The original Jurassic Park movie, directed by Steven Spielberg, wasn’t just a great movie. It changed Hollywood forever. It pioneered CGI technologies and brought extinct species to life, leaving audiences in awe. As a result, it became the highest-grossing movie of all time, and sequels continued for decades to come.
Fans are currently in the middle of the rebooted franchise, the Jurassic World trilogy, which has expanded the fictional universe so much that dinosaurs now co-exist with humans in the United States. Despite all the dinosaur action, the Jurassic Park movies still have some lines of dialogue that stick in your head after watching them. Here are the most memorable quotes from the Jurassic Park franchise.
Updated on November 12th, 2021 by Amanda Bruce: Fans can't get enough of the Jurassic Park franchise. What began with a novel by Michael Crichton exploded into a beloved action classic when the movie debuted in 1993. Nearly 30 years after that original movie, Netflix has an animated series set in the same world, and there is at least one more movie on the way. The franchise has become one of the most quotable as fans young and old binge the movies and get swept up in the spectacle.
John Hammond (Jurassic Park)
“Welcome To Jurassic Park.”
Are any of the Jurassic Park quotes as memorable as this one? John Hammond and his guests’ arrival in Jurassic Park has gone down in film history as one of the most iconic moments ever put on film. Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler look on at a live Brachiosaurus in complete awe – just like the audience. Richard Attenborough beautifully delivers the line, “Welcome to Jurassic Park,” with the weight that such a sweeping cinematic moment deserves.
Considering it was among the first CGI ever created, the effects on the Brachiosaurus hold up surprisingly well today, creating the same sense of awe and wonder that it did when the movie hit theaters in 1993.
Ian Malcolm (Jurassic Park: The Lost World)
"'Ooh, ah.' That's How It Always Starts. But Then Later, There's Running And Screaming."
Despite his penchant for math (which certainly isn't for everyone), Ian Malcolm is often the voice of the audience in his Jurassic franchise appearances, which is why his character ends up with so many of the most famous Jurassic Park quotes. That's true in The Lost World as well. Unlike nearly everyone else who is still awed by the sight of a dinosaur for the first time, or the sense of adventure that comes with interacting with them, Malcolm knows the reality of the situation.
His, "later, there's running and screaming," remark appears to be true in every installment of the franchise. The main characters are always impressed by the prehistoric creatures, only to find themselves at their mercy later.
Owen Grady (Jurassic World)
"She's Learning Where She Fits On The Food Chain, And I'm Not Sure You Want Her To Figure That Out."
Several years after the first installment of the franchise, it's hard to imagine that someone would have managed to get a Jurassic Park theme park up and running, but that's the premise of the new trilogy. Owen Grady, a specialist in the behavior of predators, is the only person in the movie who seems to have the same level of respect for the dinosaurs as paleontologist Alan Grant.
Unfortunately, most of Owen's astute observations are ignored until he's needed to help rescue Claire's nephews. As he points out, a predator figuring out just which animals they can consider prey is a dangerous thing. Though he's asked for his opinions about the Indominus Rex, he's brushed off, and that proves to be a huge mistake.
Ian Malcolm (Jurassic Park: The Lost World)
"If You Want To Leave Your Name On Something, Fine, But Stop Putting It On Other People's Headstones."
While Malcolm is a realist, Hammond is a dreamer. His whole aim with his Jurassic Park was to capture the wonder and thrill of discovering dinosaurs, something most children become fascinated by at a young age, even if it's just for a short time. Hammond's dreams, however, negate to take into account the very real dangers they pose - repeatedly.
When Malcolm and Hammond meet up again in The Lost World, Malcolm is incredibly angry as the meeting reveals that Malcolm's current girlfriend is on Hammond's second island, the one where all of the dinosaur research and breeding was really done. Malcolm places the blame for all the lives lost on Hammond's shoulders, which isn't entirely fair since he was initially sabotaged, but Malcolm needs a target for his anger, and Hammond is it, providing the audience with one of the best Jurassic Park quotes.
Eric Kirby (Jurassic Park III)
"I've Been Alone In A Water Truck For Eight Weeks. I Think I Can Manage The Next Two Minutes Without You."
When the teenage son of a divorced couple goes missing on the island holding a bunch of dinosaurs, it's natural for them to be worried. They're lucky that it turns out their son is more resourceful than they are and can keep himself alive for two months in the hostile terrain.
What Eric doesn't appreciate is how clingy his parent gets as soon as they find him. They don't want to let him out of their sight, despite him being living proof that he can handle the most dangerous of situations on his own. The line itself is funny, but it also speaks to the difficulty a lot of parents have with their kids growing up and not needing them.
