Movie Money Quotes
This page contains money quotes from various movies. It discusses characters’ perspectives on wealth, finances, and the role of money in their lives. Some notable quotes discuss money as a means to gain power, the desire for wealth above all else, and the corrupting influence that large sums of money can have.
The page also includes comments from actors, directors, and producers about their experiences working in Hollywood and their views on the film industry’s focus on financial success.
Below are a collection of over 111 Money Quotations from and about popular movies, uttered by some fictional characters in well-known scenes. Included here are also quotes about the movies from actors, directors, producers and reviewers.
“Greed, for lack of a better word, is good” — Gordon Gekko
“The only reason people are nice to me is because I have more money than God” — Ouiser Boudreaux in Steel Magnolias
Chance the Gardener: Yes. In the garden, growth has it seasons. First comes spring and summer, but then we have fall and winter. And then we get spring and summer again.
President “Bobby”: Spring and summer.
Chance the Gardener: Yes.
President “Bobby”: Then fall and winter.
Chance the Gardener: Yes.
Benjamin Rand: I think what our insightful young friend is saying is that we welcome the inevitable seasons of nature, but we’re upset by the seasons of our economy.
Chance the Gardener: Yes! There will be growth in the spring!
— Peter Sellers as Chance the Gardner in “Being There” (1979)
“There’s plenty of money out there. They print more every day. But this ticket, there’s only five of them in the whole world, and that’s all there’s ever going to be. Only a dummy would give this up for something as common money. Are you a dummy?” — Willy Wonka as written by author, Roald Dahl
“I had the most absurd nightmare. I was poor and no one liked me.” — Louis Winthorpe III in: Trading Places (1983)
“I, Nicholas Leeson, have just lost 50 million quid, in one day!” — Nick Leeson in: Rogue Trader (1999)
“My name is Joel Goodsen. I deal in human fulfillment. I grossed over eight thousand dollars in one night.” — Joel Goodsen in: Risky Business(1983)
“I’m gonna teach you to hate spending money. I’m gonna make you so sick of spending money that the mere sight of it will make you wanna throw up!” — Rupert Horn in: Brewster’s Millions (1985)
“In this country, you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women. ” — Tony Montana in: Scarface (1983)
“In this country, you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women” — Tony Montana
“That will be $1.5 million please. I’ll take it in cash, check or a transfer. I’m not greedy. I just want my half. ” — Charlie Babbitt in: Rain Man (1988)
“Anybody who tells you money is the root of all evil doesnt f—ing have any.” -Jim Young in: Boiler Room (2000)
“I have all the characteristics of a human being: blood, flesh, skin, hair; but not a single, clear, identifiable emotion, except for greed and disgust.” — Patrick Bateman in: American Psycho (2000)
“You and I are such similar creatures, Vivian. We both screw people for money” — Edward Lewis in: Pretty Woman (1990)
“Rich people, they’re different from you and me. Well, for one thing, they’ve got a lot more money…” — Bobby Fain in: A Perfect Murder (1998)
Martin Frohm: “What would you say if man walked in here with no shirt, and I hired him?”
Christopher Gardner: “He must have had on some really nice pants.”
— The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
“Suppose … I were to offer you one million dollars for one night with your wife. ” — John Gage in: Indecent Proposal (1993)
“You’re not your job. You’re not how much money you have in the bank. You’re not the car you drive. You’re not the contents of your wallet. You’re the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world.” — Tyler Durden in: Fight Club (1999)
Terry Leather [on radio]: ” We can smell the money, over.”
Eddie Burton [on radio]: “Look, money may be your god but it ain’t mine, alright? I want a warm bath and a cup of tea, over.”
— (2008)
“Look, money may be your god but it ain’t mine, alright? I want a warm bath and a cup of tea” — Eddie Burton in: The Bank Job (2008)
“If you can’t afford it, F—ING FINANCE IT!” — Ken Kessler in: Ruthless People (1986)
“Money won is twice as sweet as money earned.”
— Fast Eddie Felson in: The Color of Money (1986)
“Money won is twice as sweet as money earned” — Paul Newman as Fast Eddie Felson in: The Color of Money (1986)
Lawrence: “What would you do [if you had a million dollars]?”
