Summary

• The quotes from It's a Wonderful Life convey important themes of helping others, valuing personal integrity, and cherishing every moment.
• The character of George Bailey learns valuable lessons from his father about the importance of generosity and the true measure of success.
• The love story between George and Mary Bailey portrays the power of optimism, simple gestures of love, and the value of a meaningful life over material wealth.

The most memorable It's a Wonderful Life quotes cement it as one of the most heartwarming and uplifting movies of all time. The story of George Bailey learning a valuable lesson about the impact of his life on a particularly challenging Christmas Eve has become one of the most beloved holiday classics that audiences return each year. However, the movie's message as seen through the iconic It's a Wonderful Life quotes prove that it is far more than a movie that offers some festive enjoyment.

The Frank Capra movie was nominated for five Academy Awards when it was released in 1947 but its legacy has only strengthened in the decades since then. The story is filled with lines that fill the audience with ideas of helping those in need, being thankful for the accomplishments of their lives, and taking every moment as a gift to be treasured. Some of these quotes remain iconic parts of the movie that have stayed with generations of viewers, while others are powerful lines that deserve more exploration.

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15 "Pa, Do You Want A Shock? I Think You're A Great Guy."

George Bailey

Though Pa Bailey doesn't have much screen time in the movie, he ends up being a very important character in George's journey. Though George has a life of fortune outside of Bedford Falls planned for himself, he is inspired by his father's dedication to helping people. Despite wanting George to stay at the Building and Loan to work, Pa encourages his son to get out. In what ends up being their final conversation, George takes a moment to tell his father how much he looks up to him and his integrity.

14 "All You Can Take With You Is That Which You've Given Away."

Pa Bailey

There are a lot of lessons learned in It's a Wonderful Life, but George's father expresses one of the most important ones very early on. Compared to a man like Mr. Potter, George's father is not a wealthy man, but he is smart enough to know that is not what is important. He knows that a person's worth is measured by how much he helps people. It is that way of thinking that he passed on to his son who lives a life of good deeds. It is George's generosity that saves him in the end and shows how valuable that kind of living can be.

13 "You’re The Biggest Man In Town!"

Young George Bailey

Mr. Potter is certainly one of the evilest Christmas movie villains of all time, as he bullies everyone who is not as wealthy as him. However, even as a child, George shows that he is not willing to let a man like that push people around, especially his father. When George hears Potter badmouthing his father in a meeting, he says the things his father is too polite to say. He insists his father is a bigger man than Potter because of his integrity. It is charming to see a son stick up for his father like this and it sets up George to carry on that legacy.

12 "Well In My Book My Father Died A Much Richer Man Than You'll Ever Be!"

George Bailey

A big theme of It's A Wonderful Life is that money does not dictate how rich a person is, but rather it's the positive impact they have on those around them. This is an early lesson George learns from his father. As George stays behind to help sort out his father's affairs following his death, he challenges the greedy and corrupt Mr. Potter who ridicules Pa Bailey for dying a poor and unsuccessful man. George immediately defends his father, comparing his life to the deplorable life Potter has lived, and he deems Pa Bailey to be the more successful man.

11 "George Bailey, I’ll Love You Til The Day I Die."

Young Mary Bailey

While It's a Wonderful Life is more famous for its uplifting journey of George Bailey, it does have a very sweet love story between George and Mary. To add to how sweet it is, it begins back when they are children. Though George is too young and stubborn to pay much attention to Mary, she is unbothered and seems to know what their future holds. She leans over and whispers her promise to always love him in his deaf ear, a little secret she keeps to herself but stands by for years. It shows why they make such a good pair since, as kind and caring as George is, Mary is the one who remains optimistic in the face of challenges.

10 "You Want The Moon? Just Say The Word, And I’ll Throw A Lasso Around It And Pull It Down."

George Bailey

Though It's a Wonderful Life is a holiday favorite, the majority of the movie has nothing to do with Christmas. The audience sees various events in George's life, including the warm summer night when he formed a bond with Mary, who would later become his wife. The two youngsters charmingly flirt with one another, and while they attempt to play coy, they can see their future together. George's promise to get Mary the moon is a wonderfully romantic moment that becomes a sweet recurring theme in their relationship.

9 "I Want My Baby To Look Like You."

