30+ Stand By Me Quotes From The Classic Coming-Of-Age Movie

In 1986, the movie 'Stand By Me' was released with a successful box office run starring Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O Connell.

This start to finish engaging film, based on the novel 'The Body' by Stephen King, is directed by Rob Reiner and narrated by Wil Wheaton, playing adult Gordon's character. It is based on four boys taking an overnight hike to find a boy who has been missing for days.

Their journey includes a series of great adventures that gives them another chance at friendship to learn about their individual lives, a fresh look at their bonding with each other, and their determination to put their foot down for what is right.

The director, Rob Reiner, showcased friendship on the screen among young people who are 12 or 13 years, going into adulthood, and made this heartfelt film an unassuming hit across all age groups.

Although the film was based on the book 'The Body', a story based on a dead body, Rob Reiner changed the name to 'Stand By Me' to keep a lighter tone without making it sound like a horror movie.

One cannot help but notice a great rapport among the cast members, which sets the tone for the entire movie and its peculiar characters. Wil Wheaton, as Gordie Lachance, is an aspiring writer ignored by his family after his brother's death.

River Phoenix, as Chris Chambers, is empathetic and smart, always helping his friends, and has a violent father.

Corey Feldman, as Teddy Duchamp, doesn't have a chance to do what he likes as he has a father who suffers from PTSD and often expresses it on Teddy.

Jerry O'Connell, as Vern Tessio, is the funniest in the group and keeps the mood light in a serious situation. They create the best moments throughout, starting when they decide to go on the hike one day.

If you enjoy reading some of the best quotes from the movie 'Stand By Me', check out our articles 'The Outsiders' quotes and Stephen King quotes for more interesting quotes.

‍

Light-Hearted Quotes From 'Stand By Me'

The movie was nominated and won several awards, including the Golden Globe Award for best director and best motion picture in the drama category and the Academy Award for best adapted screenplay. Here we bring you some of the best and favorite lines from the movie.

1. "Teddy Duchamp: I am acting my age. I'm in the prime of my youth and I'll only be young once.

Chris Chambers: Yeah, but you're gonna be stupid for the rest of your life."

― 'Stand By Me'.

2. "Gordie Lachance: Do you think I'm weird?

Chris Chambers: Definitely.

Gordie Lachance: No man, seriously. Am I weird?

Chris Chambers: Yeah, but so what? Everybody's weird."

― 'Stand By Me'.

3. "Walking talking Jesus!"

― Gordie Lachance.

4. "Gordie Lachance: Shut up!

Teddy Duchamp: I don't shut up.

Vern Tessio, Chris Chambers, and Teddy Duchamp: I grow up, and when I look at you, I throw up!"

― 'Stand By Me'.

5. "Ace Merrill: What are you gonna do, shoot all of us?

Gordie Lachance: No Ace, just you."

― 'Stand By Me'.

6. "Does the word retarded mean anything to you?"

― Gordie Lachance.

7. "Yeah, by the time we get there the kid won't even be dead anymore."

― Teddy Duchamp.

8. "Gordie Lachance: Mickey's a mouse, Donald's a duck, Pluto's a dog. What's Goofy?

Teddy Duchamp: Goofy's a dog. He's definitely a dog."

― 'Stand By Me'.

9. "If I can only have one food for the rest of my life? That’s easy. Pez. Cherry-flavoured Pez. No question about it."

― Vern Tessio.

10. "That was the all-time train dodge. Too cool. Vern, you were so scared you looked like that fat guy, Abbott Costello, when he saw the mummy."

― Teddy Duchamp.

11. "Oh man, you should have seen your face! Yeah that was cool! That was really fine!"

― Chris Chambers.

12. "Vern Tessio: You think Mighty Mouse could beat up Superman?

Teddy Duchamp: What are you, cracked?

Vern Tessio: No, I saw him on TV the other day, he was holding five elephants in one hand."

― 'Stand By Me'.

