50+ 'Trading Places' Quotes That All Eddie Murphy Fans Will Love

Moumita Dutta
Dec 12, 2023 By Moumita Dutta
Originally Published on Jan 13, 2021
Edited by Monisha Kochhar
An investor checking the stocks

'Trading Places' is a 1983 comedy film that tells the story of two people from extremely different social whose lives cross when they are made to exchange their places unwillingly.

Writing quotes on the front pages of books or sticking them on the wall is something that most people like. Quoting lines from your favorite book or movies shows how much you are dedicated to your interests.

Set in Philadelphia, 'Trading Places' tells the story of Randolph Duke and Mortimer Duke of Duke and Duke Commodities Brokers making a bet to test how each person will perform if their life situations are exchanged.

Even though Valentine and Winthorpe are used as guinea pigs at the start, by the end of Trading Places, they get the upper hand and make a lot of money by selling frozen concentrated orange juice high and then buying low.

Starring Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd, and Jamie Lee Curtis, the film was a box office hit and is one of the best Christmas movies.

The movie was filmed at multiple locations such as New York City, Philadelphia, and Pennsylvania.

The fans of the movie still like to quote lines from the film. One of the best comedies ever made, 'Trading Places', has many funny and intelligent lines that are remarkable and can be quoted even today.

Here we have compiled some of the best lines from 'Trading Places' for you. If you are a fan of Eddie Murphy, make sure not to miss them.

If you liked these lines from the movie, don't forget to check out Ghostbuster Quotes and '80s Movie Quotes for more such content.

Famous 'Trading Places' Quotes

'Trading Places' (1983) is one of the best comedy movies of the 1980s. With famous lines like "feeling good, looking good Billy Ray" and "Merry New Year," the 'Trading Places' cast has done a wonderful job in making the movie a favorite. Here are some of the most famous lines in the film.

1. "He was wearing my Harvard tie. Can you believe it? My Harvard tie. Like oh, sure he went to Harvard."

-Louis Winthorpe.

2. "Louis: Looking good, Billy Ray!

Billy Ray: Feeling good, Louis!"

-Louis Winthorpe and Billy Ray Valentine.

3. "Billy Ray: Merry New Year!

Beeks: That's "happy." In this country, we say, "Happy New Year."

Billy Ray: Oh, ho, ho, thank you for correcting my English, which stinks!"

-Billy Ray Valentine and Clarence Beeks.

4. "Louis: My God! The Dukes are going to corner the entire frozen orange juice market!

Ophelia: Unless somebody stops them...

Coleman: ...or beats them to it. Egg-nog?"

-Louis Winthorpe, Ophelia and Coleman.

5. "That's the gentleman that had me busted."

-Billy Ray Valentine.

6. "That's called the 'quart of blood' technique. You do that, a quart of blood will drop out of a man's body."

- Billy Ray Valentine.

7. "Louis: Look, it tells time simultaneously in Monte Carlo, Beverly Hills, London, Paris, Rome, and Gstaad.

Pawnbroker: In Philadelphia, it's worth 50 bucks."

-Louis Winthorpe and a Pawnbroker.

8. "Mortimer: What's he doing in there?

Coleman: I believe he is singing, sir.

Randolph: They're very musical people, aren't they?"

-Mortimer and Randolph Duke and Coleman.

Winthorpe And Valentine Quotes

The character of Louis Winthorpe is played by Dan Aykroyd in 'Trading Places'. Eddie Murphy plays the character of Billy Ray Valentine. Both of them do an amazing job of making the movie one of the best comedy movies out there. Check out this list of lines by Valentine and Winthorpe.

9. "When you think of love, does your heart go round and round?"

- Billy Ray Valentine.

10. "'Cause I'm a karate man. And a karate man bruises on the inside. They don't show their weakness."

- Billy Ray Valentine.

11. "Well, it's that time of the month again. Payroll checks for our employees, which require your signatures. And no forgetting to sign the big ones!"

-Louis Winthorpe.

12. "Hey, we're losing all our damn money, and Christmas is around the corner, and I ain't gonna have no money to buy my son the G.I. Joe with the kung-fu grip!"

- Billy Ray Valentine.

13. "Can't get around the old minimum wage, Mortimer."

- Louis Winthorpe.

14. "Yeah. You know, it occurs to me that the best way to hurt rich people is by turning them into poor people."

- Billy Ray Valentine.

15. "One dollar. Fine. That's the way they want it - no problem."

- Louis Winthorpe.

16. "You want me to break something else?"

- Billy Ray Valentine

17. "I mean, if this place is indicative of correctional institutions in this country, they might as well let all the convicts out. It's far worse on the inside."

- Louis Winthorpe.

18. "The Dukes used us as guinea pigs, man! It was an experiment to see how our lives would turn out. They made a bet."

- Billy Ray Valentine.

19. "I had the most absurd nightmare. I was poor, and no one liked me. I lost my job, I lost my house, Penelope hated me"

- Louis Winthorpe.

20. "Billy Ray Valentine: Oh, see, I made Louis a bet here. See, Louis bet me that we couldn't both get rich and put y'all in the poor house at the same time. He didn't think we could do it. I won.

Louis Winthorpe: I lost... One dollar."

-Louis Winthorpe and Billy Ray Valentine.

6 Inspiring Quotes From 'Trading Places'

‍If you need some motivation or encouragement, this film has got some great insights and thought-provoking lines even though it is of the comedy genre. Check out this list of six inspiring lines from the movie.

21. "Religion is a good thing, I say, taken in moderation."

- Coleman.

