National Treasure quotes

View Quote Ian Howe: You all right, Ben? No broken bones? A jump like that could kill a man.
Ben: No, it was cool. You should try it some time.
Ian Howe: The Declaration of Independence and the meerschaum pipe. All yours.
Ben: That's it?
Ian Howe: That's it. I knew you'd keep your promise. Now, where is it? Where's my treasure?
Ben: It's right here. The map said "Heere at the wall", spelled with two E's. Wall Street follows the path of an actual wall that the original Dutch settlers built as a defence to keep the British out. The main gate was located at a street called De Heere, also two E's. Later De Heere Street was renamed Broadway after the British got in. So, "Heere at the wall." Broadway, Wall Street. Cheerio.
Ian Howe: Just a moment, Ben.
Ben: Ian, if you break our deal, the FBI will be only a few minutes behind you. You might get away, you might not.
Ian Howe: Is that all the map said?
Ben: Every word.
Ian Howe: Oh, Ben. You know the key to running a convincing bluff? Every once in a while, you've got to be holding all the cards.
[One of Ian's men shows Patrick Gates as hostage]
Ben: Dad.
Ian Howe: Is there anything else you want to tell me?
Ben: Trinity Church. We have to go inside Trinity Church.
Ian Howe: Good. Excellent. Well, why don't you ask Dr. Chase and Riley to join us? I'm sure they're around here somewhere.

View Quote Abigail: You can't just leave us here.
Ian Howe: Yes, I can. Unless Ben tells me the next clue.
Ben: There isn't another clue.
Riley: Ian, why don't you come back down here and we can talk through this together?
(Ian Howe points his gun at Riley)
Ian Howe: Don't speak again.
Riley: Okay...
Ian Howe: The clue. Where's the treasure? Ben?
Patrick Gates: The lantern.
Ben: Dad...
Patrick Gates: The status quo has changed, son.
Ben: Don't.
Patrick Gates: It's part of Freemason teachings. In King Solomon's temple there was a winding staircase. It signified the journey that had to be made to find the light of truth. The lantern is the clue.
Ian: What does it mean?
Ben Gates: Boston. It's Boston.
Patrick Gates: The Old North Church, where Thomas Newton hung a lantern in the steeple, to signal Paul Revere that the British were coming. One if by land, two if by sea. One lantern. Under the winding staircase of the steeple, that's where we have to look.
Ian Howe: Thank you.
Patrick Gates: Hey, you have to take us with you.
Ian Howe: Why? So you can escape in Boston? Besides, with you out of the picture, there's less baggage to carry.
Patrick Gates: What if we lied?
Ian Howe: Did you?
Ben: What if there's another clue?
Ian Howe: Then I'll know right where to find you. See you, Ben.
(Ian Howe escapes, leaving Ben and the others behind)

View Quote Abigail: What do you see?
Ben: 2:22.
Abigail: What time is it now?
Clothing Store Clerk: Almost 3.
Abigail: [sighs] We missed it.
Riley: No, we didn't. We didn't miss it because... you don't know this? I know something about history that you don't know.
Ben: I'd be very excited to learn about it, Riley.
Riley: Hold on one second, let me just take in this moment. [takes a deep breath] This is cool. Is this how you feel all the time? Well, except now, of course--
Abigail: Riley!
Riley: All right! What I know is that daylight savings wasn't established until World War I. If it's 3 p.m. now that means that in 1776 it would be 2 p.m.
Ben: Riley, you're a genius.
Riley: Do you actually know who the first person to come up with the idea of daylight savings time was?
Abigail, Ben: Benjamin Franklin.
[Riley stomps his foot in disappointment]

View Quote [making a toast at a gala before going to steal the Declaration] To high treason. That's what these men were committing when they signed the Declaration. Had we lost the war, they would have been hanged, beheaded, drawn and quartered, and-Oh! Oh, my personal favorite-and had their entrails cut out and burned! [laughs nervously, then clears throat] So... Here's to the men who did what was considered wrong, in order to do what they knew was right... [nods] what they knew was right.