Peter Gibbons: “I would relax… I would sit on my ass all day… I would do nothing.”
Lawrence: “Well, you don’t need a million dollars to do nothing, man. Take a look at my cousin–he’s broke, don’t do s__t.”
—Office Space (1999)
“I’ll tell you one thing, Fred, darling… I’d marry you for your money in a minute.” — Holly Golightly In: Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)
“You are only ever as good to me as the money you make!” — Micky in: 21 (2008)
Danny: “Theres a 95 pound Chinese man with a 160 million dollars behind this door.”
Linus: “Lets get him out.”
— Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
“Didn’t you take economics? You could have had me for $49.95.” — transfer student to Ronald Miller in: Can’t Buy Me Love (1987)
Paula Abagnale: “Just tell me how much he owes and I’ll pay you back.”
Carl Hanratty: “So far, it’s about 1.3 million dollars.”
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Molly: “That could be your savings account!”
Bridget Cardigan: “I don’t think so, it has money in it.”
Mad Money (2008)
Nina Brewster: “Do you know what it is when you trade sex for money?”
Jackie Truman: “Advertising!”
Mad Money (2008)
Bridget Cardigan: “Every woman should keep a little mad money tucked away, just in case.”
Jackie Truman: “Do you use mad money when you go mad, or when you get mad?”
Mad Money (2008)
“Wanting is the root of all… uh, needing, stuff. I’ll tell ya what… They say money can’t buy happiness but it sure as hell buys everything else” — Bob Truman in Mad Money (2008)
Bridget Cardigan: “It’s like we’re stealing the same money over and over. In Fact it’s not like stealing money at all, it’s like recycling.
Mad Money (2008)
Bridget Cardigan: “Once you start to really think about money you realize this stuff gets handled A LOT! Who had it before you and what did they do with it? It gets put in places you may not want to know about.
Mad Money (2008)
“They didn’t even need any money. They had magic cards.” — Rebecca Bloomwood in: Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)
“I’ll wager you anything you like that if American women stopped wearing brassieres, your whole national economy would collapse overnight.” — J. Algernon Hawthorne in: It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
“I like my money where I can see it, hanging in my closet.” — Carrie Bradshaw in: Sex and the City (2008)
“I wouldn’t sell my bike for all the money in the world. Not for a hundred million, trillion, billion dollars!” — Pee-wee Herman in:
“I wouldn’t sell my bike for all the money in the world. Not for a hundred million, trillion, billion dollars!” — Pee-Wee HermanPee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
Dominic: “How you feel about monopolies?”
Frank Lucas: “What, the game?”
American Gangster (2007)
“OK, I know this is going to disgust you, Michael, but a lot of people are in this business to make money.” — George Fields in: Tootsie (1982)
“Did you work for the money to buy those earrings? Or did your Daddy buy those for you?” — John Bender in: The Breakfast Club (1985)
“No dough, no show.”
— Lucky Day in: Three Amigos! (1986)
“All you want to talk about is money, let’s talk about love, and sex… forget love, let’s just talk about sex.” — Max Beissart (the Maestro) in: The Money Pit (1986)
“Hooked up with a new company. Great benefits. They trade energy. It’s called Enron!” — Garth in: Fun with Dick and Jane (2005)
Brantley Foster: “How do I get to Litchfield?”
Barney Rattigan: “You’ll find it. Just follow the smell of money.”
The Secret of my Success (1987)
I think what our insightful young friend is saying is that we welcome the inevitable seasons of nature, but we’re upset by the seasons of our economy.”
— Benjamin Rand in: Being There (1979)
“I DO want your money, because god wants your money. ” — Reverend Larry in: Repo Man (1984)
“We’ve spent three hundred and fifty million dollars, and we’ve come up with a turd with a tip?” — F. Ross Johnson in: Barbarians at the Gate (1993)
“I love money more than the things it can buy… but what I love more than money is other people’s money.” – Lawrence Garfield in: Other People’s Money (1991)
“And, baby, when I tell ya the boy has got his own money, I mean the boy has got his own MONEY!” — Cleo in: Coming to America (1988)
“Running a casino is like robbing a bank with no cops around. For guys like me, Las Vegas washes away your sins. It’s like a morality car wash” — Ace Rothstein in: Casino (1995)
“You come into my house on the day my daughter is to be married and you ask me to do murder — for money.” — Don Corleone in: The Godfather (1972)
“The country club will have his old time cards. Records, W-2s with his name on them. Sir, if I ever get out, I’d never mention what happens here. I’d be just as indictable as you for laundering that money. ” — Andy Dufresne In: The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
“There are times when I look at people and I see nothing worth liking. I want to earn enough money that I can get away from everyone.” — Plainview in : There Will Be Blood (2007)
Doyle Lonnegan: “I put it all on Lucky Dan; half a million dollars to win.”
