Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is one of those films that has stood the test of time.
Released in 1986, this iconic teen comedy follows Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick), a high school senior who bunks school for a day of fun in Chicago, dragging his best friends, Cameron (Alan Ruck) and Sloane (Mia Sara), along for with him. His only mission is to enjoy a day of freedom without getting caught by his overzealous principal, Ed Rooney, who is determined to catch him in the act.
There are so many memorable moments throughout the movie from the trio from sneaking into a fancy restaurant to taking a joyride in a Ferrari.
The film is also a love letter to Chicago, with its stunning shots of the city’s most iconic landmarks, including the Sears Tower and Wrigley Field. The way the city serves as the perfect backdrop to Ferris’s adventure.
If you love the film as much as we do, here are some iconic quotes from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off that will transport you back in time.
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Ferris: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
Ferris: “Pardon my French, but Cameron is so tight that if you stuck a lump of coal up his ass, in two weeks you’d have a diamond.”
Cameron: “The 1961 Ferrari 250GT California. Less than a hundred were made. My father spent three years restoring this car. It is his love, it is his passion.”
Ferris: “It is his fault he didn’t lock the garage.”
Cameron: “He’ll keep calling me, he’ll keep calling me until I come over. He’ll make me feel guilty. This is uh… This is ridiculous, ok I’ll go, I’ll go, I’ll go, I’ll go, I’ll go. What – I’LL GO. Shit.”
Ferris: “Not that I condone fascism, or any -ism for that matter. -Ism’s in my opinion are not good. A person should not believe in an -ism, he should believe in himself. I quote John Lennon, “I don’t believe in Beatles, I just believe in me.” Good point there. After all, he was the walrus. I could be the walrus. I’d still have to bum rides off people.”
Grace: “Oh, he’s very popular Ed. The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, wastoids, dweebies, dickheads – they all adore him. They think he’s a righteous dude.”
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Movie Quotes
Ferris: “Cameron has never been in love – at least, nobody’s ever been in love with him. If things don’t change for him, he’s gonna marry the first girl he lays, and she’s gonna treat him like shit, because she will have given him what he has built up in his mind as the end-all, be-all of human existence. She won’t respect him, ’cause you can’t respect somebody who kisses your ass. It just doesn’t work.”
Sloane: “The city looks so peaceful from up here.”
Ferris: “Anything is peaceful from one thousand, three hundred and fifty-three feet.”
Cameron: “I think I see my dad.”
Ferris’s doorbell message: “Oh, I’m sorry. I can’t come to the door right now. I’m afraid that in my weakened condition, I could take a nasty spill down the stairs and subject myself to further school absences. You can reach my parents at their places of business. Thank you for stopping by. I appreciate your concern for my well-being. Have a nice day!”
Ed Rooney: “Les jeux sont faits.” Translation: the game is up. Your ass is mine.
Cameron: “I am not going to sit on my ass as the events that affect me unfold to determine the course of my life. I’m going to take a stand. I’m going to defend it. Right or wrong, I’m going to defend it.”
Katie Bueller: “I just picked up Jeannie at the police station! She got a speeding ticket, another speeding ticket, and I lost the Vermont deal because of her!”
Tom Bueller: “I think we should shoot her.”
Ferris: “The key to faking out the parents is the clammy hands. It’s a good non-specific symptom; I’m a big believer in it. A lot of people will tell you that a good phony fever is a dead lock, but, uh… you get a nervous mother, you could wind up in a doctor’s office. That’s worse than school. You fake a stomach cramp, and when you’re bent over, moaning and wailing, you lick your palms. It’s a little childish and stupid, but then, so is high school.”
Ferris: “If anyone needs a day off, it’s Cameron. He has a lot of things to sort out before he graduates. Can’t be wound up this tight and go to college, his roommate will kill him.”
Ed Rooney: “I did not achieve this position in life by having some snot-nosed punk leave my cheese out in the wind.”
Cameron: “What’d I do?”
Ferris: “You killed the car.”
Sloane: “Mr. Rooney… Ed… you’re a beautiful man. I want to thank you for your warmth and compassion.”
Ferris: “Don’t worry about it, I don’t even have a piece of shit. I have to envy yours.”
Cameron: “Oh, thanks.”
Ferris: “It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.”
Ed Rooney: “How would you feel about another year of high school? Under my close personal supervision.”
Cameron: “That whole time I was just thinking things over. I was like – I was like meditating. Then I sort of watched myself from inside. I realized it was ridiculous – being afraid. Worrying about everything. Wishing I was dead. It was the best day of my life.”
Ed Rooney: “Something is going on – and I’m going to find out what it is. I’m going to catch this kid and put one helluva dent in his future. Fifteen years from now, when he looks back on the ruin his life has become, he is going to remember Edward Rooney.”
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