The Princess Bride is a 1987 cult classic favorite that finds a grandfather reading a story to his sick grandson. That story is the incredible tale of sword-fighting, betrayal, manipulative princes, and so much more, but most importantly, the love between Westley and Buttercup.

The film has long been a fan-favorite, one of those reasons being its quotable dialogue. There are so many beloved quotes to choose from, which makes it hard to narrow down, but here are some to get you reminiscing, or perhaps inspire you to start streaming The Princess Bride immediately. That being said, here are the 10 best quotes from The Princess Bride that fans will enjoy quoting for the rest of their lives. 

10 “You Mean You Wish To Surrender To Me? Very Well, I Accept.”

Westley’s clever and his witticisms are a welcome comedic aspect in the film. His response to Humperdinck’s simple “Surrender” is priceless. Westley doesn’t have it in him to surrender to anyone; he’s the kind of man that will put up a Hell of a fight first.

Though he’s surrounded at the time by Humperdinck and his men, he’s not at all intimidated, and it’s Buttercup that remedies the situation–or so she thinks, as Humperdinck has other plans in mind for Westley other than returning him to his ship.

9 “It’s Not My Fault Being The Biggest And The Strongest. I Don’t Even Exercise.”

Fezzik may be tall and intimidating, but he’s really not such a bad guy. Vizzini orders him to lie in wait for the “man in black” and to throw a rock at his head as he approaches, though Fezzik does offer Westley (aka “the man in black”) a fair chance. He has standards, and even later tells Westley that he wants him to feel like he’s doing well.

Fezzik ultimately does good by helping Westley and Inigo storm the castle, rescuing Buttercup and ruining Humperdinck’s drastic plans once and for all. Sometimes being the biggest and the strongest comes in handy, especially when it comes to storming castles.

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8 “I Just Work For Vizzini To Pay The Bills. Not A Lot Of Money In Revenge.”

Sometimes your life’s calling doesn’t necessarily get the bills paid, so we can relate to Inigo’s struggle. However, working for Vizzini actually led him, in a way, to the six-fingered man Inigo had long sworn revenge against.

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Ironically, his job led him to his ultimate goal, not to mention a possible new start as the Dread Pirate Roberts, which Westley offers up after Inigo has killed his father’s murderer and is not sure what to make of himself afterwards. No one knows where life may lead them and fortunately in Inigo’s case, it led him exactly where he wanted and needed to go.

7 “Life Is Pain, Highness. Anyone Who Says Differently Is Selling Something.”

Before Buttercup realizes the masked man is actually Westley, she yells at him for mocking her pain, to which Westley replies with the above quote. Westley is witty and charming, but he has his serious moments of wisdom, too.

Though the quote can be perceived as depressing, the thing is, life is also full of great joy if you allow it. Life is pain, but sometimes pain leads to greater things. In Westley’s case, it led him back to his true love after a long separation (with Buttercup believing he was dead), and they got to ride away on horseback to their happily ever after at the end of their story.

6 “Inconceivable!”

Vizzini used this word a lot. Inigo is right, though; it’s pretty obvious that Vizzini doesn’t actually knows what it means. Yet, it suits him. It’s funny, how he finds a lot of things ‘inconceivable’, but it turns out, they’re not so inconceivable after all.

Unfortunately for him, he has to learn that the hard way as Westley outwits him and Vizzini is poisoned. If nothing else, Vizzini has offered pop culture, and society by extension, a single word to use in any inconceivable situation. A lot of things are inconceivable these days, aren’t they?

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5 “You Know How Much I Love Watching You Work, But I’ve Got My Country’s 500th Anniversary To Plan, My Wedding To Arrange, My Wife To Murder, And Guilder To Frame For It. I’m Swamped.”

At the very least, Humperdinck is an organized planner. What Buttercup ever saw in him, no one will ever know. The thing about Humperdinck is that he’s vicious, manipulative and cruel, but when it comes down to it, he has everyone else do his dirty work for him, and in the end, he’s no match for Westley.

He’s the kind of character audiences laugh at because he’s so ridiculous, and the nonchalant manner in which he lists his horrible plans is so awful it’s inconceivable that anyone likes him, let alone takes orders from him. Then again, without him, The Princess Bride wouldn’t be cult classic that it has since become.

4 “You Can’t Hurt Me. Westley and I Are Joined By The Bonds Of Love. And You Cannot Track That, Not With A Thousand Bloodhounds, And You Cannot Break It, Not With A Thousand Swords.”

This is part of Buttercup’s speech to Humperdinck, who doesn’t take her stand against him so well. Buttercup and Westley’s love is one-of-a-kind, the truest and purest form of love.

Love can make anyone feel invincible if it’s felt strongly enough, and if it’s as powerful and passionate and meaningful as can be. That’s the kind of bond that Buttercup is talking about, for it can never be broken by a single thing, no matter how hard someone may try. Her speech is inspiring, and it makes us all believe in true love and the bond that comes with it.

3 “Hello. My Name Is Inigo Montoya. You Killed My Father. Prepare To Die.”

Perhaps one of the best-known quotes from the film, Inigo makes it clear from moment one who he is, and what his mission in life is. He’s pursued fencing more than studied it, all so he can kill the six-fingered man that murdered his beloved father in cold blood.

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Inigo’s introduction, which he repeats throughout the film, makes him a memorable character with an unforgettable storyline. He’s definitely a favorite character among audiences, and this quote is one of the reasons why.

2 “Have Fun Storming The Castle!”

Billy Crystal played Miracle Max, who manages to bring Westley back to life, as he’s only mostly dead. He’s called Miracle Max for a reason. Though, the guy’s pretty bitter about being let go by Prince Humperdinck. Then again, who wouldn’t be?

While he does manage to bring Westley back, he doesn’t have utmost confidence in Westley, Inigo and Fezzik as they head off to storm the castle and save the day. Then again, that’s Max’s personality: sarcastic.

1 “As You Wish.”

Westley is many things. Dreamy, charming, brave, a gifted fighter, and willing to do anything to save the love of his life, Buttercup. When he was just “farm boy” to Buttercup, she’d ask him to do things, initially not even offering him a ‘please’ or ‘thank you.’ His response was always ‘as you wish.’ He always meant it genuinely, never saying it sarcastically or with any kind of tone.

Buttercup noticed and began to see Westley in a new light, leading to their passionate and unbreakable relationship that really was true love. ‘As you wish’ was more than just three simple words; it was Westley telling Buttercup he really loved her all along.

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About The Author


Kacie Lillejord
(373 Articles Published)

A Seattle native, Kacie has loved entertainment in the forms of books, films, television and music since day one. Inspired by a filmmaker relative, Kacie has been pursuing a career in the film and television industry in Los Angeles ever since. A graduate of The University of Arizona, Kacie has written for her college newspaper The Daily Wildcat, Harness Magazine, 25YL, and now has added Screen Rant to her resume. She loves writing and all things pop culture.

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