Gray Mitchell (Jurassic World)
"We Need More Teeth."
It's become a tradition in the Jurassic Park franchise for one of the dinosaurs the main characters spend time running from to save their lives. The tradition is born when the T-rex saves Alan Grant and the kids from the Velociraptors in the first movie even though the T-rex is the first dinosaur the audience sees go after several characters.
When Claire, her nephews, and Owen find that the Velociraptors aren't actually stopping the Indominus Rex in Jurassic World, it's the youngest member of the group, Gray, who offers up this solution to their problem. They just need a more intimidating predator than the one that's already after them. Not only does Gray's line echo an earlier point in the film, but it also allows the movie to bring the same T-rex in for a callback to the first installment as Claire leads the predator into the fray.
Ian Malcolm (Jurassic Park: The Lost World)
“Mommy’s Very Angry.”
Jeff Goldblum was the only actor from Jurassic Park’s central trio who returned for the sequel, The Lost World, but it was great to see Ian Malcolm take the spotlight, even if it meant Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler were nowhere to be seen (and they were dearly missed).
In The Lost World, the T. rex’s baby is taken from her. After hearing the T. rex’s roar from afar, alerting the doomed humans that she knows her child’s missing and she’s not happy about it, Malcolm quips, “Mommy’s very angry.”
Ian Malcolm (Jurassic Park)
“That Is One Big Pile Of S***.”
Bluntness is one of Ian Malcolm’s virtues. He doesn’t mince words; he says it as it is, and that’s what fans of Jurassic Park love about him. Well, that and the unparalleled charms of Jeff Goldblum.
When he arrives at the site of a dinosaur’s mountainous bowel movement, he takes one look at it and simply says, “That is one big pile of sh*t.” It might not be the most meaningful, but this Jurassic Park quote is certainly one of the most memorable.
Tim Murphy (Jurassic Park)
“Do-You-Think-He-Saurus?”
At the beginning of Jurassic Park, Alan Grant hates kids. But being stranded in the park with Tim and Lex, forced to protect them from the hordes of dinosaurs, makes him warm to them.
One night, when they’re hiding out in a tree, Tim tells Alan a joke: “What do you call a blind dinosaur?” “I don’t know.” “Do-you-think-he-saurus?” Sure, it’s kind of a dad joke, but it gets a chuckle out of the curmudgeonly paleontologist.
Ray Arnold (Jurassic Park)
“Hold Onto Your Butts.”
Moviegoers in 1993 had no idea of the kind of legendary performer they were watching during Ray Arnold’s limited screen time. A year before Samuel L. Jackson made himself an icon in Pulp Fiction, he played a minor role in Spielberg’s dinosaur-infested classic.
In this pre-fame role, Jackson proves that there are no small parts, only small actors, memorably delivering lines like, “Hold onto your butts.” It's become one of the most famous lines from Jurassic Park in part thanks to Jackson's delivery.
Ian Malcolm (Jurassic Park)
“Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.”
The Jurassic Park movies are at their best when they aren’t just showing dinosaurs creating carnage in a failed theme park; they address the moral considerations of cloning and the use of fossils to create new life. Essentially, John Hammond plays God in Jurassic Park and humanity pays the price.
It’s a cautionary tale. The ethics of bringing dinosaurs back to life – as well as a lot of today’s most questionable scientific accomplishments – are summed up perfectly in this line of dialogue from Ian Malcolm that gets echoed in different ways in every installment: “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.”
Henry Wu (Jurassic World)
“You didn’t ask for reality; you asked for more teeth!”
In Jurassic World, Claire has asked the scientists to create a bloodthirsty predator called the Indominus Rex to get ticket sales up. Dr. Henry Wu swiftly outlines the insanity of that plan.
“You are acting like we are engaged in some kind of mad science, but we are doing what we have done from the beginning. Nothing in Jurassic World is natural! We have always filled gaps in the genomes with the DNA of other animals, and if their genetic code was pure, many of them would look quite different, but you didn’t ask for reality; you asked for more teeth!”
Ian Malcolm (Jurassic Park)
“When you gotta go, you gotta go.”
One of the most memorable moments in the Jurassic Park franchise is when the lawyer Donald Gennaro is running from the T-rex and decides to hide in the bathroom. The T-rex tears the roof off from over him and then eats him on the toilet. It’s a great example of how the movies can balance terror with a healthy dose of humor.
Another hilarious little moment that adds to the scene is when Ian Malcolm sees Gennaro fleeing and watches him run into the bathroom while being pursued by a T-rex and says, “When you gotta go, you gotta go.” Jeff Goldblum’s comic timing with the line is perfect.
