Writers communicate in a variety of ways with their audiences. Sophisticated wordsmiths, whether they write fiction or non-fiction, use symbolism, idiom, irony, metaphor. tone, setting and theme to convey meaning beyond the literal, and through these vehicles, turn the communication of meaning into an art form.

Sometimes, writers choose to communicate with each other through their works. Those who wish to show another writer respect, either for their work or their dedication to their craft, have a wide array of vehicles available to them. Popular authors will often find their work satirized by good-natured colleagues. Satire can convey respect just as much as a direct compliment, because what makes satire funny and entertaining depends on the commmonly recognizable. Another sign of respect which also depends on a shared frame of reference is the "homage." In literature, an homage can be as simple as giving one character another character's lines.

As the homage, in the form of quotable lines and even entire oratories, has found its way into everyday culture; movies, television shows, comic books and even theater have all begun to adapt. Many writers recognize the value of an audience quoting their work as a means of inviting others to join them in appreciation of its meaning, humor or value.

What followed is eminently recognizable to anyone with an appreciation of cultural trends. Quoting movies has very nearly become a complete language unto itself, especially among "geeks." Almost everyone has heard of science-fiction fans or comic book fans who are experts in every facet of a fictional world which to others is just another movie or television show. And, since art imitates life, writers have begun going out of their way to try and coin quotable lines within their original work, hoping those words will find their way into cultural discourse and thereby provide their work an advantage in both visibility and viability.

For the student of literature, it is interesting to theorize how important a catchphrase is to the identity of a particular character. Some signature lines have as few as three words. If a writer intends to construct with only their words an idea that represents a human being, can so few words define an entire character? Some would argue they do. Not only have some catchphrases transcended the movies in which they first appeared, but a few have transcended the characters that first spoke them, becoming almost myths within themselves: a few words which are so powerful in their cultural relevance that they are by themselves capable of communicating the identity of an entire character and their place within a body of literature.

After decades of films, anyone interested in understanding film, television and popular entertainment and its relevance to culture might be inclined to ask which characters and which lines are the most popular. Do films of the distant past hold an advantage because of their larger accumulated audience and exposure to several generations? Or do more recent films and television shows, with their larger emphasis on marketing and their originally written catchphrases and slogans, hold center stage in the public consciousness?

The Top Ten Most Quotable Movies of All Time is going to attempt to answer that question using several criteria. How many memorable quotes does a given film have? How central are those quotes to any particular character's identity? How popular was the film generally and is it possible the quotable lines helped the film achieve a larger audience or a more relevant place in culture? Did those quotes help the film become more valuable as literature? It's almost a foregone conclusion that if a film has become quotable, that it was more entertaining to its audience, which, by definition, bestows "quotability" on a particular film. One of the most popular ways audiences seek to recapture the entertainment value of any given film is to exchange its best lines.

The Top Ten Most Quotable Movies of All Time will also attempt to rank the films in order from the tenth most quotable film to the top most quotable, along with various honorable mentions, since there are literally hundreds of very popular and often remarkably quotable films from which to choose.

Once you've read the articles, see if you agree! Or, do you disagree? This is a great place to join the conversation. Surely you have a film or two which you've quoted from time to time, haven't you? Is it on our list? Should it be on our list? Add your comments and let's hear your favorite quotes!

And yes, we'll stop calling you Shirley.

We begin with the Number Ten Most Quotable Movie Of All Time!