xxx Nothing Is Fucked Here xxx

June 10, 2012 9:39 PM

What are some movie quotes that sound like mantras, maxims, or other sayings, and would thereby make good cross stitch samplers?

I've already done Fuck It Dude, Let's Go Bowling, and am now doing Nothing Is Fucked Here.

Big Lebowski quotes are great. Totally my mantras. But tell me your favorite sayings from film, that you bust out in day to day life as reminders of core values, or that are otherwise the cinematic equivalents of other oft-expressed sampler sentiments. Is there a "Bless This Mess" equivalent from Alien or something?

Perhaps, "Keep Your Pantyhose On." (The Abyss)

The cultier and less conventional, the better. There's No Place Like Home is just too normal.

posted by Ambrosia Voyeur to media & arts (129 answers total)

Don't cross the streams.
posted by Trivia Newton John at 9:46 PM on June 10, 2012 [4 favorites]

"Why don't we put her in charge?" from Aliens.
posted by cgc373 at 9:47 PM on June 10, 2012

"Filth are my politics! Filth is my life." - Pink Flamingos
posted by MaryDellamorte at 9:48 PM on June 10, 2012 [2 favorites]

You lookin' at me?
posted by fshgrl at 9:49 PM on June 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

Go do that voodoo that you do so well.
--Blazing Saddles
posted by Confess, Fletch at 10:03 PM on June 10, 2012 [2 favorites]

"From Hell's heart, I stab at thee..." - Moby Dick
"Yawp!" - Walt Whitman and also Dead Poet's Society
"Ray, when someone asks you if you're a god, you say "YES"!" - Ghostbusters
"Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria! " - Also Ghostbusters
"Drink up, young man. It'll make the whole seduction part less repugnant. " - Eternal Sunshine
"I do not entertain hypotheticals. The world itself is vexing enough." - True Grit (2010)
"it's all in the reflexes" - Big Trouble in Little China
"Son of a bitch must pay!" -BTiLC
posted by reverend cuttle at 10:03 PM on June 10, 2012 [2 favorites]

"Yippee-Ki-Yay, Motherfucker," or its TBS cousin, "Yippee-Ki-Yay, Mister Falcon."
posted by MoonOrb at 10:04 PM on June 10, 2012 [4 favorites]

More serious and less humorous/cutesy than the examples:

"Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose." -- Friday Night Lights
posted by lewedswiver at 10:10 PM on June 10, 2012 [4 favorites]

Go Ahead:
Make My Day.
posted by spacewrench at 10:11 PM on June 10, 2012 [3 favorites]

"Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in."
posted by Sal and Richard at 10:12 PM on June 10, 2012

Fuck you, you fucking fuck. (I say this in my head all the time, and I think it would look great on a cross-stitch sampler.)
posted by raisingsand at 10:15 PM on June 10, 2012

From Polyester:

Cuddles Kovinsky: Purr Francine. Purr, purr Francine!

Lu-Lu Fishpaw: I never wanted to use macramé to kill!
posted by longsleeves at 10:17 PM on June 10, 2012

Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.
posted by emyd at 10:17 PM on June 10, 2012 [3 favorites]

Coffee is for closers. (Glengarry Glen Ross)
Lord loves a workin' man; don't trust whitey; see a doctor and get rid of it. (The Jerk)
Have... a good time... all the time. (Spinal Tap)
posted by Trivia Newton John at 10:17 PM on June 10, 2012

"Good. Bad. I'm the guy with the gun."
"Do or do not. There is no try."
posted by ODiV at 10:19 PM on June 10, 2012 [3 favorites]

Get used to disappointment. - Princess Bride

We don't even care whether or not we care. - The Neverending Story
posted by Night_owl at 10:23 PM on June 10, 2012 [3 favorites]

Willy Wonka (1971 version):

Invention, my dear friends, is 93% perspiration, 6% electricity, 4% evaporation, and 2% butterscotch ripple.
*We* are the music makers... and *we* are the dreamers of dreams.
If the good Lord had intended us to walk, he wouldn't have invented roller skates.
posted by LionIndex at 10:28 PM on June 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

"They speak English in What?"
posted by jeffamaphone at 10:41 PM on June 10, 2012 [3 favorites]

Always be Closing! (Also Glengarry Glen Ross)

Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown. (Chinatown)

Boo, whore. (Mean Girls)
posted by goodnight moon at 10:43 PM on June 10, 2012

"I'll be in my bunk."
posted by woodvine at 10:43 PM on June 10, 2012 [8 favorites]

Let me tell you about my mother.