22. "Fear? That's the other guy's problem. Nothing you have ever experienced will prepare you for the absolute carnage you are about to witness."

- Louis Winthorpe.

23. "Just be yourself, sir. Whatever happens, they can't take that away from you."

- Coleman.

24. "Think big, think positive, never show any sign of weakness. "

-Louis Winthorpe.

25. "In this building, it's either kill or be killed. You make no friends in the pits, and you take no prisoners."

- Louis Winthorpe.

26. "I do not drink. It is against my religion."

- Billy Ray Valentine.

The Duke Brothers Quotes

The main antagonists, Randolph and Mortimer Duke (played by Ralph Bellamy and Don Amache) have delivered some remarkable lines in the movie that have even become memes. Be it investing in pork bellies or frozen concentrated orange juice, they had the best plans to make money but lost everything by falling into the trap set by Valentine and Winthorpe.

Here are some of their best lines from the movie.

27. "The good part, William, is that no matter whether our clients make money or lose money, Duke & Duke get the commissions."

- Randolph Duke.

28. "Randolph Duke: Mother always said you were greedy.

Mortimer Duke: She meant it as a compliment."

- Mortimer and Randolph Duke.

29. "We seem to be paying some of our employees an awful lot of money."

- Mortimer Duke.

30. "Money isn't everything, Randolph."

- Mortimer Duke.

31. "Sell, Mortimer! Sell!"

- Randolph Duke.

32. "I want trading reopened right now! Get those brokers back in here! Turn those machines back on!! TURN THOSE MACHINES BACK ON!!"

- Mortimer Duke, 'Trading Places', Stock Market scene.

33. "Commodities are agricultural products... like coffee that you had for breakfast... wheat, which is used to make bread... pork bellies, which is used to make bacon, which you might find in a 'bacon and lettuce and tomato' sandwich."

- Randolph Duke.

34. "A Duke has been sitting on this exchange since it was founded. We founded this exchange. IT'S OURS. IT BELONGS TO US."

- Mortimer Duke.

35. "That man is a product of a poor environment. There's nothing wrong with him; I can prove it."

- Randolph Duke.

36. "He's probably been stealing since he could crawl."

- Mortimer Duke.

Funny Quotes From 'Trading Places'

The film is a comedy and has some of the funniest dialogues that will make you laugh every time you hear it. These funny quotes that graced the silver screen have spanned over generations. Take a look at these lines by the funniest 'Trading Places' characters.

37. "Listen, taxis cost money, food costs, money and rent costs money! Now, you want me to help you out; I expect a lot in return."

- Ophelia.

38. "It was a stone groove, my man! You are, the most, righteous."

- Even Bigger Black Guy.

39. "Nenge? Nenge Mboko? It is me, Lionel Joseph!"

- Louis Winthorpe,' Trading Places', Train scene.

40. "I can SEE... I can WALK... It's a MIRACLE!"

- Billy Ray Valentine.

41. "Sounds to me like you guys are a couple of bookies."

- Billy Ray Valentine.

42. "I ain't got time to be sitting in this cell with you."

- Billy Ray Valentine,' Trading Places', Jail scene.

43. "You've never done a day's work in your life."

- Ophelia.

44. "Christmas, huh? I'll give him a Christmas present he'll never forget."

- Louis Winthorpe.

Iconic Lines From 'Trading Places' Film

There are many exemplary lines in the movie 'Trading Places.' Actors of the movie skillfully delivered these lines and made them iconic. Quoting iconic lines from movies can make you look cool. Here we have compiled few such lines for you to take a look at.

45. "It ain't cool being no jive turkey so close to Thanksgiving."

-Even Bigger Black Guy.

46. "So the usual bet, Mortimer?"

- Randolph Duke.

47. "And then there are other commodities, like frozen orange juice... and gold. Though, of course, gold doesn't grow on trees like oranges."

- Randolph Duke.

48. "This place is a dump... but it's cheap, it's clean, and it's all mine."

-Ophelia.

49. "This an outrage! I demand a full investigation!"

- Mortimer Duke.

50. "Lose it? Why, in a couple of hours, you gonna be the richest butler that ever lived, man."

- Billy Ray Valentine.

51. "And she stepped on the ball."

- Bunny.

52. "You'll all be very, very sorry."

- Louis Wintorpe.

53. "Yeah, it was real hush-hush. I was Agent Orange."

- Billy Ray Valentine.

54. "You have to admit, sir, you didn't like it yourself a bit."

- Coleman.

55. "Sell 30 April at 142!"

- Louis Winthorpe.

Eddie Murphy Quotes

If you enjoyed Eddie Murphy's role as Billy Ray Valentine, take a look at these famous lines by Eddie Murphy.

56. "The advice I would give to someone is to not take anyone's advice."

- Eddie Murphy.

57. "I've always had confidence. It came because I have lots of initiative. I wanted to make something of myself."

- Eddie Murphy.

58. "Anything you have to acquire a taste for was not meant to be eaten."

- Eddie Murphy.

59. "But when I marry, I want the woman to love me for who I am, not because of what I am."

- Eddie Murphy, 'Coming To America,' 1988.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 50+ Trading Places Quotes, then why not take a look at Shrek 2 Quotes or Airplane Movie Quotes.

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Written by Moumita Dutta

Bachelor of Arts specializing in Journalism and Mass Communication, Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Management

Moumita Dutta picture

Moumita DuttaBachelor of Arts specializing in Journalism and Mass Communication, Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Management

A content writer and editor with a passion for sports, Moumita has honed her skills in producing compelling match reports and stories about sporting heroes. She holds a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management, Calcutta University, alongside a postgraduate diploma in Sports Management.

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