As far as legendary film directors are concerned, Alfred Hitchcock was one of the best and remains so to this day, even though he died 40 years ago. Funny enough, a lot of people connect Hitchcock to horror films, but he didn’t make that many of them and, instead, mostly focused on the thriller genre.

His most famous films include Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), and Psycho (1960). Considering the success of his American movies, it’s easy to forget that Alfred Hitchcock was actually British – he was born in London! His films still have a lot to say, even to modern viewers, and they contain some truly great quotes.

10 “We All Go A Little Mad Sometimes”

One of the most famous psychopaths in the cinema is none other than Alfred Hitchcock’s Norman Bates from the film Psycho. Bates looks like a fairly normal guy at first, albeit a little shy, but as the film progresses, it eventually becomes more and more obvious that he’s completely crazy.

With this quote, he’s a bit similar to DC’s Joker – who also believes that sometimes it takes just one really bad day to go crazy.

9 “I Know What It Is To Feel Lonely And Helpless And To Have The Whole World Against Me.”

One of Hitchcock’s British films, The 39 Steps (1935), focuses on a man who becomes entangled in the web of spies and has to face mortal danger.

He runs to save his life but it’s difficult for him since he has no idea whom he can trust, if anyone. Loneliness can be terrible in the world that’s against you and the main hero realizes it.

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8 “Never Climb A Fence If You Can Sit On It.”

Another less-known Alfred Hitchcock film is the 1938 movie The Lady Vanishes. And like many of Hitchcock’s movies, it manages to combine both humor and tension in a story about a missing old lady and a young woman trying to find out what had happened to her.

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It also gives the audience the lesson that sometimes it’s wise to think and think hard before somebody makes a decision they can’t take back. Of course, there are multiple ways how to interpret this quote, but this one is as good as any.

7 “If You Should Find One Perfect Thing, Or Place Or Person, You Should Stick To It.”

Alfred Hitchcock rarely ever made films based on books. There are only a few notable exceptions, such as Psycho, and the 1940 movie Rebecca, based on the successful book by Daphne Du Maurier. The main heroine believes she found the right man and sticks with her belief too long so that it almost kills her.

Her father taught her this valuable lesson. Unfortunately for the heroine, her husband wasn’t the right person, as she eventually discovered the hard way.

6 “Intelligence. Nothing Has Caused The Human Race So Much Trouble As Intelligence.”

One of Hitchcock’s most-recognized movies, 1954’s Rear Window shows what happens when a person focuses on something they shouldn’t be seeing – because they’re too curious.

Curiosity is good since it leads to knowledge and building knowledge leads to intelligence but intelligence can also be dangerous, as the main hero’s girlfriend, Stella says here.

5 “Only One Is A Wanderer. Two Together Are Always Going Somewhere.”

Hitchcock’s 1958 masterpiece Vertigo is just as confusing and fascinating today, with its story of love, deception, and death, as it was in the time of its release.

The main heroine, Madeleine, is a tortured soul who mostly walks the world alone, even though she knows there are better ways to live, as she says here.

4 “A Boy’s Best Friend Is His Mother.”

Of all the quotes on this list, this one might be familiar even to the people who didn’t see Psycho or any of Alfred Hitchcock’s other films. Norman Bates says this quote when Marion Crane asks him whether he goes out with his friends.

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It might seem like a random answer, except it becomes much more horrifying in the context of what the audience learns later in the film.

3 “What’s The Use Of Looking Backward? What’s The Use Of Looking Ahead? Today’s The Thing.”

2 “I Can’t Face The World In The Morning. I Must Have Coffee Before I Can Speak.”

1 “Women Make The Best Psychoanalysts Until They Fall In Love. After That, They Make The Best Patients.”

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About The Author


Kath Leroy
(523 Articles Published)

Kath Leroy is a writer at Screen Rant. She also publishes in a number of Czech magazines. She works as an actress and appeared in feature films, short films, as well as TV series. Kath has loved movies, TV, and literature ever since she was a child and her father first played Star Trek for her. Since she has a background in writing genre fiction and screenplays, Kath enjoys fantasy, sci-fi, and superhero films and shows above all – however, she likes to watch films of all genres.

Visit Kath Leroy’s blog for her articles about culture, acting life as well as other topics, follow her on Twitter and on Instagram as @girlartistgeek or contact her directly at [email protected]

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