Ian Malcolm (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom)
“Welcome to Jurassic World.”
The 2015 Jurassic Park reboot changed the title to Jurassic World, seemingly for no reason. The park was up and running and it had been given a new name – exactly why wasn’t clear.
But now that we’ve seen where the franchise was going, with all the dinosaurs being unleashed on mainland America at the end of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, the new title has been totally recontextualized. Jeff Goldblum’s returning character Ian Malcolm summed it up perfectly in the movie’s final moments: “Welcome to Jurassic World.” Our own world is Jurassic World now. We’re in a new era of history.
Alan Grant (Jurassic Park III)
“Some of the worst things imaginable have been done with the best intentions.”
Jurassic Park III is not the best film in the franchise. In fact, it might even be the worst. But it does have this interesting quote. The most annoying character in the movie is easily Billy, the overenthusiastic grad student who won’t leave Alan Grant alone.
When Grant finds out that they’ve been hunted by raptors because Billy stole their eggs, Billy tells him he did it “with the best intentions.” Grant retorts, “Some of the worst things imaginable have been done with the best intentions. You know, as far as I’m concerned, you’re no better than the people who built this place.”
Ian Malcolm (Jurassic Park)
“If The Pirates of the Caribbean breaks down, the pirates don’t eat the tourists.”
John Hammond’s dinosaur theme park was a huge undertaking, and it didn’t help that every time he tried to defend what is undeniably incredible work in the field of cloning, someone – usually Ian Malcolm – would undercut it with a joke.
He tried to say that all theme parks experience issues with malfunctions when they first open: “All major theme parks have had delays. When they opened Disneyland in 1956, nothing worked – nothing!” But then Ian Malcolm presents a pretty ironclad counter-argument: “But if The Pirates of the Caribbean breaks down, the pirates don’t eat the tourists.” That’s hard to deny.
Ian Malcolm And Ellie Sattler (Jurassic Park)
“God creates dinosaurs. God destroys dinosaurs. God creates man. Man destroys God. Man creates dinosaurs.” // “Dinosaurs eat man. Woman inherits the Earth.”
The first sentence in this quote would later form the title of Dr. Ian Malcolm’s book, God Creates Dinosaurs. He wrote the book after the events of the first Jurassic Park movie and it caused conflict for him in the second, since writing it at all was a direct violation of the non-disclosure agreement that Hammond had made him sign when he first came to the park.
It’s an apt way to explain the millions of years of events prior to the movie: “God creates dinosaurs. God destroys dinosaurs. God creates man. Man destroys God. Man creates dinosaurs.” This is followed by Ellie Sattler’s wishful thinking for a post-Jurassic Park future, delivered perfectly by the great Laura Dern: “Dinosaurs eat man. Woman inherits the Earth.”
Robert Muldoon (Jurassic Park)
“Clever girl.”
Although he’s a hunter, Robert Muldoon has a great respect for the animals he hunts. A lot of the brash, gun-toting dinosaur hunters in the Jurassic Park movies mock the dinosaurs and see them as inferior, but not Muldoon. He can recognize when he’s been bested by the cunning survival skills and animal instincts of his prey.
When a Velociraptor manages to sneak up on him and he realizes he’s about to be killed, he simply says, “Clever girl.” He’s actually proud of this raptor for being able to creep up to him and kill him. Most people would just scream, but that wouldn't have made for nearly as iconic of a Jurassic Park quote.
Ellie Sattler (Jurassic Park)
“We can discuss sexism in survival situations when I get back.”
It’s a surprise that Ellie Sattler doesn’t come up in more people’s discussions of feminist movie characters because she’s faced with a lot of sexism in the Jurassic Park movies and she doesn’t take any of it. First, she suggests that after men have idiotically brought dinosaurs back to life and been killed by them, women will inherit the Earth.
Then when Hammond suggests he should head out to the breaker house, just because he’s a man, she sighs, “We can discuss sexism in survival situations when I get back,” before going off to do it herself. Not only is she sick of men assuming she’s not capable – she follows it up by being more capable than them.
Ian Malcolm (Jurassic Park)
“Life finds a way.”
“Life finds a way,” as well as various derivatives of it, is easily the most recognizable and memorable quote from the Jurassic Park franchise. In four words, it sums up exactly what the movies are about.
Initially, they’re about humans trying to play God, but when that turns out poorly for them, thanks to nature doing its thing, they realize that it’s wrong to play God (even though they keep doing it in sequel upon sequel). In other words, life finds a way. Malcolm elaborates on his point in The Lost World: “These creatures require our absence to survive, not our help. And if we could only step aside and trust in nature, life will find a way.”