Is that your girlfriend? Nice frame.

Call Starkist.
posted by bongo_x at 10:45 PM on June 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

Fear is the mindkiller.
The spice must flow.

Both from Dune. I think.
posted by That's Numberwang! at 10:56 PM on June 10, 2012 [2 favorites]

"That's Numberwang!" Thanks for being you!
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 10:59 PM on June 10, 2012 [4 favorites]

Zombieland - "Nut up or shut up."
posted by MinusCelsius at 11:14 PM on June 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

"No matter where you go, there you are." - Buckaroo Banzai

"Communism is just a red herring." - Clue
posted by RobotHero at 11:19 PM on June 10, 2012 [3 favorites]

we're gonna need a bigger boat.
posted by fingers_of_fire at 11:34 PM on June 10, 2012 [5 favorites]

It is by will alone I set my mind in motion.

The sleeper must awaken.

My name is a killing word.

Remember the tooth!
posted by milk white peacock at 11:45 PM on June 10, 2012

There is no spoon.
posted by carter at 12:02 AM on June 11, 2012 [3 favorites]

from imdb, and perhaps one of my favorites of all time:

In a version that was edited for television broadcasts, the famous line "This is what happens when you fuck a stranger in the ass!" was changed to "This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps!", which is regularly cited as one of the most "creative" edits made for a film to be aired on TV.

therefore, i suggest: this is what happens when you find a stranger in the alps.
posted by koroshiya at 12:17 AM on June 11, 2012 [5 favorites]

But feel, to the very end, the triumph of being alive! -The Seventh Seal

There's more to life than a little money, you know. -Fargo

Be a mensch! -The Apartment
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 12:18 AM on June 11, 2012

From Repo Man:
Ordinary fucking people. I hate 'em.
The more you drive, the less intelligent you are.
It happens sometimes, people just explode. Natural causes.
The two hemispheres are fundamentally at odds.
posted by zanni at 1:13 AM on June 11, 2012

There is no spoon.

SPOOOOOOON!!!
posted by Evilspork at 1:46 AM on June 11, 2012 [2 favorites]

Remember: short, controlled bursts.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:06 AM on June 11, 2012

"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass."

With the optional complementary second cross-stitch

"And I'm all out of bubblegum."
posted by Shepherd at 2:18 AM on June 11, 2012 [5 favorites]

This one goes to 11. (Spinal Tap)
posted by kinetic at 2:20 AM on June 11, 2012 [2 favorites]

"It's just a jump to the left." --Rocky Horror Picture Show
posted by drlith at 3:11 AM on June 11, 2012

A. B. C. Always Be Closing - Glengarry Glen Ross
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 3:15 AM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]

"I need to tone down my natural aura of strength and sexual dominance." - Jack Donaghy, 30 Rock.
posted by urbanwhaleshark at 4:08 AM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]

"Hey, you wanna hear my philosophy of life? Do it to him before he does it to you." - On the Waterfront
posted by backwards guitar at 4:15 AM on June 11, 2012

"Game over, man!" (also from "Aliens")
"There's no basement in the Alamo!" (from "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure")
posted by indognito at 4:21 AM on June 11, 2012 [4 favorites]

"We need a bigger boat" - Jaws
posted by Flood at 4:49 AM on June 11, 2012

It's not the years, it's the mileage - Raiders of the Lost Ark
posted by Aznable at 5:01 AM on June 11, 2012 [3 favorites]

"Those aren't pillows!" (Planes Trains Automobiles, I think)
posted by Forktine at 5:09 AM on June 11, 2012 [2 favorites]

Do or do not. There is no try. (Can't believe no one has said this yet!)
posted by Jubey at 5:36 AM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]

‘We've got to get some booze’ from Withnail and I.