Mary Bailey

The Baileys are a family people love to spend Christmas with each year because they seem to be so full of love and warmth. Mary is very much at the center of this, as she grounds George by showing him how much she loves him even in his darkest moments. When George wonders why Mary chose to marry him instead of a richer suitor, she decides to use this time to tell him that she is pregnant and shows him what matters to her in their relationship – and it is certainly not about money.

8 "Look, We're Still In Business! We've Still Got Two Bucks Left!"

George Bailey

Jimmy Stewart always excelled at playing everyman heroes, and George Bailey is perhaps his most inspiring. He is simply a man who does his best to do the right thing. It is that spirit that makes George such a beloved person in Bedford Falls, which is important for the ending. One of the scenes that defines this spirit is when he convinces the worried townspeople not to close their accounts with him by helping them get by with his own money. At the end of the day, the business is kept alive just barely, and the people are better off, which George claims as a victory.

7 "Remember The Night We Broke Some Windows In This Old House? This Is What I Wished For."

Mary Bailey

Another way the movie explores the idea of a simple life still having value is with the character of Mary. She is a loving wife to George, and he wants to give her everything she desires, but she is happy just having a life with him. After they give away their honeymoon money to save the business, George is understandably upset. However, he finds Mary has made a home for them out of an old house in the neighborhood and tells him, despite the modest honeymoon setting, that this was all she ever wanted from him.

6 "You See George, You Really Had A Wonderful Life."

Clarence

One of the reasons It's a Wonderful Life is such a great movie to revisit every Christmas is the journey of realization George goes on in the end. Though he had all these ambitious and exciting plans for his life that never came to fruition, he built the life he never knew he wanted.

When things get dire and George begins to wish things were different, his guardian angel Clarence reminds him what a great life he has and why George should be grateful for every moment he has. It is a reminder that many people could benefit from as one small change to what they have could mean losing some of the best parts of life.

5 "Each Man's Life Touches So Many Other Lives?"

Clarence

It's a Wonderful Life is seen as one of the great philosophical movies that asks some very deep questions about a person's life and has been mirrored in many other works of art. When George faces some difficult challenges, his wish that he was never born has interesting consequences. George is given a rare glimpse at what the world would be like if he wasn't in it. Clarence shows him the hole that is left by George's absence, and it helps him to realize what a big positive impact he has had in his life.

4 "Remember, No Man Is A Failure Who Has Friends."

Clarence

Clarence is one of the standout characters in the movie. He initially seems to be a bit of a bumbling guardian angel, but he eventually proves he has plenty of wisdom to share with George when he needs it the most. After George returns to his family, he is given a book as a gift with an inscription from Clarence reminding him of the same lesson his father taught him years earlier – a person's success is judged by how they treat those around them. It is a lesson George always carried with him but that he simply needed to be reminded of.

3 "Merry Christmas, You Wonderful Old Building And Loan!"

George Bailey

Though George has some dark moments in his journey, part of what makes him such a great Christmas movie character is where he ends up after it all. Seeing him come to the realization that his imperfect yet wonderful life still exists is one of the most uplifting scenes in movie history. George races through the streets of Bedford Falls wishing a Merry Christmas to everything he thought he lost. Taking the time to celebrate his struggling Building and Loan business that caused him so much turmoil shows just how thankful he is.

2 "A Toast To My Big Brother George. The Richest Man In Town."

Harry Bailey

It may be a cheesy trope of Christmas movies that everyone comes together in the end to make things alright just in time for the holiday. However, it is hard not to get emotional watching the heartwarming final scene of the movie. Faced with owing thousands of dollars, the people of Bedford Falls and all the people George has touched over the years show up to help him out. As George's little brother puts it, the outpouring of love is a testament to just how rich George Bailey is.

1 "Every Time A Bell Rings, An Angel Gets His Wings."

Zuzu Bailey

Though Clarence is there to help George out, he has his own little character journey in the movie. After showing George the life he would miss out on and teaching him a valuable lesson, Clarence returns to heaven. However, in the final moments of the movie, one of the bells on the Christmas tree rings and George's young daughter reminds George that sound means an angel has gotten its wings. With a wink, George congratulates Clarence on his promotion, tying up the wonderful story in a pleasant way.