20 Best Quotes From The Indiana Jones Movies

Just a couple of years after he created one instantly iconic franchise with Star Wars, George Lucas took the world of cinema by storm and caught lightning in a bottle for a second time. Inspired by the old adventure serials he used to watch when he was a kid, Lucas created Indiana Jones, a smooth-talking, infinitely cool archeologist/explorer with a leather jacket, a satchel, and a bullwhip.

Steven Spielberg saw the character as an American James Bond, so he jumped at the opportunity to sit in the director’s chair. Just like Bond movies, the Indy movies are endlessly quotable. But what are the best Indiana Jones quotes of all time?

Updated on December 16th, 2021 by Colin McCormick:While Steve Spielberg is currently earning plenty of praise for West Side Story, there are plenty of fans who still believe his greatest cinematic creation was the character of Indiana Jones. Along with George Lucas’s concept and Harrison Ford’s iconic performance, Spielberg created a series of movies that came to define the adventure genre. However, as terrific as the action in these movies are, there are plenty of wonderful quotes that will remind fans why these movies are so much fun.

Indy Steps Out Of The Classroom

Mutt: You’re A Teacher? Indiana Jones: Part-Time.

As fun as it is to see Indiana Jones punching Nazis and getting into gunfights, the movies always made a point of showing Indy as a scholar and hero with intelligence. His pursuits of ancient artifacts are educational in purpose which aligns with his teaching job.

It’s true that those two aspects of Indy’s life can often seem to contrast each other. When he takes out a group of would-be assassins, even tough-guy Mutt is impressed and asks if Indy is really a professor, to which Indy admits it’s not his main focus.

Indy Finishes Off Mola Ram

Indiana Jones: “Mola Ram! Prepare To Meet Kali… In Hell!”

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is often viewed as the darkest movie in the franchise and one of the movies responsible for the PG-13 rating to be created. Even Indy seems a little darker as when he faces off with the villains in the climax.

While on a rope bridge suspended over a deep canyon, Indy makes a desperate move of cutting the rope and sending the evil Mola Ram and his men to their death. And before he does, Indy gets to deliver his own cheesy action movie one-liner.

Getting Too Old

Indiana Jones: “It’s Not The Years, Honey, It’s The Mileage.”

While modern action heroes played by the likes of Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson are seen as unstoppable badasses, part of the charm of Indy was that he isn’t the toughest guy in the room. He gets punched often and it hurts him which makes him a more relatable hero.

When Marion suggests he might be getting too old for this kind of life, he suggests that it is not the years that are aging him but his lifestyle itself.

Indy Improvises

Indiana Jones: “I Don’t Know. I’m Making This Up As I Go.”

As smart as Indy is, he often finds himself in fast-paced and dangerous situations in which he is just along for the ride. It is another way the movies made him such a fun hero as sometimes he just doesn’t have the answers.

When Marion is taken hostage, Indy tells Sallah he is going to rescue her. When Sallah questions how we’ll manage that and Indy admits there is not any grand plan. It is quite relatable to see a hero just trying their best.

The Origins Of Indiana

Dr. Henry Jones Sr: “We Named The Dog Indiana.”

Along with Sean Connery’s winning performance, the inclusion of Indy’s father, Dr. Henry Jones Sr, gives a lot of fun insight into the hero. Though Indy often has the control, he is turned somewhat sheepish once his father a part of the journey and there are times where he seems like a little kid again.

At the end of the movie, Sallah asks why Dr. Jones calls Indy “Junior”. Dr. Jones explains that Indy’s name is actually Henry Jones Jr. and he took the name Indiana from the family dog. It is a fun way of demystifying the iconic hero.

Indy Stands For Education

Indiana Jones: “It Belongs In A Museum!”

In the opening sequence of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, we see a young Indy, played brilliantly by River Phoenix, thwarting a plot to steal an artifact by claiming that it belongs in a museum.