Popular 'Stand By Me' Movie Quotes

The movie is also well appreciated for its great short one-liners. Enjoy some of them here that take you back to your young days.

13. "Chris: You saying you wanna go back?

Gordie: No. We're going to see a dead kid... maybe it shouldn't be a party."

― 'Stand By Me'.

14. "Yeah! My dad would hide me anyway. But hell that’s worth a hiding!"

― Chris Chambers.

15. "Ace Merrill: You wasn't planning on taking the body from us, were you, boys?

Chris Chambers: You get away. We found him. We got dibs."

― 'Stand By Me'.

16. "I just wish I could go someplace where nobody knows me."

― Chris Chambers.

17. "Gordie Lachance: I'm no good. My dad said it, I'm no good.

Chris Chambers: He doesn't know you."

― 'Stand By Me'.

18. "The kid wasn’t sick. The kid wasn’t sleeping. The kid was dead."

― The Writer (Adult Gordie).

19. "Chris Chambers: Hey, Vern. You better turn yours over.

Vern Tessio: This is the way I like to do it. Oh, man! Gordie you got anymore?"

― 'Stand By Me'.

20. "I’m never gonna get out of this town, am I, Gordie?"

― Chris Chambers.

21. "Hey, hey, hey! I think Chris is right, let's just go back."

― Vern Tessio.

22. "We all knew what Vern meant right away. At the beginning of the school year, Vern had buried a quart jar of pennies underneath his house. He drew a treasure map so he could find them again."

― The Writer (Adult Gordie).

23. "You can do anything you want, man."

― Gordie Lachance.

'Stand By Me' Friendship Quotes

The film ends when Gordie (Wil Wheaton) finishes his memoir about this incident from his childhood and goes swimming with his son and a friend. Here are some of the best captured moments from the movie that are everyone's favorite.

24. "Gordie Lachance: Why did he have to die, Chris? Why did Denny have to die?

Chris Chambers: I don't know.

Gordie Lachance: It should've been me.

Chris Chambers: Don't say that.

Gordie Lachance: It should've been me."

― 'Stand By Me'.

25. "Ace Merrill: We're gonna get you for this.

Chris Chambers: Maybe you will, maybe you won't.

Ace Merrill: Oh, we will."

― 'Stand By Me'.

26. "Although I haven’t seen him in more than ten years I know I’ll miss him forever. I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anybody?”

― The Writer (Adult Gordie).

27. "None of us could breathe. Somewhere under those bushes was the rest of Ray Brower. The train had knocked Ray Brower out of his Keds just like it had knocked the life out of his body."

― The Writer (Adult Gordie).

28. "I knew the sixty-four thousand dollars question was fixed. There’s no way anybody can know that much about opera."

― Gordie Lachance.

29. "We walked through the night and made it back to Castle Rock a little past five o’clock on Sunday morning, the day before Labor Day. We’d only been gone two days. But somehow the town seemed different. Smaller."

― The Writer (Adult Gordie).

30. "It’s not gonna be like grammar-school, that’s why. You’re taking your college-courses and me Teddy and Vern will all be in the shop-courses with all the rest of the retards making ashtrays and birdhouses. You gonna meet a lot of new guys. Smart guys."

― Chris Chambers.

31. "Friends come in and out of your life like busboys in a restaurant."

― The Writer (Adult Gordie).

32. "I wanted to share my friends’ enthusiasm but I couldn’t. That summer at home I had become the invisible boy."

― The Writer (Adult Gordie).

33. "Teddy Duchamp: Boy, you don't know nothing! Mighty Mouse is a cartoon. Superman's a real guy. There's no way a cartoon could beat up a real guy.

Vern Tessio: Yeah, maybe you're right. It'd be a good fight, though."

― 'Stand By Me'.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotesfor everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 'Stand By Me' quotes then why not take a look at 'Stand and Deliver' quotes, or '80s movie quotes.

‍