Harrison Ford’s 10 Most Iconic Movie Quotes

There are very few movie stars as recognizable and universally adored as Harrison Ford. Ford is one of the most prolific and iconic actors who ever lived, having played prominent roles in some of the greatest movies ever made. Throughout his half-century acting career, Ford has played all kinds of characters, from a space pirate to an archeologist-turned-explorer to a robot hunter in the future.

Ford has played some of the most quotable characters in movie history, from Han “Never tell me the odds!” Solo to Indiana “It belongs in a museum!” Jones.

10 Don’t Tell Han Solo The Odds Of Successfully Navigating An Asteroid Field

“Never Tell Me The Odds!”

Thanks to Ford’s smooth charisma, Han Solo is arguably the only Star Wars character who threatens to dethrone Darth Vader as the saga’s most iconic character. Han is as quick on the draw with a biting one-liner as he is with a good blaster at his side.

In the action-packed middle act of The Empire Strikes Back, Han attempts to outrun the Imperial fleet by veering into an asteroid field. When C-3PO informs him that their odds of survival are 3,720 to one, Han quips, “Never tell me the odds!”

9 Indiana Jones Is Only Afraid Of One Thing

“Snakes… Why Did It Have To Be Snakes?”

Spearheaded by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, the Indiana Jones movies are spot-on homages to escapist Saturday matinee action-adventures. Ford’s Bogart-esque charms arguably contributed as much to the series’ authentic throwback to the forgotten genre as Spielberg’s old-school direction, Lucas’ pulpy storytelling, and John Williams’ riveting orchestrations.

Indy is presented as a mostly fearless explorer, racing valiantly into dangerous situations to recover artifacts that belong in a museum. He’s only afraid of one thing: snakes. And, of course, in Raiders of the Lost Ark, he finds himself in an ancient tomb full of nasty, slithering snakes.

8 When Blade Runner Rick Deckard Has Had Enough Of Replicants

“Go To Hell!”

While Han and Indy are undoubtedly Ford’s most iconic roles, Blade Runner’s Rick Deckard isn’t far behind. The role of a noir antihero transplanted into a dystopian future was perfect for the actor’s rugged, hard-boiled charms.

The villainous Roy Batty gets the most memorable lines in the movie – like his “tears in rain” speech – but Deckard gets a great one-liner during his aimless pontificating. Batty says, “Six! Seven! Go to Hell or go to Heaven!” before Deckard attacks him with an iron rod and quips, “Go to Hell!”

7 The Fugitive Dr. Richard Kimble Insists He’s Innocent

“I Didn’t Kill My Wife!”

Andrew Davis’ movie version of The Fugitive is one of the rare cases of a TV-to-film adaptation working spectacularly. Dr. Richard Kimble’s attempt to flee from the law and clear his name captivated audiences for years on television and culminated in one of the highest-rated series finales of all time. But, if anything, the Ford movie proved that this story works better as a three-act feature film.

Tommy Lee Jones’ U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard gets the most iconic quote in the movie with his “every warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse, and doghouse” monologue, but Ford’s Kimble gets a few memorable lines, too.

6 Jack Ryan Lays Down The Law In Patriot Games

“Want Me To Start With The Other Knee?”

Tom Clancy’s CIA analyst character Jack Ryan is one of the most iconic heroes of the thriller genre. Ford took over the role on the big screen in Patriot Games and reprised the role a couple of years later in Clear and Present Danger.

Ford played Ryan as a real badass. When a CIA agent named Geoffrey Watkins turns out to be a mole, Ryan notices that he’s already been shot and darkly jokes, “Want me to start with the other knee?”

5 When Leia Tells Han, “I Love You…”

“I Know.”

The sharpest quipster in a galaxy far, far away is too quotable to only be included on this list once. After the original Star Wars movie turned Han from a selfish gunslinger into a Rebel hero, The Empire Strikes Back explored his fizzling romantic tension with Leia. An Imperial strike on the Rebels’ Hoth base confined Han and Leia to the Falcon, desperately fleeing from the Empire, where they were forced to confront their feelings for each other.

At the movie’s chilling climax, Han is about to be frozen in carbonite and a heartbroken Leia tells him, “I love you.” Leia and the audience expect Han to say, “I love you, too,” like in countless other movies, but with typical ice-coolness, Han replies, “I know,” before being lowered into the chamber and becoming ice-cool in a more literal sense.

4 President James Marshall Ejects The Hijackers From Air Force One

“Get Off My Plane!”

The Die Hard formula has produced a handful of classic action movies, from the Keanu Reeves vehicle Speed (“Die Hard on a bus”) to the Ford-starring gem Air Force One (“Die Hard on the U.S. President’s plane”).

Gary Oldman added another iconic movie villain to his résumé alongside Dracula, Drexl Spivey, and Norman Stansfield with his turn as the Hans Gruber-esque diabolical leader of the hijackers in Air Force One. After picking off the rest of the hijackers, President James Marshall – the most badass movie president of all time – ejects Oldman’s head honcho with the unforgettable one-liner, “Get off my plane!”

3 Colonel Lucas Explains The Secrecy Of The Mission In Apocalypse Now

“You Understand, Captain, That This Mission Does Not Exist, Nor Will It Ever Exist.”

Ford only appears in one scene in Francis Ford Coppola’s gonzo Vietnam War opus Apocalypse Now, but it’s one of the earliest and greatest scenes in the film. The opening exposition sequence – in which Captain Willard’s black-ops mission is explained to him by a few decorated higher-ups (including Ford as Colonel G. Lucas, named after George Lucas) – is one of the best exposition scenes ever written. Coppola has recut the movie a few times, but he always leaves this scene intact.

The most memorable quote from this scene is the haunting four-word description of Willard’s assignment – “Terminate with extreme prejudice” – but Ford’s Colonel Lucas reinforces the deep-state secrecy of the mission: “You understand, Captain, that this mission does not exist, nor will it ever exist.”

2 Indy Struggles To Reconnect With His Father In The Last Crusade

“Don’t Call Me Junior!”

Like Han, Indy is far too quotable to only have one line on this list. Dr. Jones has shared memorable on-screen dynamics with a few of his supporting characters, from Marion Ravenwood to Short Round, but arguably his most iconic pairing is with his estranged father.

Ford shares palpable chemistry with former James Bond actor Sean Connery as a bickering father and son in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade – down to the running joke revolving around his childhood nickname, “Junior.”

1 Deckard Reflects On His Life Choices In Blade Runner 2049

“Sometimes, To Love Someone, You Got To Be A Stranger.”

35 years after the original Blade Runner movie was acclaimed by critics but bombed at the box office, Ford reprised the role of Deckard in a long-awaited big-budget sequel that was similarly acclaimed by critics and similarly bombed at the box office.

The sequel, Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049, explores the aftermath of the first movie through the fate of the child that Deckard conceived with Rachael. Deckard sums up his complicated approach to fatherhood in one heartbreaking quote: “Sometimes, to love someone, you got to be a stranger.”

About The Author

Ben Sherlock
(3465 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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