Kid Twist: “To win? I said place! ‘Place hit on Lucky D’ That horse is gonna run second!”
Doyle Lonnegan: “There’s been a mistake! Gimme my money back!”
The Sting (1973)
“Money. You you think I want money? What I want is my morning back. I need you to give my time back to me. Can you give me back my time? Can you give my time back to me? Huh? Can you?” — Doyle Gipson in: Changing Lanes (2002)
“Napoleon, you know we can’t afford the fun pack. What, do you think money grows on trees in this family? Take it back! And get some Pampers for you and your brother while you’re at it.” — Uncle Rico in: Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
“That’s because I’m a heartless bastard who only cares about money.” — Lassiter in: The Family Man (2000)
“Show me the money!” — Jerry Maguire
Comments ABOUT Movies from Actors, Directors & Producers:
“Being an executive producer is like the best job in the world because you make all these executive decisions and then you leave the money to other people. You don’t have to be on set and counting beans” — Robbie Coltraine
“The vast majority of our film producers are independent producers who live hand to mouth trying to get projects made that they love. They are not owners, they’re not money people, and in fact, those who just have the money don’t always get a producer credit” — Marshall Herskovitz
“You really can’t get a cast unless you have financing, And you can’t get financing unless you have a cast. It’s hard to get people to believe you can do it” — Courteney Cox
“Every bad decision I’ve made has been based on money. I grew up in the projects and you don’t turn down money there. You take it, because you never know when it’s all going to end. I made Cop III because they offered me $15 million. That $15 million was worth having Roger Ebert’s thumb up my ass” — Eddie Murphy
“Filmmaking can be a democratic process. In which other people, other than rich white men, can make movies” — Quentin Tarantino
“It’s very important that every movie I do makes money because I want the people that had the faith in me to get their money back” — Quentin Tarantino
“I have wasted the greater part of my life looking for money and trying to get along, trying to make my work from this terribly expensive paintbox, which is a movie. And I’ve spent too much energy on things that have nothing to do with making a movie. It’s about two percent moviemaking and ninety-eight percent hustling It’s no way to spend a life” — Orson Welles
“Long Kiss Goodnight has a huge cult following. They could make another version of that movie right now and make a lot of money” — Samuel L. Jackson
“Most of Hollywood is about making money – and I love money, but I don’t make the films thinking about money ” — David Lynch
“The actors are in control, getting outrageous amounts of money” — Peter Bogdanovich
“I think, unfortunately or fortunately, the reality of Hollywood is that if your movie makes money, they’ll make another one” — Jonathan Frakes
“Sooner or later, we sell out for money” — Tony Randall
“And no Best Picture award, but ‘The Big Short’ made clear we will not forget that Wall Street broke our economy” — Elizabeth Warren
“It begins and ends with money. It’s absurd in this day and age when we need so much money for education, health, for people, that a $100 million dollars can be spent on a film. It’s obscene” — Kathleen Turner
“Nobody deserves this much money – certainly not an actor” — Jack Lemmon
“The only reason I’m in Hollywood is that I don’t have the moral courage to refuse the money” — Marlon Brando
“It was not easy for my mother, being a struggling actress and raising a child. We were these two sort of vagabonds, never knowing where the money was going to come from. She always says she couldn’t afford a babysitter, which is why she put me on the stage” — Christina Applegate
“I’m not looking at money, percentage points or grosses. This is my life, you know? To me, every day matters” — Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
“Someday women writers, producers and crew members will be so commonplace, and roles and salaries for actresses will outstrip those for men, and pigs will fly” — Sigourney Weaver
“My greatest sense comes from the experience of performing in the movie. When I have a great experience, that becomes a perfect movie. If it makes a nickel, it’s still perfect. The same is true with a movie that’s a bad experience. If it makes a bejillion dollars, I will hate it till the end of time” — Julia Roberts
“I’m an actor – it’s not brain surgery. If I do my job right, people won’t ask for their money back” — Sean Connery
