“Hasta la vista, baby” – Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s biggest box office hit, and it’s got some classic one-liners, including a reprise of the immortal “I’ll be back.” The sequel’s most memorable catchphrase comes as Schwarzenegger’s T-800 faces off against Robert Patrick’s shape-shifting T-1000 with the line that Edward Furlong’s John Connor taught him earlier: “hasta la vista, baby.”
“To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of their women!” – Conan the Barbarian (1982)
In 1982’s Conan the Barbarian, when Schwarzenegger’s title character is asked, “what is best in life?”, his reply is the first line of dialogue we hear Schwarzenegger utter in the film: “To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of their women!” Fun fact: the line is a paraphrase of an actual historical quote attributed to Genghis Khan.
“Get to the chopper!” – Predator (1987)
Predator is another Arnold movie that’s blessed with an over-abundance of quotable one-liners. Schwarzenegger’s Dutch and his few surviving colleagues head to their rendezvous with a rescue helicopter, but the invisible alien keeps killing them off. Just when it looks like Dutch is done for, he roars at Elpidia Carrillo’s Anna, “Go! Get to the chopper!”
“I did nothing, the pavement was his enemy!” – Twins (1988)
As a PG-rated comedy, 1988’s Twins was a big change of direction for Schwarzenegger, who plays gentle giant Julius. His best line comes when a would-be mugger attempts to steal Julius’ suitcase, but crashes into the floor. When the mugger’s accomplice cries, “What did you do to him?”, the well-meaning Julius replies, “I did nothing, the pavement was his enemy!”
“Here is Subzero; now, plain zero!” – The Running Man (1987)
Based loosely on Stephen King’s novel (written as Richard Bachman), 1987’s The Running Man casts Schwarzenegger as Ben Richards, a wrongly imprisoned man given the chance of freedom by competing in a gladiatorial TV show. Richards messes with the show’s format by defeating those sent to kill him, including ice-skating killer Subzero, of whom Richards proudly declares to camera: “Here is Subzero; now plain zero!”
“You think this is the real Quaid? It is” – Total Recall (1990)
In futuristic thriller Total Recall, Schwarzenegger’s Doug Quaid gets a holographic projector with which he can trick his enemies with a false image of himself. Making it a real mind game, at one point he laughs at the enemy goons, “you think this is the real Quaid?” Then just as they think it’s a hologram, he declares, “it is,” and blows them all away.
“You should not drink and bake” – Raw Deal (1986)
1986’s Raw Deal casts Schwarzenegger as Mark Kaminski, ex-FBI agent turned small town sheriff of a small town, who’s stuck in an unravelling marriage with his alcoholic wife Amy. When his wife drunkenly throws cake batter at him and narrowly misses, Kaminski drily remarks, “you should not drink and bake.” (Ironic, then, that the actress playing Amy is named Blanche Baker.)
“Remember when I said I’d kill you last? I LIED!” – Commando (1985)
1985 action extravaganza Commando casts Schwarzenegger as John Matrix, a retired Special Forces veteran unwillingly forced back into duty when some old enemies kidnap his daughter (Alyssa Milano). Getting his own back early, Matrix dangles David Patrick Kelly’s Sully over a cliff by the ankle. The Herculean hard man tells him, “Remember when I said I’d kill you last? I LIED!” before casually dropping him.
“It’s NOT a tumor!” – Kindergarten Cop (1990)
1990 comedy thriller casts our hero as John Kimble, a tough detective sent undercover as the world’s least likely kindergarten teacher. The most frequently quoted line in the movie comes when Kimble, struggling to control his class, is hit with a stress-induced headache. One of the kids suspects the cause of Kimble’s ailment may be a tumor – prompting his impassioned rebuttal, “it’s NOT a tumor!”
“You’re fired” – True Lies (1994)
1994’s True Lies is Schwarzenegger’s third and to date final collaboration with writer-director James Cameron. The film’s best one-liner comes when Art Malik’s terrorist villain gets tangled up with the rocket on the side of the jet piloted by Schwarzenegger’s spy Harry Trasker. As the other terrorists are aboard an adjacent helicopter, Harry declares “you’re fired,” and literally fires the bad guy into his cohorts.
