The Best James Bond Quotes
The best and most famous James Bond quotes continue to pile up as the movies come in. From the early Bond novels to parachuting into the London 2012 Olympic Stadium with Her Majesty the Queen, our favourite ladies’ man has been captivating audiences for decades.
Known for his suave demeanor, quick wit, and ability to save the day, Bond is a true icon of the silver screen. But the one thing that makes Bond so memorable is his adroit use of language.
From Sean Connery right through to Daniel Craig, every Bond has a way of delivering a line that’s both smooth and cutting, and his quotes have become just as iconic as the character himself.
In this article, we’ll be exploring some of the most memorable and fans favourite James Bond quotes, and examining what makes them so enduring.
From the suave one-liners to the clever put-downs, Bond’s words are always worth paying attention to. So, sit back, grab a martini (shaken, not stirred), and join us as we delve into the world of James Bond and his most memorable quotes.
The Best James Bond Quotes
Let’s dive in to some of the best James Bond quotes that he’s delivered over the last 60 years…
Dr. No
‘Bond, James Bond.’
How can we not start with what is one of the most iconic scenes in cinema history? James Bond’s introduction to both Sylvia Trench and the world in the first movie Dr. No.
The movie is a few minutes old and we’ve only got to see the back of Bond, who’s playing cards at a posh London club. He’s winning every game and opposite him is Sylvia Trench, a future Bond girl getting frustrated at losing all her money.
When she orders another £1000 to be wired, Bond tells her, ‘I admire your courage, Miss uhm?’ ‘Trench, Sylvia Trench,’ she replies, and then enquires, ‘I admire your luck, Mr…?’ To which 007 introduces himself into cinema history: ‘Bond, James Bond.’
It’s such a short scene, but with the way a young Sean Connery opens his cigarette case, takes one out and lights it just before his response is iconic, and will always be considered one of James Bond’s most memorable quotes.
Watch the scene
Worryingly, the scene almost never happened. The director, Terence Young, was frustrated with Sean Connery who was struggling with nerves. So, Young sent him with co-star Eunice Gayson to get him drunk before they resumed filming.
Gayson was an old friend of Sean Connery’s and took him for a few beers to calm him down. When they went back the scene was film without faulty and the rest is history.
‘I’m just looking.’
Another memorable James Bond quote from Dr. No is when he meets Honey Ryder for the first time. The Bond girl has just walked out of the Caribbean Sea looking delightfully beautiful in her iconic white bikini and dagger in her belt.
She’s a beachcomber and is holding a couple of large shells she’s just caught, when Bond stratles her after she discovers he’s there watching her.
‘What are you doing here? Looking for shells?’ she asks, to which Bond quickly retorts, ‘No, I’m just looking.’ in reference to his admiration for her beauty.
From Russia with Love
‘No, it’s the right size. For me, that is…’
A classic James Bond quote in From Russia with Love is with one of the most beautiful Bond girls throughout the movie series, Tatiana Romanova, a Soviet cypher clerk who falls in love with James.
The quote is from a bed scene after Tatiana gets into his bed and they meet for the first time. Not sure where the noise is coming from, Bond carries his Walther PPK into the bedroom only to discover Tatiana in his bed.
They know of each other and quickly get on with Bond offering her a genuine compliment, saying, ‘You’re one of the most beautiful girls I’ve ever seen.’
‘Thank you.. But, I think my mouth is too big,’ says Tatiana.
To which Bond’s quickly retorts as the camera zooms in on Tatiana’s sultry mouth ‘No, it’s the right size. For me, that is.’
Not sure what Bond meant by that retort, but I’m sure he was being gentlemanly [hiccup]…
‘She’s had her kicks.’
The other James Bond one liner from Russia with Love that we’ve picked out is the classic scene with Tatiana’s boss, the secret SPECTRE agent, Rosa Klebb (SPECTRE Number 3).
Towards the end of the movie, Klebb is disguised as a cleaner, cleaning Bond’s room, when Tatiana walks in and notices her former boss.
Watch the scene
Klebb then gets her gun out and points it towards Bond, before Tatiana manages to knock it away. Rosa Klebb’s famous dagger shoe comes out and she kicks away at Bond with the knife sticking out of her shoe trying to stab him.
Tatiana reaches for the gun and shoots Klebb and kills her. There’s a bit of disbelief at how close they were to being killed, before Tatiana says, ‘Horrible woman.’ Bond agrees saying, ‘Yes… She’s had her kicks.’ In reference the the dagger shoe.
Goldfinger
‘My name is Pussy Galore.’ ‘I must be dreaming.’
A classic James Bond quote from Goldfinger is when 007 encounters Pussy Galore, a pilot and leader of a group of female pilots, for the first time. He’s jaded after being tranquilized, and Pussy Galore is all blurred.
Bond is trying to focus and asks who she is and she introduces herself, which triggers Bond’s quick one liner. “My name is Pussy Galore,” she says and Bond smirks, responding, ‘I must be dreaming.’
This one liner is often cited as an example of Bond’s characteristic wit and humour, as well as a nod to the novel and film’s use of sexually suggestive language and themes that Bond became known for.
‘Who are you?’ asks Bond.
‘My name is Pussy Galore,’ she tells Bond.
Bond smirks and says, ‘I must be dreaming.’
Watch the scene
‘You weren’t supposed to borrow his girlfriend…’
Another classic quote from the movie Goldfinger doesn’t come from Bond, but instead his quick witted and sharp-tongued boss, M.
Bond is on the receiving end of another telling off from M, who hardly thinks Bond is the most professional of secret agents, especially when females are involved.
‘You’ve hardly distinguished yourself, have you? You were supposed to observe Mr. Goldfinger, not borrow his girlfriend,’ said a frustrated M, who then told Bond he should be thankful for his intervention or he’d be in custody with Miami Beach Police.
