Writing Dialogue Worth Quoting

By PeggySue Wells @PeggySueWells

Like delicious desserts, dialog is often a reader’s favorite part of a story. We quote great dialog for generations. As writers, it’s important we are intentional about writing dialogue worth quoting. 

“Off with her head!” – Lewis Carroll.

“We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill.

“There’s so much scope for imagination.” – Lucy Maud Montgomery.

“It’s me again, Hank the Cowdog.” – John Erickson.

“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

“Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” – Jesus Christ.

My family has admitted that if film and book quotes were removed, our vocabulary would be reduced by half. How about you? Do you quote dialog? How many of these can you place?

Go ahead, make my day.All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost.Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.Wish I could say yes, but I can’t.This above all: To thine own self be true.​Stupid is as stupid does.​I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.Anything worth dying for is certainly worth living for.​God bless us, everyone.You should be kissed and often, and by someone who knows how.You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.​Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience.We’re not in Kansas anymore.​​​​​​Snap out of it.Sometimes, I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.Houston, we have a problem.​​​​​​Show me the money.​​I feel the need, the need for speed.​​​​​​There is no try, only do.Is the sun up? Put it on your left.​​​​​You complete me.​​Get your stinking paws off me, you dirty ape.​​Wax on, wax off.Shaken, not stirred.I can do this all day.​​​​​​​​Hasta la vista, Baby.​​You’re gonna need a bigger boat.Do I love you? My god, if your love were a grain of sand, mine would be a universe of beaches.​​​​​Just keep swimming.My precious.You is kind, you is smart, you is important.​​​You had me at hello.Help me, Obi Won Kenobi, you’re my only hope.I wish I had done everything with you. To infinity and beyond.You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings. ​​Of all the gin joints in the world, she walks into mine. ​No touchy.All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.There’s no place like home.You can be my wingman any day.

As writers, how do we craft words into dialog that outlives our writing? What are the common ingredients that make a piece of dialog live beyond the story? We will talk about the making of dynamic dialog next.

In the meantime, what dialog from a book or film do you quote?

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Tropical island votary and history buff, PeggySue Wells parasails, skydives, snorkels, scuba dives, and has taken (but not passed) pilot training. Writing from the 100-Acre Wood in Indiana, Wells is the bestselling author of thirty books including The Slave Across the Street, Slavery in the Land of the Free, Bonding With Your Child Through Boundaries, Homeless for the Holidays, Chasing Sunrise, and The Ten Best Decisions A Single Mom Can Make. Founder of SingleMomCircle.com, PeggySue is named for the Buddy Holly song with the great drumbeat. At school author visits, she teaches students the secrets to writing and speaks at events and conferences. Connect with her at www.PeggySueWells.com, on Facebook at PeggySue Wells, and LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/peggysuewells