“F*** you a**hole” – The Terminator (1984)
1984 classic The Terminator really established Schwarzenegger as an action icon and of course marked the first time he said “I’ll be back” – but there are other great one-liners besides that one. Take the monent when Schwarzenegger’s T-800 says to a sarcastic motel manager, “f*** you a**hole!” (Like “I’ll be back,” this is another line that Schwarzenegger would repeat in later films, including 1985’s Commando.)
“You should clone yourself… so you can go f*** yourself!” – The Sixth Day (2000)
One of Schwarzenegger’s last all-action hits before he put his acting career on hold to become Governor of California, 2000’s The Sixth Day sees Schwarzenegger uncover a dastardly plot involving the illegal human cloning, after discovering he’s been cloned himself. What better way to address the bad guy responsible than by telling him, “You should clone yourself… so you can go f*** yourself!”
“I live to see you eat that contract…” – The Running Man (1987)
Another of The Running Man’s best lines is perhaps the most protracted sentence ever pass Schwarzenegger’s lips. He roars directly into camera to antagonist Killian, “you cold-blooded b****rd… I live to see you eat that contract, but I hope you leave enough room for my fist because I’m going to ram it into your stomach and rip out your g***amn spine!”
“Cocainum!” – Red Heat (1988)
1988’s Red Heat casts Schwarzenegger as Russian police officer Ivan Danko. Comparatively taciturn as Schwarzenegger roles go, Danko’s best one-liner is in fact a one-worder: he pulls off a bad guy’s wooden leg, tips out the drugs hidden inside and exclaims, “cocainum!” Clearly Schwarzenegger recognised that this would be a very cool moment, as he agreed to make Red Heat based on that scene alone.
“You’re a f***ing choirboy compared to me!” – End of Days (1999)
What could be a more epic showdown than Schwarzenegger versus Satan? One scene in 1999’s action-horror End of Days sees the Devil (Gabriel Bryne) try to tempt Schwarzenegger’s Jericho Cane off the path of good. This prompts our hero to furiously exclaim, “you think you know bad? You’re a f***ing choirboy compared to me! A choirboy!” Remember, this is Beelzebub himself our hero is addressing.
“Consider that a divorce” – Total Recall (1990)
Total Recall co-stars Sharon Stone as Lori, the supposed wife of Schwarzenegger’s Quaid revealed as an undercover agent working against him. Her final scene sees her murmur, “You wouldn’t shoot me would you, Doug? After all, we’re married.” Then, as she attempts to draw her gun, Quaid shoots her first and replies, “consider that a divorce.” (Not particularly PC, but that’s Schwarzenegger movies for you.)
“You son of a b***h!” – Predator (1987)
Another of Predator’s best lines is made especially memorable thanks to the visuals that go along with it. When Schwarzenegger’s Dutch is reunited with old buddy Dillon (Carl Weathers), he greets him with the words, “you son of a b***h!” and a handshake that turns into a mid-air arm wrestle; an eye-popping sight, given the size of Schwarzenegger and Weathers’ biceps.
“Rubber baby buggy bumpers!” – Last Action Hero (1993)
1993’s Last Action Hero proved Schwarzenegger’s first major flop, but it’s a well-meaning parody of the action movies that brought him fame. There’s even a joke about his signature one-liners, when Schwarzenegger’s Jack Slater roars at a random guy, “you’ve seen those movies where they say ‘make my day’ or ‘I’m your worst nightmare?’ Well listen to this one: ‘rubber baby buggy bumpers!'”
“Let off some steam, Bennett” – Commando (1985)
The final act of Commando sees Schwarzenegger’s John Matrix blast his way through a ridiculous amount of enemy soldiers before facing his old enemy Bennett (Vernon Wells). The fight ends with Matrix tearing a length of pipe from the wall and impaling Bennett with it, prompting steam to burst forth from the other end as Matrix coolly intones, “let off some steam, Bennett.”
Every single ice-related pun – Batman & Robin (1997)
1997’s Batman & Robin might be one of the worst Hollywood blockbusters ever. Still, we can’t pretend we don’t enjoy Schwarzenegger’s cold-blooded villain Mr Freeze and his abundance of ice-based puns, including, “Allow me to break the ice!” “Everybody chill!” “Stay cool, bird boy!” “You’re not sending me to the cooler!” We could go on, but for the sake of space (and mercy), we won’t.
