25 Inglourious Basterds Quotes From The WWII Movie
Published April 3, 2023
These Inglourious Basterds quotes from Quentin Tarantino’s masterful movie about Nazi Germany and World War II are some of the most compelling words written for the big screen.
You can almost see Brad Pitt (Lt. Aldo Raine) saying them as you read through them.
There are several quotes from Lt. Raine that are funny, witty, and shocking.
There are also many quotes from him specifically about Nazis.
Hans Landa also delivered quite a litany of humorous, chilling, and shocking lines.
The quotes about his analogy between the rat and the hawk depict one of the greatest movie scenes ever.
Now you might have a lot of questions about this movie, but let’s start with the obvious one…
why the heck is “basterds” spelled wrong.
Well, there are few theories, but no one (other than Quentin Tarantino) knows for sure.
The first theory is that Tarantino did it intentionally to distinguish his movie from the 1978 film The Inglourious Bastards.
When asked about it once on the David Letterman show, Tarantino replied it was, “Quentin Tarantino spelling.”
He did not give any more information though.
Keep reading for more theories!
Don’t forget to also check out these Apocalypse Now quotes on the double standards of war.
If you like this article, we suggest you explore our most popular quotes article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily encouragement.
Look through our complete collection of inspirational quotes here.
Inglourious Basterds quotes from Lt. Aldo Raine
1. “You didn’t say the goddamn rendezvous was in a fuckin’ basement.” – Lt. Aldo Raine
2. “I’m gonna give you a little somethin’ you can’t take off.” – Lt. Aldo Raine
3. “You know how you get to Carnegie Hall, don’t ya? Practice.” – Lt. Aldo Raine
4. “Well, you don’t got to be Stonewall Jackson to know you don’t want to fight in a basement!” – Lt. Aldo Raine
5. “Yeah, we got a word for that kind of odd in English. It’s called suspicious.” – Lt. Aldo Raine
6. “You know somethin’, Utivich? I think this just might be my masterpiece.” – Lt. Aldo Raine
7. “That’s a pretty exciting story. What’s next, Lies on Ice?” – Lt. Aldo Raine
8. “Well, I speak the most Italian, so I’ll be your escort. Donowitz speaks the second most, so he’ll be your Italian cameraman. Omar speaks third most, so he’ll be Donny’s assistant.” – Lt. Aldo Raine
9. “Nah, I don’t think so. More like chewed out. I’ve been chewed out before.” – Lt. Aldo Raine
10. “Long story short, we hear a story too good to be true – it ain’t.” – Lt. Aldo Raine
Inglourious Basterds quotes from Hans Landa
11. “Oooh, that’s a bingo!” – Hans Landa
12. “What’s that English saying about shoes and feet?” – Hans Landa
13. “What’s that American expression? ‘If the shoe fits, you must wear it.’” – Hans Landa
14. “So, gentlemen, let’s discuss the prospect of ending the war tonight” – Hans Landa
15. “I, on the other hand, love my unofficial title, precisely because I’ve earned it.” – Hans Landa
16. “I love rumors! Facts can be so misleading, where rumors, true or false, are often revealing.” – Hans Landa
17. “I’m aware what tremendous feats human beings are capable of once they abandon dignity.” – Hans Landa
18. “Tell me, Aldo- if I were sitting where you’re sitting, would you show me mercy?” – Hans Landa
19. “I’m officially surrendering myself over to you, Lieutenant Raine. We’re your prisoners.” – Hans Landa
20. “Are you mad? What have you done? I made a deal with your general for that man’s life!” – Hans Landa
Inglourious Basterds quotes from some of the other characters
21. “Down with Hitler” – Ed Fenech
22. “My name is Shosanna Dreyfus and this is the face of Jewish vengence.” – Shosanna Dreyfus
23. “Can you Americans speak any other language besides English?” – Bridget von Hammersmark
24. “Say ‘Auf Wiedersehen’ to your Nazi balls!” – Hugo Stiglitz
25. “Extraordinary, my dear. Simply extraordinary. This is your finest film yet.” – Hitler
Quentin Tarantino’s hopes for Inglourious Basterds
The other theory about the movie’s incorrect spelling of the word bastard references a scene in the movie.
We get a glimpse of Aldo Raine’s rifle and he had carved the words “Inglourious Basterds” on it.
This was meant to show that he couldn’t spell and tie it into the title of the movie.
The theory about Tarantino’s reasoning being to differentiate between the earlier movie could still be true, and this was just another attempt at justifying the spelling.
Tarantino didn’t just want Inglourious Basterds to stand apart from the earlier movie with a similar title.
He wanted it to be his masterpiece; his life’s work.
You might look at a few of the quotes on this with a more meta context now.
Tarantino is the king of meta!
Do you think Inglourious Basterds is Tarantino’s best film?
Let us know in the comment section below.