Bond acknowledged his shortcomings.
Thunderball
‘Not from where I’m standing’
Bond gives one of the best ripostes of the entire Bond franchise in Goldfinger, when he walks into the bathroom and sees Fiona Volpe in the bathtub.
Bond is standing at the door when Volpe is taken aback by him standing in the doorway.
‘Aren’t you in the wrong room?’ she asks.
Not from where I’m standing,’ says Bond.
She looks around shyly and tells Bond to make use of himself and hand her something to put on. So, he hands her a pair of shoes only.
Watch the scene
It’s a classic riposte from Sean Connery as Bond and very typical of what made him the legendary Bond that he is.
You Only Live Twice
‘Well I won’t be needing these…’
One of Bond’s funniest moments in You Only Live Twice is a moment of frustration for him after Kissy Suzuki is acting all professional. Bond and Kissy are on a mission and have just had a staged wedding to make them look like man and wife.
In the hotel room, Kissy insists she won’t sleep in the bed with Bond, but he recommends they sleep together to keep up appearances, saying they’re supposed to be on their honeymoon.
‘No honeymoon. This is business,’ says Kissy Suzuki. So a frustrated Bond pushes away the oysters (aphrodisiacs), saying, ‘Well, I won’t need these.’
‘My name is Ernst Stavro Blofeld’
Sometimes it’s other characters that say the best lines, and in You Only Live Twice, Ernst Stavro Blofeld comes out with one of the most iconic lines in the franchise’s history, when we first get to see the enigmatic SPECTRE leader.
Blofeld suspects something isn’t right with one of the astronauts, so he prevents him from boarding the shuttle and demands he’s brought to him.
“You made a mistake, my friend,” says Blofeld with his voice echoing. “No astronaut would enter the capsule with an air conditioner. Remove his helmet,” he orders.
Watch the scene
Bond’s helmet is taken off, and to his surprise, Blofeld exclaims, “James Bond,” as the tension escalates. “Allow me to introduce myself… I am Ernst Stavro Blofeld,” he coldly declares, turning in his chair to reveal his face for the first time.
“They told me you were assassinated in Hong Kong,” Blofeld remarks. “Yes, this is my second life,” responds Bond, before Blofeld delivers the chilling line, “You only live twice, Mr. Bond.”
The scene is short but iconic as it’s the first time Bond meets Blofeld and we ever got to see Blofeld’s face, and Donald Pleasence‘s icy cold demeanor and his eye scar have gone down in cinematic history.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
‘Just a slight stiffness coming on…’
In On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, One of Bond’s wittiest comments comes when he’s dining with the 12 Angels of Death and the terrifying Irma Blunt, who’s keeping an eye on everyone and making sure none of the girls are attracted to Bond.
Bond, played by George Lazenby, is disguised as Scottish businessman, Sir Hilary Bray, and dressed in a kilt. He’s telling them a all the girls about a book he’s written and offers to go to Bartlett’s room to read it to her, but Irma Bunt tells them she cannot. So, Bartlett sneakily writes her room number in lipstick on Bond’s leg under his kilt.
A hawk-eyed Irma Bunt asks, “Is anything ze matter, Sir Hilary?” her voice carrying a heavy accent and an undertone of suspicion.
But Bond smooths out his expression and musters up a cool explanation. “Just a slight stiffness coming on… due to the altitude, no doubt,” he offers, diverting any suspicion away from the coded message he’d just received.
‘There’s no hurry, you see. We have all the time in the world.’
The James Bond franchise has always been synonymous with high-octane action, adventure, glamour, and charm. However, a scene from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, where Bond’s new wife, Tracy is gunned down, showcases an entirely different aspect of the series.
As they’re driving off to enjoy a new life, they stop on a mountain road so Bond can remove flowers from the windscreen. As they stop, Blofeld and Irma Blunt drive past and shoot indiscriminately. They miss Bond but shoot Tracy in the head killing her on the spot.
Watch the scene
Bond, forever known for his unshakable confidence and quick wit, cradles Tracy’s lifeless body in his arms. His eyes reveal a depth of sadness never witnessed. Struggling to comprehend the enormity of his loss, he murmurs in a choked voice,
“It’s all right. It’s quite all right, really. She’s having a rest. We’ll be going on soon. There’s no hurry, you see. We have all the time in the world.”
His words hang heavy in the air, a heartbreaking denial of the tragic reality. They echo his earlier proclamation of love to Tracy when he spoke the very same phrase, imbuing it with a sense of eternal promise and hope. And afterwards he lowers his head down into her body and cries as the movie ends.
The Spy Who Loved Me
‘Let me try and enlarge your vocabulary.’
Early on in the film, M wants to know where Bond is. Monepenny tells him he’s on a mission in Austria, so M demands her to ‘tell him to pull out.’
The scene quickly changes to Austria, where Bond is in bed naked with Log Cabin Girl. English isn’t her first language and she says, ‘Oh James! I cannot find the words!’ Bond quickly retorts, ‘Well, let me try to enlarge your vocabulary.’
‘Keeping the British end up, sir.’
Another great quote from The Spy Who Loved Me is at the end when Bond and Anya Amasova are holed up naked in bed in the submarine pod. As they’re sailing towards the Navy vessel, M, the captain of the Royal Navy vessel, and KGB General Gogol can clearly see Bond and Amasova’s nudity while they were underneath the blankets in the submarine pod.
M appears visibly embarrassed and angrily shouts, ‘Bond, what do you think you’re doing?’. Bond, being true to his character, responded in a cheeky manner, saying ‘Just keeping the British end up, sir,’ before closing the curtains on the large panoramic window.