The scene then cuts to the present day, as an adult Indy is fighting for the same artifact, with the same claim that it belongs in a museum. It not only shows Indy’s sense of standing up for the educational value of these artifacts but also that he has had those values since he was a young boy.

Disapproving Father

Dr. Henry Jones Sr: “You Call This Archeology?”

Dr. Jones gets his title from the fact that he’s an accomplished archeologist, although the movies never show him dusting bones. Instead, Indy is always running from gunfire and hanging off of moving cars.

In the climactic set piece of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, in which Indy and his father are trapped on a Nazi tank rumbling through the desert, Henry, Sr. sarcastically quips, “You call this archeology?”

Willie In The Wilderness

Indiana Jones: “That’s Why They Call It The Jungle, Sweetheart.”

The Willie Scott character from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom has been criticized for being a clichéd damsel in distress who’s always screaming and can’t handle a few minutes in the elements. But the Indiana Jones films are pulpy adventure stories at heart, and the back-and-forth that this leads to between Willie and Indy is primo pulp material.

When Willie says, “We’re surrounded; the entire place is crawling with living things,” Indy replies, “That’s why they call it the jungle, sweetheart.” It might be obvious banter between the two bickering leads, but it fits in this kind of story.

Making Enemies

Donovan: “Germany Has Declared War On The Jones Boys.”

What makes Kingdom of the Crystal Skull even more of a disappointment is that The Last Crusade made for such a perfect ending to Indy’s story. And part of that involved capping off the trilogy with bigger, bolder action than ever before.

When the threequel first gets going, Indy and his father find themselves on the run from not just a handful of rotten eggs, but the entirety of Nazi Germany.

Donovan Fails The Test

Grail Knight: “He Chose…Poorly.”

The final test on the way to retrieve the Holy Grail is to pick out the Grail from a line-up of chalices. The Grail Knight explains this test to Walter Donovan, who picks the biggest, fanciest cup he can find and takes a swig.

The decision fits Donovan’s greedy and villainous behavior which results in a memorable demise. In a matter of seconds, he ages to his death, then decomposes and crumbles into dust. With a dry, darkly comic wit, the Knight says, “He chose…poorly.”

Indy Is Poisoned

Loa Che: “Antidote.” Indiana Jones: “To What?” Loa Che: “The Poison You Just Drank, Dr. Jones!”

As Indiana Jones was largely inspired by James Bond, it is a lot of fun to see this opening scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom which feels taken right out of a 007 adventure.

It finds Indy facing off with a gangster in a swanky nightclub. After a tense standoff where Indy remains the ever-cool hero, the gangster shows he has the upper hand, secretly slipping Indy some poison without him knowing.

Indy Tosses A Nazi

Indiana Jones: “No Ticket!”

Both the first and third Indiana Jones movies satirize the Nazis by having them as wacky villains, but the third one most deeply immerses us in the world of Nazi-occupied Europe. They make for easy villains to hate and it is fun watching Indy beat them up.

When on a Zeppelin, Indy disguises himself as a ticket collector. He is able to sneak up on one of the Nazi offers and through him from the Zeppelin. As the horrified guests look on, Indy explains, “No ticket,” causing them all to hurriedly produce their own tickets.

Quick Getaway

Indiana Jones: “Jock! Start The Engine!”

The opening scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark might be the greatest opening scene of all time. An opening scene, especially in an action-adventure movie like this, is responsible for setting the tone for the movie.

It opens with Indy heading into an ancient temple in the middle of the jungle to uncover an old relic. He avoids all the booby traps on the way in with ease and style. But when things fall apart, Indy is shown to be much less cool-headed. As he rushes to his plane while being chased by enemies it gives a great image of Indy as a lovable, relatable hero.

Being Realistic

Indiana Jones: “We Do Not Follow Maps To Buried Treasure, And X Never, Ever Marks The Spot.”