View Quote Shaw: Prison.
Riley: Albuquerque. See I can do it too. Snorkel.
Shaw: That's where the map is. Like he said, "Fifty-five in iron pen." "Iron pen" is a prison.
Ben Gates: Or it could be, since the primary writing medium of the time was iron gall ink, the "pen" is... just a pen. But then why not say a pen, why say iron pen.
Shaw: Because it's a prison.

View Quote Ben: The preservation room. Enjoy. Go ahead. Do you know what the preservation room is for?
Riley: Delicious jams and jellies?

View Quote Of all the ideas that became the United States, there's a line here that's at the heart of all the others. "But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and provide new Guards for their future security."

View Quote Ian Howe: We could borrow it.
Ben: Steal it? I don't think so.
Ian Howe: Ben, the treasure of the Knights Templar is the treasure of all treasures.
Ben: Oh, I didn't know that. Really?
Ian Howe: Look, Ben... I understand your bitterness. I really do. You've spent your entire life searching for this treasure,only to have the respected historical community treat you and your family with mockery and contempt. You should be able to rub this treasure in their arrogant faces, and I want you to have the chance to do that.
Ben: How?
Ian Howe: We all have our areas of expertise. You don't think mine are limited to writing checks, do you!? In a life, I've arranged several operations of questionable legality.
Shaw: I'd take his word for it if I was you.
Ian Howe: So don't worry. I'll make all the arrangements.
Ben: No!!
Ian Howe: I could really use your help here.
Ben: Ian, I'm not going to let you steal the Declaration of Independence.
Ian Howe: Alright. From this point on, all you're going to be is a hindrance. [signals Shaw to ready gun to which Ben nervously laughs]
Riley: Hey!
Ben: What are you going to do? Are you going to shoot me, Shaw!? Well, you can't shoot me. There's more to the riddle; information you don't have, I do. I'm the only one who can solve it.
Shaw: He's bluffing.
Ben: We play poker together, Ian. You know I can't bluff.
Ian Howe: Tell me what I need, or I'll shoot your friend. [Shaw points gun at Riley]
Riley: Hey!
Ian Howe: Quiet, Riley. Your job's finished here.
[Ben lights flare, Shaw turns gun back to Ben and looks astonished along with Ian]
Ben: Look where you're standing. All that gunpowder. You shoot me, I drop this, we all go up.
Riley: Ben?!
Ian Howe What happens when the flare burns down? [Ben looks questionably] You just tell me what I need to know.
Ben: You need to know... If Shaw can catch.
[throws flare, Riley squints scared, Ian catches it before it hits gunpowder]
Ian Howe: Nice try, though. [coat sleeve catches on fire and drops flare on gunpowder]

View Quote Ben: We don't need someone crazy. But one step sort of crazy, what do you get?
Riley: Obsessed.
Ben: Passionate.

View Quote If there's something wrong, those who have the ability to take action have the responsibility to take action.

View Quote Powell: Look... this is a waste of time. How could a ship wind up way out here?
Riley Poole: Well, I'm no expert but... it could be that the hydrothermic properties of this region produce hurricane-force ice storms that cause the ocean to freeze and then melt and then refreeze, resulting in a semisolid migrating land mass that would land a ship right around here. [walks away]

View Quote Sadusky: Agent Dawes, do you have a visual? Do you see Gates in the water?
Agent Dawes: Sir? It's the Hudson. Nothing is visible.
Sadusky: Smart fish.

View Quote [Abigail is hiding from Shaw behind a meat counter]
Butcher Lady: If you're not a steak, you don't belong here.
Abigail: I'm just trying to hide from my ex-husband.
Butcher Lady: [sees Shaw] Who, Baldie?
Abigail: Yeah.
Butcher Lady: Honey, stay as long as you like.
[to Shaw]
Butcher Lady: Do you want something?
Shaw: [ignores her]
Butcher Lady: Do you want something?
Shaw: Shut up.
[leaves]
Butcher Lady: [to Abigail] I see why you left him.

View Quote (About the pipe) Is it a billion dollar pipe? (a few seconds later) Is it a million dollar pipe?

View Quote Patrick Gates: The status quo has changed, son.