The Best James Tolkan Quotes

Marty: [reading a newspaper] 1985... it can't be...
[shotgun cocks behind him]
S. S. Strickland: Drop it!
[Marty drops the newspaper]
S. S. Strickland: So you're the son of a bitch who's been stealing my newspapers.
Marty: Mr. Strickland! Mr. Strickland. It- it- it's me, sir. It's Marty!
S. S. Strickland: Who?
Marty: [terrified] Marty McFly! Marty McFly! Don't you know me, sir? From school, sir!
S. S. Strickland: I've never seen you before in my life, but you look to me like a slacker!
Marty: Yeah! That's right! That's right, I am a slacker! Don't you remember, you gave me detention last week!
S. S. Strickland: Last week? The school burned down six years ago! Now you got exactly three seconds to get off my porch with your nuts intact! One!
Marty: [screams] Oh, please! Mr. Strickland! I just wanna know what the hell's going on here!
S. S. Strickland: Two!
Marty: [covers groin] Ahhhhh!
[gang members in a truck round the corner]
Gang: Hey, Strickland!
[they do a drive-by]
Marty: [covering his ears] Ah! Ah! Oh! Oh!
[jumps over porch]
S. S. Strickland: [fires two rounds] Eat lead, slackers!

Dr. B. Langford Oates: [looking at all white people but Carlton] What do you different about these students?
Will: Is that a trick question?

Buford: Smile, Marshall. After all, this *is* a party!
Marshall: The only party I'll be smilin' at is the one that sees you at the end of a rope.
Strickland's: Have fun.
[Buford and his gang head toward the town festival]
Marshall: [turns to his son] See, that's how you handle them, son. Never give 'em an inch, and maintain discipline at all times. Remember that word - "discipline."
Marshal: I will, Pa.
[the Marshall pats his son on the leg]

Officer: [in the midst of the MIG battle] Both Catapults are broken, sir.
Stinger: How long will it take?
Officer: It'll take ten minutes.
Stinger: Bullshit ten minutes! This thing will be over in two minutes! Get on it!

Stinger: And if you screw up just this much, you'll be flying a cargo plane full of rubber dog shit out of Hong Kong!
Maverick: Yes, sir!

Stinger: They gave you your choice of duty, son. Anything, anywhere. Do you believe that shit? Where do you think you wanna go?
Maverick: I thought of being an instructor, sir.
Stinger: Top Gun?
Maverick: Yes, sir.
Stinger: God help us.

S. S. Strickland: Is that liquor I smell Tannen?
Young: Ahhh, I wouldn't know. I don't know what liquor smells like, cuz I'm too young to drink it.

Stinger: Maverick, you just did an incredibly brave thing. What you should have done was land your plane! You don't own that plane, the tax payers do! Son, your ego is writing checks your body can't cash. You've been busted, you lost your qualifications as section leader three times, put in hack twice by me, with a history of high speed passes over five air control towers, and one admiral's daughter!
Goose: Penny Benjamin?
[Maverick shrugs]
Stinger: And you asshole, you're lucky to be here!
Goose: Thank you, sir.
Stinger: And let's not bullshit Maverick. Your family name ain't the best in the Navy. You need to be doing it better, and cleaner than the other guy. Now what is it with you?
Maverick: Just want to serve my country, be the best pilot in the Navy, sir.
Stinger: Don't screw around with me Maverick. You're a hell of an instinctive pilot. Maybe too good. I'd like to bust your butt but I can't. I got another problem here. I gotta send somebody from this squadron to Miramar. I gotta do something here, I still can't believe it. I gotta give you your dream shot! I'm gonna send you up against the best. You two characters are going to Top Gun.