With his hangdog expression, soulful stare, and energetic sense of movement, Nicolas Cage is an actor whose dynamic performances have defined genres. Equally at home appearing in huge blockbusters, quiet independent movies, or surreal art-house fare, Cage always imbues his characters with complexity by turning his body and his voice into an emotional conduit.
Thanks to his unique way of delivering dialogue, quotes from movies like The Rock, Con-Air, and National Treasure have wound their way into the cultural zeitgeist, but with a filmography that spans four decades to choose from, some Nic Cage quotes aren't even his most well-known.
Updated on May 2nd, 2022 by Kayleena Pierce-Bohen: With the release of The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, more people than ever are being exposed to the glory of Nicolas Cage quotes as the movie celebrates his vast filmography. The action-comedy sees a stylized version of the actor accept an invitation to appear at a wealthy superfan's birthday party, only to be recruited by the CIA to spy on his host once the festivities begin. What results is a hilarious and profound journey of self-discovery, with some of the best Nicolas Cage quotes to commemorate the performances of one of Hollywood's most beloved icons.
Raising Arizona (1987)
H.I.:"I'll Be Taking These Huggies, And Whatever Cash You Got."
Raising Arizona is the movie that made audiences stand up and notice Cage as the likable but bumbling former stickup man H.I., who finds himself becoming a petty thief once more after stealing a baby from a local millionaire. The comedy, which vacillates between being screwball and sentimental, highlights Cage's timing and undeniable charisma as he goes to the ends of the earth to have a family.
The Coen Brothers dialogue makes for some of Raising Arizona's best quotes, and it's this sort of line about disparate things like holding up someone for cash and Huggies that might come off as absurd in the hands of the wrong actor, but Cage makes sound perfectly normal. His knack for playing ridiculous characters 100% seriously is often what makes them so delightful.
Moonstruck (1988)
Ronny: "The Snowflakes Are Perfect. The Stars Are Perfect. Not Us. Not Us! We Are Here To Ruin Ourselves And To Break Our Hearts And Love The Wrong People And Die."
An oft-overlooked gem in Cage's career is Moonstruck, where he plays Ronny Cammareri, a one-handed baker, and spends much of the time pursuing the wife of his older brother. He doesn't play Ronny as a typical goofball, but a man who, despite being deeply fatalistic, is a sort of operatic, Byronic hero.
Ronny's nihilism inadvertently helps the object of his affection (Cher, in one of her best movies), whose marriage was dead long ago, and who wants only to feel reckless passion again. Cage has one of the best lines in the movie when Ronny declares his love with equal parts poetry and plain-spoken truth.
Wild At Heart (1990)
Sailor: "Did I Ever Tell Ya That This Here Jacket Represents A Symbol Of My Individuality, And My Belief In Personal Freedom?"
There was a time when the only movies Cage made were shown in arthouses, and movies like Wild at Heart made him a darling of independent cinema. Cage is at his most introspective as Sailor, an ex-con in a snakeskin jacket who just wants to ride off into the Southern sunset with his girlfriend Lula, but life has other plans for the young lovers.
The entire movie is an homage to the power of young love, a pure thing trying to exist in a sleazy world, even when that love is not enough to save two people. Sailor's snakeskin jacket is like his love for Lula -- it stands in defiance of conventionality, celebrates individuality, and cannot be tamed.
The Rock (1996)
Stanley Goodspeed: "Got My First Chemistry Set When I Was Seven, Blew My Eyebrows Off, We Never Saw The Cat Again, Been Into It Ever Since."
The Rock is one of several big blockbusters Cage made in the '90s, and while it's an amalgamation of other movies (like Die Hard, The Fugitive, and Escape From Alcatraz), it's not unlike the FBI scientist he plays; reliable, adaptable, and highly effective.
Cage is allowed to be equal parts bashful, humorous (as in this line), and heroic, which is surprising for a Michael Bay movie featuring chemical warfare, huge explosions, and relentless action. Unlike other action heroes, Cage's nuanced approach grounds even the most ridiculous elements of the movie.
Con-Air (1997)
Cameron Poe: "Sorry Boss, But There's Only Two Men I Trust. One Of Them's Me. The Other's Not You."
One of the last great action movies the '90s that still holds up today, before The Matrix and Bourne movies halted the production of kitchen-sink blockbusters, Con-Air places Cage's Army Ranger --up for parole for killing a man in defense of his family-- on a transport plane loaded with dangerous criminals. The subsequent hijacking of the plane gives the vet the chance to prove he doesn't belong with them.
Cage plays the protagonist like a bit of a humble hayseed, but there's never any doubt that he's as capable a killer as any of the men around him, except that his sanguinary powers are used for good instead of evil. He manages to stand out even with a huge cast of memorable characters, one of which is John Malkovich's hijacker Cyrus the Virus, to whom Cage delivers this steely vow.
City Of Angels (1998)
Seth: "Some Things Are True Whether You Believe In Them Or Not."
For City of Angels, the contemplative romantic drama inspired in part by the German film Wings of Desire, Cage plays Seth, an angel who mournfully watches over Los Angeles, longing for the sensations of mortal life. He eventually gets his chance to experience them when he makes a connection with a woman who can actually see him.
Cage gives one of his most gentle performances, having to forego his usual animated theatrics in favor of conveying a luminous being with a child-like wonder at the most commonplace things. He uses this line on Meg Ryan's cynical Maggie, a nurse who's seen too much death, in an effort to help her make sense of the unfairness in the world and believe in something greater than herself.
