Movies are what make up the fabric of our identity as a people. We see the same stories, we identify with the same characters, and we quote the same iconic one-liners. The 1980s, in particular, felt like a cinematic gold rush, with so many brilliant actors, directors, and writers collaborating to create some killer and totally timeless hits! Here, we’ve collected 18 of our favorite one-liners from films that you’re bound to recognize. From comedies to thrillers, animated features to Oscar-winning dramas, there’s a one-liner here for everyone!
#1: “I’ll be back.” – The Terminator (1984)
While this article is suffused with iconic ’80s one-liners we’ll all be nodding our heads to in affirmation, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s chilling delivery of “I’ll Be Back” in the 1984 hit Terminator might be the most well-known of them all. Referenced countless times in pop culture and media moments over the decades, “I’ll Be Back” not only defined an era, it also defined the action genre in the 1980s, setting Schwarzenegger up for a successful career in film.
