25 Do The Right Thing Quotes From The 1989 Drama

As you can see from these Do the Right Thing quotes, the story explores a Brooklyn neighborhood’s simmering racial tension.

Do the Right Thing, the 1989 American comedy-drama film produced, written, and directed by Spike Lee was a critically acclaimed movie.

It stars Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, and Samuel L. Jackson.

Martin Lawrence and Rosie Perez also made their film debut with this movie.

It follows the stories of some of the African-American residents and the Italian-American owners of a local pizzeria, which culminates in tragedy and violence.

Unfortunately, the story depicts the all too sad reality of police brutality and race that we are still dealing with, even though the film is over 30 years old.

The plot looks like it could be ripped from a recent TV headline.

One of the main characters is twenty-five-year-old Mookie who lives in Bedford–Stuyvesant with his sister Jade.

He has a toddler son named Hector with his girlfriend Tina and works as a delivery man at a local pizzeria.

Sal, an Italian-American, has owned and operated the store for 25 years and lives in another New York neighborhood.

Sal’s racist eldest son Pino is blatantly racist towards Mookie.

Pino’s attitude causes issues with several other main characters including his father, who doesn’t want to relocate his business, and his younger brother Vito, who is friends with Mookie.

Keep reading through these Do the Right Thing quotes from other characters, like Radio Raheem and Da Mayor, to find out how the story ends.

Don’t forget to also check out our collection of The Sopranos quotes about America’s favorite mafia family.

Check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily inspiration. 

If you enjoy this collection, check out our inspirational quotes category page.

Do The Right Thing quotes about Race

1. “You little slanty-eyed, me-no-speaky-American, own-every-fruit-and-vegetable-stand-in-New-York, bullshit, Reverend Sun Myung Moon, Summer Olympics ’88, Korean kick-boxing son of a bitch.” [speaking to officer Long] ― Stevie

2. “You gold-teeth-gold-cdxzzxZx xzhain-wearin’, fried-chicken-and-biscuit-eatin’, monkey, ape, baboon, big thigh, fast-runnin’, high-jumpin’, spear-chuckin’, 360-degree-basketball-dunkin’ titsun spade Moulan Yan. Take your fuckin’ pizza-pizza and go the fuck back to Africa.” [speaking to Mookie] ― Pino

3. “Dago, wop, guinea, garlic-breath, pizza-slingin’, spaghetti-bendin’, Vic Damone, Perry Como, Luciano Pavarotti, Sole Mio, nonsingin’ motherfucker.” [speaking to Sal] ― Mookie

4. “You Goya bean-eating, 15-in-a-car, 30-in-an-apartment, pointed shoes, red-wearing, Menudo, mire-mire Puerto Rican cocksucker. Yeah, you!” [speaking to Sonny] ― Officer Long

5. “It’s cheap, I got a good price for you, Mayor Koch, ‘How I’m doing,’ chocolate-egg-cream-drinking, bagel-and-lox, B’nai B’rith Jew asshole.” ― Sonny

6. Mookie: Pino, fuck you, fuck your fuckin’ pizza, and fuck Frank Sinatra.

Pino: Yeah? Well fuck you too, and fuck Michael Jackson.

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7. Mookie: Pino, all you ever talk about is nigga this and nigga that, and all your favorite people are so-called niggas.

Pino: It’s different. Magic, Eddie, Prince… are not n*****s. I mean, they’re not black, I mean -Let me explain myself. They’re – They’re not really black. I mean, they’re black, but they’re not really black. They’re more than black. It’s different.

8. “Hey, Sal, how come they ain’t no brothas on the wall?” ― Buggin’ Out

9. Buggin’ Out: Yo, Mookie.

Mookie: What?

Buggin’ Out: Stay Black.

10. Buggin’ Out: You the man.

Mookie: No, you the man.

Buggin’ Out: No, I’m just a struggling Black man trying to keep my dick hard in a cruel and harsh world.

11. “Today’s temperature’s gonna rise up over 100 degrees, so there’s a Jheri curl alert! That’s right, Jheri curl alert. If you have a Jheri curl, stay in the house or you’ll end up with a permanent black helmet on your head fuh-eva!” ― Mister Senor Love Daddy

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Do The Right Thing quotes about music and celebrities (including Radio Raheem)

12. Sal: What’d I tell you about that noise?

Buggin’ Out: What’d I tell you about them pictures?

13. Sal: What the fuck, are you deaf?

Buggin’ Out: No! Are you? Fuck you! We want some black people on that motherfucking Wall of Fame now!

14. Sal: Turn that jungle music off! We ain’t in Africa!

Buggin’ Out: Why it got to be about jungle music? Why it got to be about Africa? It’s about them fucking pictures!

15. “We wanna thank you all for makin’ our lives just a little brighter here on We Love Radio!” ― Mister Senor Love Daddy

16. Mookie: Pino, who’s your favorite basketball player?

Pino: Magic Johnson.

17. Mookie: And who’s your favorite movie star?

Pino: Eddie Murphy.

18. Mookie: And who’s your favorite rock star? Prince. You’re a Prince freak.

Pino: Boss. Bruce.

19. “Not only did you knock me down, you stepped on my brand-new white Air Jordans I just bought, and that’s all you can say is excuse me?” ― Buggin’ Out

20. “Let me tell you the story of Right Hand, Left Hand. It’s a tale of good and evil. Hate: it was with this hand that Cain iced his brother. Love: these five fingers, they go straight to the soul of man.” ― Radio Raheem

21. “The right hand: the hand of love. The story of life is this: static. One hand is always fighting the other hand, and the left hand is kicking much ass.” ― Radio Raheem

22. “I mean, it looks like the right hand, Love, is finished. But hold on, stop the presses, the right hand is coming back. Yeah, he got the left hand on the ropes, now, that’s right. Ooh, it’s a devastating right and Hate is hurt, he’s down. Left-Hand Hate KOed by Love.” ― Radio Raheem

Do The Right Thing quotes From and about Sal or Mister Senor Love Daddy

23. “The f*ck is wrong with you? This ain’t about money. I could give a f*ck about money.” ― Sal

24. “You see this f*cking place? I built this f*cking place with my bare f*cking hands. Every light socket, every piece of tile – me, with these f*cking hands.” ― Sal

25. “Hey. The only ass-kicking that’s gonna be done around here is gonna be done by me.”― Sal

Which of these Do The Right Thing quotes is your favorite?

A dispute breaks out between Buggin’ Out, Radio Raheem, and Smiley inside Sal’s where they demand that Sal change his Wall of Fame to include some black stars.

Sal becomes agitated and demands that Radio Raheem turn his boombox off.

Racial slurs are exchanged and then Sal destroys Raheem’s boombox with a bat.

Raheem attacks Sal and they end up fighting in the street, where a crowd gathers.

Raheem is choking Sal when the police arrive.

They break up the fight, and detain Raheem and Buggin’ Out.

Officer Long has Raheem in a chokehold and despite the pleas of his partner Ponte, and the crowd, he doesn’t let go.

Raheem dies as a result, and when the officers realize what they have done they place his body in the back of a police car and drive off.

The must-see film is going to be hard to watch, but the ending is interesting.

It is often listed among the greatest films of all time and was selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

Did you enjoy reading these Do The Right Thing quotes and sayings?

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