Adaptation (2002)
Charlie Kaufman: "Coffee And A Muffin. Okay, So I Need To Establish The Themes. Maybe A Banana-Nut. That's A Good Muffin."
Playing dual roles as screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and his identical twin brother David, Cage navigates a tightrope of surreal humor and melodrama as Charlie tries to adapt a bestselling novel into his next great movie and his brother does everything to ruin his chances of success.
By the time Cage made Adaptation, he had come off a slew of '90s and early '00s action movie blockbusters, in which audiences and critics might have forgotten that he could be a compelling dramatic actor with the right material. The movie offers insight into some of the absurdities of writing, as well as the people involved in it, by revealing truths even in funny scenes that aren't intended to be.
Face/Off (1997)
Castor Troy: "I Want To Take His Face... Off. Eyes, Nose, Skin, Teeth. It's Coming Off."
Castor Troy is Cage at his most charming and his most depraved, The Joker in Versace wielding gold-plated Desert Eagles. Only an actor like Cage could make the plot of Face/Off work, where an FBI agent switches faces with a notorious crimelord in order to succeed in an undercover mission.
As Troy, Cage's cavalier delivery makes these sort of over-the-top lines, which might seem unhinged from a more straightforward actor, seem almost normal. Troy is a large reason why the movie maintains its cult status.
The Weather Man (2005)
David Spritz: "People Don't Throw Things At Me Anymore. Maybe Because I Carry A Bow Around."
Nicolas Cage as morose weatherman David Spritz might have seemed like a curious choice in a career built on bizarre roles, but Cage can play downtrodden and mediocre just as well as overconfident and eccentric. The Weather Man is about so much more than career mobility and fielding flying Big Gulps because you're born with a dumb name -- finding purpose through self-actualization.
When Spritz decides to take up archery, it's partially to bond with his estranged daughter, but mostly to make himself feel cooler. While he might think viewers stop throwing things at him because he walks around with a bow, it's because through the process of growing comfortable in his own skin he starts to radiate the sort of confidence that doesn't attract soft serve and McFlurries.
Pig (2021)
Robin: "We Don’t Get A Lot Of Things To Really Care About."
In Pig, which features one of Cage's most poignant and understated roles, he plays a truffle hunter who becomes consumed with finding his stolen pig. The pig is more than a prized truffle-hunting pet. It's his companion, and he goes to incredible lengths --including reentering a society he swore off long ago-- to find it.
This brief, unassuming statement packs a timeless sentiment, and reminds viewers of two profound things; life is ephemeral, and energy should be put into what gives people the most love, and Cage is capable of quiet subtlety just as much as melodramatic paroxysms.
The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent (2022)
Nicky: "I'm Nicolas FRIGGIN' Cage!"
Some of the best Nic Cage quotes in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent vary from deeply introspective about his career to humorous commentary about his eccentric public persona, but the one delivered by his alter-ego Nicky is perhaps the most memorable.
Appearing to him as his younger, more frenetic self, Nicky is a self-aggrandizing avatar that wants struggling actor Nick Cage to remember that he's not just a movie star he's, "Nicolas FRIGGIN' Cage!"
Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call - New Orleans (2009)
Terence McDonagh: "Shoot Him Again...His Soul's Still Dancing."
Neither a sequel nor a remake of Bad Lieutenant (1992), the only thing Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans shares with its predecessor is a morally bankrupt cop at its center, intent on making sure his vices are satisfied through any means necessary.
Cage teamed up with renowned German filmmaker Werner Herzog to make it, and with Val Kilmer as his partner, played the long-arm of the law with an extremely short fuse. This sort of poetic line is not only a perfect Nic Cage quote, it also reflects the culture of New Orleans, steeped in history, romance, and tragedy.
Drive Angry (2011)
John Milton: "I Never Disrobe Before Gunplay."
In what marked the beginning of Cage's ambitious release schedule at the end of the early '00s, Drive Angry featured him as a sort of alter-ego to his character from Ghost Rider, a man sent back from Hell to save his granddaughter before she could be sacrificed to a satanic cult.
It's one of Cage's better Direct-to-Video movies and is as entertaining as it is action-packed, with a touch of the supernatural and demonic to keep things interesting amidst the constant shoot-outs and car chases. As evidenced by this Nic Cage quote, he was able to infuse it with his trademark eccentric wit, in dialogue only Cage could say with a straight face.
Lord Of War (2005)
Yuri Orlov: "They Say 'Evil Prevails When Good Men Fail To Act.' What They Oughta Say Is 'Evil Prevails.'"
As the Cold War winds down, New York-based arms dealer Yuri Orlov is forced to take care of his younger brother, evade a dogmatic federal agent, and try to make a life for himself and his lover without the support of the international arms market.
Lord of War allows Cage's Yuri to offer compelling sociological commentary about the ethics of war and geopolitics while giving viewers a peek into a vocation --and way of life-- that is rarely given this much scrutiny.
Kiss Of Death (1995)
Little Junior Brown: "I Have An Acronym For Myself. B.A.D. Balls, Attitude, Direction. You Should Give Yourself An Acronym...'Cause It Helps You Visualize Your Goals."
David Caruso left NYPD Blue for a career in movies, but Kiss of Death didn't give him the breakout role he thought it would. Instead, he was upstaged by another unhinged performance by Nicolas Cage as crime lord Little Junior Brown.
This pre-Face/Off Nic Cage quote sounds like an amalgamation of something said by Castor Troy and lifestyle guru Tony Robbins, which is to say it's a little dangerous, a little bizarre, and strangely inspiring, much like Cage himself.