Among the many talents of the Oscar-nominated and top-grossing actor, the best Samuel L. Jackson quotes prove that few people deliver memorable dialogue like him. After making a name for himself as a character actor in the 1980s, Jackson rose to fame with notable roles in Pulp Fiction and Die Hard with a Vengeance. Eventually, Jackson found himself apart of some of the biggest franchises of all time like Star Wars and the MCU. All through this amazing career, Jackson has become known for his fantastic delivery which has led to several iconic Samuel L. Jackson quotes.
Certainly, one of the things Jackson's most memorable movies are known for is the use of a particular curse word. However, his best quotes go far beyond that with some hilarious lines, some intimidating ones, some inspiring ones, and some powerful ones. Spouting dialogue from the likes of Quentin Tarantino and Shane Black might help, but it is hard to imagine other actors delivering these Samuel L. Jackson quotes and being as memorable.
15 "You Are On This Council, But We Do Not Grant You The Rank Of Master."
Mace Windu - Revenge Of The Sith (2005)
Samuel L. Jackson's Mace Windu utters many iconic lines in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, but his most quintessential line is spoken when Anakin Skywalker joins the Jedi Council. Mace gives Anakin the ultimate slap in the face as he admits him to the Jedi Council, but makes it clear that he's still not a Jedi Master. It's a delightfully savage moment, made even better when he responds to Anakin's protest with the line, "Take a seat, young Skywalker." Given Anakin's turn to the Dark Side later on, Mace's quote only looks smarter in retrospect.
14 "We're All Gonna Be Like Three Little Fonzies Here."
Jules Winnfield - Pulp Fiction (1994)
Samuel L. Jackson's most iconic role is Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction. He has an abundance of memorable quotes from the film, one of which is uttered during a tense confrontation in a diner. When "Pumpkin" tries to hold up a diner and point his gun at Jules, Jules responds by whipping out his own gun. As Pumpkin's partner "Honey Bunny" begins to lose it, a tirade of screaming ensues, which is briefly broken up with Jules's quote in an attempt to calm her down and diffuse the situation. It's a hilarious and unexpected line in an otherwise intense moment. Jackson delivers it with such coolness showing how much more in control he is than these two amateurs.
13 "The Idea Was To Bring Together A Group Of Remarkable People, See If They Could Become Something More."
Nick Fury - The Avengers (2012)
When fans look back on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this will always be one of the most defining moments. In the wake of Phil Coulson's death, Nick Fury spoke to the dejected superheroes and spoke about his vision for the Avengers Initiative. He hoped that together, they could become something greater than they could ever be alone. It was a unifying moment for the team. The quote became so iconic that it was used in the first official trailer for Avengers: Infinity War. In the trailer, it began with Fury's voice before Iron Man and other Avengers joined in to finish Fury's memorable words, which now took on an even greater meaning given everything the team has been through.
12 "Yes, They Deserved To Die, And I Hope They Burn In Hell!"Carl Lee Hailey - A Time To Kill (1996)
In A Time To Kill, Samuel L. Jackson's character Carl Lee Hailey avenges his daughter's brutal assault by gunning down her sadistic assaulters before they go on trial. When Hailey is put on trial and asked what he thinks should've happened to his daughter's assaulters, he responds honestly. Any parent who loves their child can empathize with the raw emotion in Hailey's reaction. His protectiveness as a parent and the anger he feels toward those who assaulted his daughter are palpable emotions that any parent would feel in such a devastating situation.
11 "They Called Me Mr. Glass."
Elijah Price - Unbreakable (2000)
M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable is a highly underrated superhero film. In the film's final moments, the audience realizes that Samuel L. Jackson's character Elijah Price has been the villainous mastermind the entire time. It's a brilliant Shyamalan plot twist that fits with the story's many references to comic book tropes. Elijah Price's tragic backstory as a bullied child who was called "Mr. Glass" shaped him into becoming a cunning mastermind, one who appeared to befriend the hero, but who was actually pulling his strings the entire time.
10 "Where Is My Super Suit?"
Frozone - The Incredibles (2004)
Pixar's The Incredibles was one of their biggest and most successful movies ever, and the iconic voice of Samuel L. Jackson as Frozone certainly helped with that. The movie found a beautiful balance between superhero action and grounded values. In one scene, a retired and domesticated Frozone (voiced by Jackson) is forced to spring into action, but not before succumbing to the eternal struggle of husbands not being able to find things around the house. The bickering with his off-screen wife as the city is under attack delivers one of the biggest laughs of the movie.
9 "Given That It's A Stupid-Ass Decision, I've Elected To Ignore It."