“Not all my films were great but I don’t regret anything. I worked to feed my creativity rather than for the money” — Peter Fonda
“My family was poor, my neighborhood was poor. The only way that I could get away from the awfulness of life, at that time, was at the movies. There I decided that my big aim was to make money” — Susan Hayward
“It’s sad when you say a $30 million film is an inexpensive film, but it is” — Sandra Bullock
“There’s only two givens with choosing acting as a profession: one is you will always be unemployed, always, and it doesn’t matter how much money you make, you’re still always going to be unemployed; and that you have no power” — Frances McDormand
“Hollywood is a place where they’ll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul. I know, because I turned down the first offer often enough and held out for the fifty cents” — Marilyn Monroe
“It’s showbiz and people want to make money. And generally people are financing things because they think it will make money whether it’s a cable news show, a cable show, or a feature film, or whatever it is. So that’s the part of it that drives it, I think, is really the dollar” — Annette Bening
“Everyone knows we get paid a lot of money, so why pretend otherwise?” — Catherine Zeta-Jones
“If your CEO salary is at the 700, 600, 500 times your median workers’ pay, there is nobody on Earth, Jesus Christ himself isn’t worth 500 times his median workers’ pay” — Abigail Disney
“Hollywood people are filled with guilt: white guilt, liberal guilt, money guilt. They feel bad that they’re so rich, they feel they don’t work that much for all that money – and they don’t, for the amount of money they make” — Drew Carey
“Everything’s acceptable in Hollywood now, it seems. I’m glad I’m not there, because I would be screaming. I hope and pray that the Hollywood stars who are making so much money really take a stand” — Doris Day
“Hollywood still makes things. We still export a couple billion dollars’ worth of product overseas” — George Clooney
“An actor with too much money will usually find a way to get rid of it” — Al Pacino
“I’ve never cared whether a picture makes money or not. Now I care, because it’s all about whether they’ll finance the next one. And we’ve got to start making better pictures in Hollywood” — Shirley MacLaine
“Making movies is just as much of a game. They say Hollywood is like high school with money” — Kristen Stewart
“I am no longer in pictures for money. I am in them because I love them” — Mary Pickford
Born April 8, 1892 – Died May 29, 1979
“Why make a movie if you don’t have something to say? What are you doing it for? Are you doing it because you want to make a lot of money?” — Jake Gyllenhaal
“I think it’s really odd, too, that the public is so privy to how much money the actors make and what movies cost. It seems to me to be beside the point. When I go to a movie I really don’t want to think about the money. I want to see the story” — Holly Hunter
“I don’t even think about the money when I consider roles, I turn it over to my agency. Money will come. I respect it but I don’t thirst for it” — Bryan Cranston
“I have instinctually thought I could do things in my life, and I followed that up by sometimes putting everything I have at risk – my money, my house – to make a movie” — Kevin Costner
“It’s not that acting stopped challenging me, It’s more to do with the way I approach it emotionally — for me it’s like tearing your soul apart for money” — Sean Penn
“Many film producers think I am only interested in money. That’s why they all try to lure me on their set by promising me huge sums and nothing else. But, at heart, I only want a fair share of the profit” — Bruce Lee
“The pursuit of making money is the only reason to make movies. We have no obligation to make history. We have no obligation to make art. We have no obligation to make a statement” — Michael Eisner
“Our obligation is to make money, and to make money, it may be important to make history. To make money, it may be important to make art, or some significant statement. To make money, it may be important to win the Academy Award, for it might mean another ten million dollars at the box office” — Michael Eisner
“Our only objective may be to make money, but in order to make money, we must always make entertaining movies. And if we make entertaining movies, at times we will make history, art, a statement, or all three. We may even win awards” — Michael Eisner
“When it comes to minority representation in Hollywood, the most important color is green, as in money” — Dr. Darnell Hunt