Longer version, same theme, same film: ‘We want the finest wines available to humanity, we want them here and we want them now!’
posted by HandfulOfDust at 5:45 AM on June 11, 2012 [2 favorites]

"I drink your milkshake" - There Will Be Blood
posted by marimeko at 5:49 AM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]

Nice beaver! - Naked Gun
posted by tommasz at 5:54 AM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]

"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here. This is the war room." -- Dr. Strangelove.
posted by BlahLaLa at 5:57 AM on June 11, 2012 [10 favorites]

"Dear Lord, please don't let me fuck up. " -- The Right Stuff
posted by bondcliff at 6:04 AM on June 11, 2012

"A life lived in fear is a life half-lived"
-Strictly Ballroom
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 6:06 AM on June 11, 2012

"Bad news: the lords of death stole your truck." -Big Trouble in Little China
posted by clockzero at 6:10 AM on June 11, 2012

"I am the one who knocks." -- Walter White, Breaking Bad
posted by chazlarson at 6:12 AM on June 11, 2012 [3 favorites]

Princess Bride and Pulp Fiction for the win. Stuff I actually say to myself:

"Life is pain."
"Inconceivable!"
"Fuck pride."
"Hamburgers! The cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast."
posted by Dixon Ticonderoga at 6:12 AM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]

The Dude abides.
posted by Devils Rancher at 6:27 AM on June 11, 2012

Hell is my natural habitat.
posted by Devils Rancher at 6:28 AM on June 11, 2012

Smile. It's free. (Brain Candy)
posted by tomboko at 6:31 AM on June 11, 2012

Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn.

See the violence inherent in the system!

Nothing is over until we say it is!

If I peed my pants would you just pretend that I got wet from the rain?

All drains lead to the ocean, kid
posted by h00py at 6:32 AM on June 11, 2012

There's no crying in baseball.
posted by tomboko at 6:36 AM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]

Winter is coming.
posted by feral_goldfish at 6:47 AM on June 11, 2012 [2 favorites]

Walk without rhythm and you won't attract the worm.
posted by Fleebnork at 6:49 AM on June 11, 2012 [3 favorites]

"Keep passing the open windows" -- Hotel New Hampshire
posted by Infinity_8 at 6:51 AM on June 11, 2012

Nobody puts baby in a corner.
posted by etc. at 6:54 AM on June 11, 2012

Now let's get these other piggies wriggling.
posted by feral_goldfish at 6:58 AM on June 11, 2012

These pretzels are making me thirsty - Seinfeld (and I just saw someone did actually do the Yoda quote.)
posted by Jubey at 7:00 AM on June 11, 2012

All of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again -- Battlestar Galactica
posted by fancyoats at 7:03 AM on June 11, 2012

Oh, also "Be cool Honey Bunny." I say this to myself all. The time.
posted by Dixon Ticonderoga at 7:04 AM on June 11, 2012 [4 favorites]

Peoples is peoples (diner owner from Muppets Take Manhattan)
posted by Jon_Evil at 7:06 AM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]

Don't dream it, be it--Rocky Horror Picture Show.
posted by ActionPopulated at 7:06 AM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]

There's no time to waste then, is there?
posted by feral_goldfish at 7:12 AM on June 11, 2012

"Buzzard's gotta eat, same as a worm." - Clint Eastwood, explaining why he won't bother to bury the two bounty hunters he's just killed in "The Outlaw Josey Wales."
posted by spitbull at 7:12 AM on June 11, 2012

Yippee-Ki-Yay, Mister Falcon
I've always been partial to "Yippee-Ki-Yay, Melon Farmer".
posted by zephyr_words at 7:18 AM on June 11, 2012

Do you want ants? Because that's how you get ants!
posted by zephyr_words at 7:19 AM on June 11, 2012 [2 favorites]

"There's such a fine line between stupid and clever." --Spinal Tap
posted by altopower at 7:20 AM on June 11, 2012

Gotta love The Last Detail for stuff like this.

"You're gonna have a fuckin' beer!"
"I would like to drink a toast to Batman, Superman, and The Human Torch!"
"Could ya melt the cheese on there for the Chief?" (perfect for in the kitchen)
posted by King Bee at 7:20 AM on June 11, 2012

"If it bends, it's funny. If it breaks, it's tragic."
posted by pxe2000 at 7:21 AM on June 11, 2012

"We are the people you do not see."
posted by feral_goldfish at 7:26 AM on June 11, 2012

A smudge of excrement.. surging out to sea.
posted by h00py at 7:28 AM on June 11, 2012

We make our own choices; we pay our own prices. -- Bound
posted by endless_forms at 7:48 AM on June 11, 2012

"if she'd shag one punter from Edinburgh, she'd shag the lot of us."
posted by feral_goldfish at 7:54 AM on June 11, 2012

"Yippee-Ki-Yay, Motherfucker," or its TBS cousin, "Yippee-Ki-Yay, Mister Falcon."

