s great! We landed on the moon!”

What’s incredible is the sheer power you can have if you can master the references.  Lets say you are attending a massive party or a quiet social gathering and you don’t know a soul.  Suddenly, you overhear someone talking about a Seinfeld rerun they saw that day.  The quotes begin and laughter quickly follows.

You step into the conversation.  Everyone looks at you like you are a complete idiot.  Their first impressions are instantly erased the moment you prove your Seinfeld knowledge and say something like:

“My little Jerry!”

If your Kramer impression is decent you can consider yourself accepted as part of the group.  However, just for good measure you follow it up with

“You hate him because he’s doing more with your name than you ever will! YEAH YEAH!”

Now they are all laughing hysterically and you are among friends. Without missing a beat, someone else in the circle references another episode and before you know it, an hour has gone by.  I truly believe that there is a Seinfeld quote for every social situation.

“Gotta support the team.”

While there are many actors who have created memorable moments on screen in the past, none come close to King Catch Phrase himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

“Make it quick because my horse is getting tired.”

I don’t know many quoters who haven’t yelled:

“I’m a cop you idiot! I’m detective John Kimble!”

I know I’ve left messages on answering machines using his sound bytes.

“I wanna ask you a bunch of questions… and I want to have them answered immediately.”
“Who is your daddy and what does he do?”

You can name virtually any situation and Arnold is relevant.  Imagine a football field or a baseball diamond without classics such as:

“You lack discipline.”

These quote conversations can sometimes take over an entire evening.  They are the lines that span generations and are responsible for unforgettable and timeless inside jokes.  I love that they aren’t limited to the massive film buffs of the world and their uses are endless.  I work in a studio environment and it can be extremely fast paced and stressful.  All it takes is one Family Guy reference and the tension is gone.

“I don’t know Lois a boats a boat but a mystery box could be anything… It could even be a boat!”

Speaking personally, I would love to someday write a line like that.  I think every writer does.  Until that day comes, I still have hundreds of classic lines at my disposal and I look forward to my next quote conversation.