While the Indiana Jones movies likely inspired a lot of young viewers to become interested in a career in archaeology, they are not very realistic depictions of a profession. And the movies seem very willing to admit this.

During an early scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indy lectures his students that a big part of being an archaeologist is research. Of course, he then goes off on a thrilling adventure of treasure hunting where X does mark the spot.

Advice For His Students

Indiana Jones: “If You Want To Be A Good Archeologist, You Gotta Get Out Of The Library!”

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is by far the least popular movie in the franchise. It is a modern take, set in the ‘50s with a grizzled octogenarian Dr. Jones fighting some Soviet villains.

Despite its flaws, the movie does manage to maintain the sense of fun the franchise was known for. This includes the great chase scene through a college campus which ends up going through the library. Indy takes the time to advise his student, telling them some learning takes place outside, before speeding away on a motorcycle.

Risky Move

Indiana Jones: “Half The German Army’s On Our Tail, And You Want Me To Go To Berlin?”

Sean Connery might be known for action roles so the fact that Dr. Henry Jones isn’t much of a fighter is quite entertaining. However, that also doesn’t stop Henry from being a fearless hero when the day is in need of saving.

When on the run from the villains, it is Henry who insists they go into the “lion’s den” by heading to Berlin. It is a risky movie that surprises even Henry’s adventurous son.

Indy’s Sidekick

Short-Round: “What Is Shankara?” Indiana Jones: “Fortune And Glory, Kid. Fortune And Glory.”

The Shankara stones are the MacGuffins at the center of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Indy finds himself in an Indian village, where they inform him that the stones (and their children) have been taken by a mysterious religious cult.

Right as they’re about to head off on their journey, Short Round asks, “What is Shankara?” to which Indy replies, “Fortune and glory, kid. Fortune and glory.” It is an example of how Indy looks at Short Round as a colleague despite his young age and makes the kid one of the series’ best sidekicks.

Willie Points Out The Obvious

Willie: “A Boat?! We’re Not Sinking, We’re Crashing!”

Willie Scott has been criticized for being a typical damsel in distress character. All she does is scream and run away from danger and rely on the men around her – one of whom is like a ten-year-old boy – to save her. But she does have one redeeming quality: this classic line.

Indy, Willie, and Short Round find themselves stuck on a plane with no pilot headed for the side of a mountain. Indy finds that there are no parachutes, but there is an inflatable raft. Willie says, “A boat?! We’re not sinking, we’re crashing!” But Indy makes it work and they raft down the mountain.

Dad And Son Reunite

Indiana Jones: “Don’t Call Me Junior!”

It was a stroke of genius to introduce fans to Indiana Jones’s father in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade because their unique dynamic made a powerful dramatic core for the movie. And casting Sean Connery, the original James Bond, as the father of the character who was conceived as an American James Bond was just the cherry on top.

He and Harrison Ford developed such an entertaining and real rapport that they genuinely seem to be an estranged father and son in the movie. The end result is maybe the best installment in the series.

Indy’s Biggest Fear

Indiana Jones: “Snakes. Why Did It Have To Be Snakes?”

Every great character has a weakness, ranging from Superman’s aversion to Kryptonite to Marty McFly’s disdain for being called “chicken.” In the case of Indiana Jones, he’s deathly afraid of snakes.

Of course, when Indy is faced with going down in an ancient tomb to retrieve the Ark of the Covenant, he finds much to his chagrin that it is filled with snakes. But like any good hero, he is willing to face his fears.

About The Author

Ben Sherlock
(3458 Articles Published)

Ben Sherlock is a writer, comedian, independent filmmaker, and Burt Reynolds enthusiast. He writes lists for Screen Rant and features and reviews for Game Rant. He’s currently in pre-production on his first feature (and has been for a while, because filmmaking is expensive). You can catch him performing standup at odd pubs around the UK that will give him stage time. Previously, he wrote for Taste of Cinema, Comic Book Resources, and BabbleTop.

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