Nick Fury - The Avengers (2012)
Nick Fury is one of the most memorable Avengers cast members in one of cinema's most iconic ensembles of talent. Even with the spectacular action and special effects that fill the screen in The Avengers, Fury manages to steal the spotlight every time he's in a scene. This particular line proves that even when an actor studies a script from front to back, their personality still seeps through every once in a while. When the Word Security Council elects to nuke New York City when Loki's army attacks, Fury's fiery side comes out. It is a funny line with Jackson's delivery, but it also shows how much faith Fury had in the heroes.
8 "I Never Did One Thing Right In My Life, You Know That? Not One. That Takes Skill."
Mitch Henessey - The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
The Long Kiss Goodnight is an underrated action thriller featuring one of Jackson's most underrated performances. A typical, suburban woman hits her head in an accident and starts to remember a previous life she's lived where she was a deadly assassin. Jackson plays a sleazy private detective who gets roped into her quest to learn about her past. Jackson's delivery of Shane Black's dialogue is one of the highlights of the movie especially this line showing his character of Mitch Henessey is as reluctant a hero as can be found.
7 "Hold On To Your Butts."
Mr. Arnold - Jurassic Park (1993)
Jackson's character may not have been central to the plot of Spielberg's dinosaur-centric masterpiece, Jurassic Park, but he certainly was memorable as the computer guy who generally didn't have time for everyone's nonsense. However, Jackson manages to deliver one of the best lines in the entire Jurassic Park franchise as Mr. Arnold. When Jurassic Park falls into mayhem, Arnold hopes to reboot it all by starting from scratch. His skeptical hope that it works is summed up in this iconic line.
6 "English, Motherf***er, Do You Speak It?"
Jules Winnfield - Pulp Fiction (1994)
Pulp Fiction has endless scenes showcasing how pitch-perfect the combination is between Quentin Tarantino's dialgoue and Samuel L. Jackson's delivery. Tarantino's tour de force featured some of Hollywood's most unforgettable dialogue, and most of that dialogue was delivered by Jackson. When interrogating a target for his latest hit, Jules unleashes his fury on the terrified man who cannot even form a sentence. Given that audiences had just seen Jules casually discusses European fast food moments earlier, seeing him transform into this stone-cold killer is impressive.
5 "Everyone Knows That When You Make An Assumption, You Make An Ass Out Of 'U' And 'Umption.'"
Mitch Henessey - The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
Shane Black is another writer known for his distinctive dialogue which Jackson also shows a talent for delivering. Despite the movie being largely overlooked, The Long Kiss Goodnight did feature some above-average lines from Samuel L. Jackson. What used to be a tired, old adage, Jackson turned into a goofy joke that somehow still managed to sound intimidating. It's a line that could have fallen flat in the hands of a lesser actor, yet it is used perfectly by Jackson.
4 "And That's The Truth, Ruth!"
Mister Señor Love Daddy - Do The Right Thing (1989)
Though Jackson is not the official narrator of Spike Lee's masterpiece Do the Right Thing, he does feel like an omniscient observer looking over the events of this sweltering and tension-filled summer day. Mister Señor Love Daddy is a local radio DJ who uses this catchphrase to punctuate his points. He takes on the voice of reason in one particularly important moment as the people of the neighborhood spew their hateful and ignorant view of each other. Love Daddy scolds the neighborhood and insists the hate has to stop while delivering his catchphrase with even more power.
3 "Mankind Is The Virus And I'm The Cure."
Valentine - Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)
Kingsman: The Secret Service managed to shake up the spy movie genre in a lot of fun, action-packed ways. The movie finds Taron Egerton as a young streetwise kid invited into a secret spy agency and eventually has him facing off with Jackson's villain and his twisted quest to save the world. What's more, the performance gave Samuel L. Jackson the chance to say this darkly comical and brutal line. It's simple and clean, in comparison to most of his work, but the insinuation is oddly darker than most of the lines on this list.
2 "I Have Had It With These Motherf***ing Snakes On This Motherf***ing Plane!"
Neville Flynn - Snakes On A Plane (2006)
Snakes on a Plane is a movie that was largely built around this quote. After the internet ran wild with the hilarious title, the movie underwent reshoots to lean into the ridiculousness of the premise. Though the movie itself is not as fun as all the fandom surrounding it, the ride might be worth it to hear Jackson deliver this purposely terrible line with all the commitment he gives to any other role.
1 "And You Will Know My Name Is The Lord When I Lay My Vengeance Upon You!"
Jules Winnfield - Pulp Fiction (1994)
If there is one line in Jackson's career that he will best be remembered by, it is this one Quentin Tarantino rewrote an actual Bible verse for this line in the movie, and it turned out to be one of the most iconic moments in cinema history. Samuel L. Jackson's delivery is chilling as Jules recites this to his soon-to-be victim yet when he repeats it to Pumpkin at the end of the movie it takes on a new feel. This Samuel L. Jackson line is so iconic that it ended up on Nick Fury's tombstone in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.