It's a Wonderful Life quotes

View Quote George: I'm in trouble, Mr. Potter. I need help. Through some sort of an accident my company's short in their accounts. The bank examiner's up there today. I've got to raise eight thousand dollars immediately.
Potter: Oh, so that's what the reporters wanted to talk to you about?
George: The reporters?
Potter: Yes. They called me up from your Building and Loan. Oh, there's a man over there from the D.A.'s office, too. He's looking for you.
George: Please help me, Mr. Potter. Help me, won't you please? Can't you see what it means to my family? I'll pay you any sort of a bonus on the loan... any interest. If you still want the Building and Loan, why I...
Potter: George, could it possibly be there's a slight discrepancy in the books?
george: No, sir. There's nothing wrong with the books. I've just misplaced eight thousand dollars. I can't find it anywhere.
Potter: You misplaced eight thousand dollars?
George: Yes, sir.
Potter: Have you notified the police?
George: No, sir. I didn't want the publicity. Harry's homecoming tomorrow...
Potter: They're going to believe that one. What've you been doing, George? Playing the market with the company's money?
George: No, sir. No, sir. I haven't.
Potter: What is it –– a woman, then? You know, it's all over town that you've been giving money to Violet Bick.
George: What?
Potter: Not that it makes any difference to me, but why did you come to me? Why don't you go to Sam Wainwright and ask him for the money?
George: I can't get hold of him. He's in Europe.
Potter: Well, what about all your other friends?
George: They don't have that kind of money, Mr. Potter. You know that. You're the only one in town that can help me.
Potter: I see. I've suddenly become quite important. What kind of security would I have, George? Have you got any stocks?
George: No, sir.
Potter: Bonds? Real estate? Collateral of any kind?
George: I have some life insurance, a fifteen thousand dollar policy.
Potter: Yes... how much is your equity in it?
George: Five hundred dollars.
Potter: Look at you. You used to be so ****y! You were going to go out and conquer the world! You once called me a warped, frustrated old man. What are you but a warped, frustrated young man? A miserable little clerk crawling in here on your hands and knees and begging for help. No securities –– no stocks –– no bonds –– nothing but a miserable little five hundred dollar equity in a life insurance policy. [laughs] You're worth more dead than alive. Why don't you go to the riff-raff you love so much and ask them to let you have eight thousand dollars? You know why? Because they'd run you out of town on a rail...But I'll tell you what I'm going to do for you, George. Since the state examiner is still here, as a stockholder of the Building and Loan, I'm going to swear out a warrant for your arrest. Misappropriation of funds –– manipulation –– malfeasance... [George gets up to leave] All right, George, go ahead. You can't hide in a little town like this.

View Quote Clarence: I didn't have time to get some stylish underwear. My wife gave me this on my last birthday. I passed away in it. Oh, Tom Sawyer's drying out, too. You should read the new book Mark Twain's writing now.
Tollkeeper: How'd you happen to fall in?
Clarence: I didn't fall in. I jumped in to save George.
George: You what? To save me?
Clarence: Well, I did, didn't I? You didn't go through with it, did you?
George: Go through with what?
Clarence: Suicide.
Tollkeeper: It's against the law to commit suicide around here.
Clarence: Yeah, it's against the law where I come from, too.
Tollkeeper: Where do you come from?
Clarence: Heaven. '[to George] I had to act quickly; that's why I jumped in. I knew if I were drowning you'd try to save me. And you see, you did, and that's how I saved you.

View Quote Bert: Hey George! George! You all right? Hey, what's the matter?
George: Now get outta here, Bert, or I'll hit you again! Get outta here!
Bert: What the sam hill you yelling for, George?
George: You...Bert, do you know me?
Bert: Know you? You kidding? I've been looking all over town trying to find you. I saw your car plowed into that tree down there and I thought maybe you--hey, your mouth's bleeding. Are you sure you're all right?
George: What the... [laughing] My mouth's bleeding, Bert! My mouth's bleeding! Zuzu's petals...Zuzu's petals! There they are! Bert, what do you know about that! Merry Christmas!!

View Quote Now you listen to me! I don't want any plastics! I don't want any ground floors, and I don't want to get married — ever — to anyone! You understand that? I want to do what I want to do.

View Quote [during the run on the bank] You're thinking of this place all wrong. As if I had the money back in a safe. The money's not here. Your money's in Joe's house...right next to yours. And in the Kennedy house, and Mrs. Macklin's house, and a hundred others. Why, you're lending them the money to build, and then, they're going to pay it back to you as best they can. Now what are you going to do? Foreclose on them?...Now wait...now listen...now listen to me. I beg of you not to do this thing. If Potter gets hold of this Building and Loan there'll never be another decent house built in this town. He's already got charge of the bank. He's got the bus line. He's got the department stores. And now he's after us. Why? Well, it's very simple. Because we're cutting in on his business, that's why. And because he wants to keep you living in his slums and paying the kind of rent he decides. Joe, you lived in one of those Potter houses, didn't you? Well, have you forgotten? Have you forgotten what he charged you for that broken-down shack? Here, Ed. You know, you remember last year when things weren't going so well, and you couldn't make your payments? You didn't lose your house, did you? Do you think Potter would have let you keep it? Can't you understand what's happening here? Don't you see what's happening? Potter isn't selling. Potter's buying! And why? Because we're panicky and he's not. That's why. He's picking up some bargains. Now, we can get through this thing all right. We've got to stick together, though. We've got to have faith in each other.

View Quote A toast! A toast to Papa Dollar and to Mama Dollar, and if you want the old Building and Loan to stay in business, you better have a family real quick.

View Quote [to Uncle Billy] Where's that money, you stupid, silly old fool? Where's the money?! Do you realize what this means? It means bankruptcy and scandal and prison! That's what it means. One of us is going to jail! Well, it's not gonna be me!

View Quote Clarence! Clarence! Help me, Clarence. Get me back. Get me back. I don't care what happens to me. Only get me back to my wife and kids. Help me, Clarence, please. Please! I want to live again. I want to live again. I want to live again.....Please, God, let me live again. [snow immediately begins falling again]

View Quote Well whaddya know about that!!!

View Quote What are you doing, picketing?

View Quote He's making violent love to me, mother.

View Quote Remember that night we broke the windows in this old house? This is what I wished for.

View Quote How am I doing, Joseph? Thanks. No, I didn't have a drink!

View Quote There must be some easier way for me to get my wings.

View Quote See George, you really had a wonderful life. Don't you see what a mistake it would be to just throw it all away?