"Your mother cooks socks in hell."
posted by milk white peacock at 8:06 AM on June 11, 2012

That's the way it crumbles, cookie-wise.
posted by activitystory at 8:20 AM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]

this quote is surprisingly useful:

you must do what you feel is right, of course
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 8:23 AM on June 11, 2012

Lo there do I see my father...
posted by scaryblackdeath at 8:39 AM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]

"Never go full retard." --Tropic Thunder
posted by scaryblackdeath at 8:39 AM on June 11, 2012

Tucker's Law (NSFW) from a cut scene of The Thick of It, already stitched into a tea towel for your convenience.
posted by getawaysticks at 8:53 AM on June 11, 2012 [2 favorites]

Don't get high on your own supply - Scarface
posted by Kloryne at 8:54 AM on June 11, 2012

"If you can't do the smart thing, do the right thing"

"I aim to misbehave"

-Serenity
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 8:55 AM on June 11, 2012

"I'm praying to you! Look in your heart! I'm praying to you! Look in your heart!" - Miller's Crossing
posted by rudster at 9:04 AM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]

For a moment there, I thought we were in trouble - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
posted by sianifach at 9:08 AM on June 11, 2012

"I'm not even supposed to be here today!"

"The customer is always an asshole."

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
posted by clavicle at 9:37 AM on June 11, 2012

"I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them." -- The Shootist
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 9:39 AM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]

A little bit of Fight Club?

"I say never be complete. I say stop being perfect."
"Fuck damnation, man! Fuck redemption!"
"Our Great War is a spiritual war."
"You are not your fucking khakis."
"Even the Mona Lisa's falling apart."

In five years another crop of angry young people are going to discover this movie. I almost envy them - when I was 18 and depressed out of my mind it was the most wonderful thing ever.
posted by catalytics at 9:50 AM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]

"Heineken? Fuck that shit! Pabst Blue Ribbon!" -- Blue Velvet
"I don't know much of anything, sir." -- Eraserhead
posted by Infinity_8 at 9:54 AM on June 11, 2012

"Why am I dripping with goo?"
posted by dlugoczaj at 9:55 AM on June 11, 2012

Never give up, never surrender!
posted by tomboko at 10:00 AM on June 11, 2012 [3 favorites]

By Grapthar's hammer...what a savings.
posted by FrauMaschine at 10:30 AM on June 11, 2012 [3 favorites]

"Lighten up, Francis." - Stripes
"Some people are OK, but mostly I just feel like poisoning everybody." - Ghost World
posted by scarykarrey at 10:40 AM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]

Wisdom of The Sphinx:

- To learn my teachings, I must first teach you how to learn.
- You must lash out with every limb, like the octopus who plays the drums.
- He who questions training only trains himself at asking questions.
- You must be like wolf pack, not six-pack.
- When you can balance a tack hammer on your head, you will head off your foes with a balanced attack.
posted by banshee at 10:52 AM on June 11, 2012

Wes Anderson-fest!

"Yeah, I was in the shit." - Rushmore
"I was punched in the face. What's your excuse?" - Rushmore
"Let's shag ass." - The Royal Tenenbaums
"That's the last time you put a knife in me! Y'hear me?" - The Royal Tenenbaums
"You wanna talk some jive? I'll talk some jive. I'll talk some jive like you never heard!" - The Royal Tenenbaums
"There are no teams!" - The Royal Tenenbaums
posted by scarykarrey at 10:58 AM on June 11, 2012 [2 favorites]

"You talkin' to me?"
posted by trip and a half at 11:31 AM on June 11, 2012

"Don't Panic" - Hitchhiker's Guide
"Always know where your towel is" - Hitchhiker's Guide

"If you're good at something, never do it for free" - The Dark Knight

"Someone's got a case of the Monday's" - Office Space

"Self-improvement is masturbation" - Fight Club

"I'm too old for this shit" - Lethal Weapon

"We're on a mission from God" - Blues Brothers
posted by dry white toast at 11:42 AM on June 11, 2012 [2 favorites]

"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass...and I'm all out of bubblegum." - "Rowdy" Roddy Piper from "They Live"
posted by poolsidemuse at 11:52 AM on June 11, 2012

Aw nuts, Shepherd beat me to it...so much for Ctrl+F.
posted by poolsidemuse at 11:54 AM on June 11, 2012

"Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. Sometimes it rains." --Bull Durham
posted by zeraus at 12:01 PM on June 11, 2012

Caddyshack:
"You'll get nothing and like it!"

