Famous Quotes

“Here’s looking at you, kid.”

“Play it again, Sam.”

“We’ll always have Paris.”

“Round up the usual suspects.”

“Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

And, of course, “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she had to walk into mine.”

These quotes are all from “Casablanca”, a 1942 black-and-white movie that, until yesterday, I had never watched. It is not too surprising since the movie was released more than 20 years before I was born. It came on one of those classic movie channels, and before it started, they mentioned this was Humphrey Bogart’s first time playing the leading man.

Even though I had never seen the movie before, I knew the famous lines and was thrilled to hear them in the film.

It amazes me that lines uttered by an actor or actress (yes, I’m old enough to distinguish between male and female roles) can enter our lexicon as commonly understood without the influence of the staged scene. I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever uttered them in conversation, but I certainly could have.

When you think about it, we use numerous lines without knowing their origins. For example, “A dog is man’s best friend” is attributed to Frederick II, the King of Prussia in the 18th century, because of his love and devotion to his Italian Greyhound dog. Another example is “You can’t have your cake and eat it (too),” written by Thomas Duke of Norfolk in 1538 in a letter to Thomas Cromwell to emphasize that once a consumable is used, it is gone.

The book of Proverbs is one of the more quoted books in the Bible. Written by King Solomon and his students, it is a book of wisdom God breathed to share with his children.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” - Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV

“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” - Proverbs 4:23

“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” - Proverbs 17:22

These are but a few of the wisdom verses contained in the book of Proverbs. God wants us to learn wisdom because he knows what will make us truly happy and content. Much like the movie quotes, the messages they convey are easier to remember and understand in this prose-like presentation. I believe it is worth reading again and again.

Here’s looking at you, kid.