Usual Suspects:
"The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist"
posted by poolsidemuse at 12:12 PM on June 11, 2012

"Well, let's not start sucking each other's dicks quite yet." - Pulp Fiction
posted by scarykarrey at 1:35 PM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]

"Leave the gun. Take the cannoli."
posted by Soliloquy at 1:49 PM on June 11, 2012 [5 favorites]

"I am a meat popsicle."
—The Fifth Element
posted by jamaro at 2:35 PM on June 11, 2012 [3 favorites]

The Doctor: OK, this is bad. At the moment I don't know how bad, but certainly we're three buses, a long walk, and eight quid in a taxi from good. - Doctor Who
posted by Augenblick at 3:05 PM on June 11, 2012

From Joe Vs the Volcano (Most underrated movie evar!):
Nobody knows anything, Joe. We'll take this leap, and we'll see. We'll jump, and we'll see. That's life, right?

I am calling you Felix because I do what I want.

From Wag the Dog:
Albania's hard to rhyme.

Ishtar:
Look at the upside: we're not livin' lives of quiet desperation.
posted by bluejayway at 3:33 PM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]

"A man got to have a code."

Alternate Community version.
posted by benbenson at 3:39 PM on June 11, 2012

"Think, McFly. Think!"
posted by Tall Telephone Pea at 3:57 PM on June 11, 2012

It's been alluded to in other posts: the TV-edited quote from Repo Man, "Flip you, melon farmer!"

I'd also add one of the few "clean" quotes from Blazing Saddles: "Mongo only pawn in game of life."
posted by stannate at 5:07 PM on June 11, 2012

"Sealed with a curse as sharp as a knife. Doomed is your soul and damned is your life." - Lord John Whorfin
(I always thought it would make a great pirate-y sampler)
posted by K0dama at 6:33 PM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]

Fight Club has a few good ones I think.


You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake.

You're not your job. You're not how much money you have in the bank. You're not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You're not your fucking khakis. You're the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world.

Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken.

Self improvement is masturbation
posted by wwax at 6:46 PM on June 11, 2012 [2 favorites]

Be nice until it's time to not be nice - Roadhouse

If you want the ultimate, you've got to be willing to pay the ultimate price. Point Break

I will pay for either of these.
posted by Bookhouse at 9:56 PM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]

"It's not worth winning if you can't win big" -- The Mighty Ducks
posted by reprise the theme song and roll the credits at 10:33 PM on June 11, 2012

From Robocop, "I'd buy that for a dollar," and from Predator, "If it bleeds, we can kill it."
posted by MoonOrb at 10:42 PM on June 11, 2012

"Let's go do some crimes," Repo Man
posted by klangklangston at 11:00 PM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]

"There's no place like home." The Wizard of Oz

"Top of the world, ma!" Jimmy Cagney, forgot the movie

"I'll never go hungry again!" Gone with the Wind

"Tomorrow is another day!" Gone with the Wind

"Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night." All About Eve

"Love means never having to say you're sorry." Love Story

"Well, la di da, la di da." Annie Hall
posted by thinkpiece at 11:19 AM on June 12, 2012

You must chill.
posted by The corpse in the library at 12:34 PM on June 12, 2012

Oh, ok?
posted by thinkpiece at 12:36 PM on June 12, 2012

Cruise chicks, suck face.
posted by The corpse in the library at 12:37 PM on June 12, 2012

I can make a hat, or a brooch, or a pterodactyl!
posted by The corpse in the library at 12:38 PM on June 12, 2012

hoose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suit on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourselves. Choose your future. Choose life... But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin' else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got heroin?

(May require extra thread)
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 12:40 PM on June 12, 2012

Utah! Gimme two!
posted by The World Famous at 4:01 PM on June 12, 2012

"So, that happened."
posted by From Bklyn at 1:56 AM on June 14, 2012 [1 favorite]

"Somehow I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion."
posted by elphTeq at 9:36 PM on June 15, 2012 [2 favorites]

None. None more black.

Nick's your buddy! Nick's your pal!

Tonight at the Pit: Everyone Gets Laid
posted by kostia at 1:34 AM on June 17, 2012