In 1987, a romantic drama starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey took the world by storm. The film, which is one of the most popular films of all time, was aptly called Dirty Dancing. By today’s standards, there is not much ‘dirty’ about any of those moves, but in the late 80s, they were considered a little risque, and definitely not something ‘decent people’ did in the 60s (when the movie was set). Especially for the upper-class crowd portrayed in Dirty Dancing. If you are wondering what some of the most famous lines are from the movie, then just keep reading through these Dirty Dancing quotes!

The movie had it all! Dancing and drama, love and betrayal, social awareness, and a little rebellion, all packaged with a ‘stick it to the man’ attitude. It was perfect and if you haven’t seen it, you really should. Here a quick recap though so these Dirty Dancing quotes make sense!

It is 1963, and Frances Houseman is on vacation with her family at Kellerman’s, an upscale Catskills resort. One night, Baby witnesses Max, the owner, and her dad’s friend, telling the servers (all Ivy League students), to flirt with guests’ daughters, no matter how unattractive.

Max is rude to the entertainment staff (working-class people), including Johnny Castle, a dance instructor. There is an instant attraction between the two when Baby and Johnny meet at a staff party. Was the chemistry between Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey real though? Keep reading to find out!

Don’t forget to also check out these Optimus Prime quotes from the Transformers Autobot leader.

The most memorable Dirty Dancing movie quotes

1. “Nobody puts Baby in a corner.” — Johnny Castle

2. “You just put your pickle on everybody’s plate, college boy, and leave the hard stuff to me.” — Johnny Castle

3. “Look, spaghetti arms. This is my dance space. This is your dance space. I don’t go into yours, you don’t go into mine. You gotta hold the frame.” — Johnny Castle

4. “No, the-the way he saved her. I-I mean, I-I could never do anything like that. That was somethin’.” — Johnny Castle

5. “I carried a watermelon.” — Frances “Baby” Houseman

6. “Oh, come on, ladies. God wouldn’t have given you maracas if He didn’t want you to shake ’em.” — Penny Johnson

7. “Go back to your playpen, Baby.” — Penny Johnson

8. Johnny: “What’s your real name, Baby?”

Baby: “Frances. For the first woman in the Cabinet.”

Johnny: “Frances. That’s a real grown up name.”

9. “Sorry for the disruption, folks, but I always do the last dance of the season. This year somebody told me not to. So I’m gonna do my kind of dancin’ with a great partner, who’s not only a terrific dancer, but somebody who’s taught me that there are people willing to stand up for other people no matter what it costs them. Somebody who’s taught me about the kind of person I wanna be. Miss Frances Houseman.” — Johnny Castle

Famous Dirty Dancing quotes from “Baby”

10. “We’re supposed to do the show in two days, you won’t show me the lifts, I’m not sure of the turns, I’m doing all this to save your ass, what I really want to do is drop you on it!” — Frances “Baby” Houseman

11. “That was the summer of 1963—when everybody called me Baby, and it didn’t occur to me to mind. That was before President Kennedy was shot, before the Beatles came, when I couldn’t wait to join the Peace Corps, and I thought I’d never find a guy as great as my dad. That was the summer we went to Kellerman’s.” — Frances “Baby” Houseman
12. “Me? I’m scared of everything. I’m scared of what I saw, I’m scared of what I did, of who I am, and most of all I’m scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life the way I feel when I’m with you.” — Frances “Baby” Houseman

13. “You told me you wanted me to change the world, make it better. But you meant by becoming a lawyer or an economist and marrying someone from Harvard. I’m not proud of myself, but I’m in this family too and you can’t keep giving me the silent treatment. There are a lot of things about me that aren’t what you thought. But if you love me, you have to love all the things about me, and I love you and I’m sorry I let you down. I’m so sorry, Daddy. But you let me down too.” — Frances “Baby” Houseman

14. “You were right, Johnny. You can’t win no matter what you do!” — Frances “Baby” Houseman

15. “So I did it for nothing. I hurt my family, you lost your job anyway, I did it for nothing!” — Frances “Baby” Houseman

16. “Yeah, tell him your ideas! He’s a person like everyone else. I’m sure he’ll think they’re great.” — Frances “Baby” Houseman

17. “It-it’s just wrong this way. It should be with someone – it should be with someone that you sort of love.” — Frances “Baby” Houseman

18. “They fired you anyway because of me.” — Frances “Baby” Houseman

19. “Well, then why not fight harder? Make them listen?” — Frances “Baby” Houseman

Dirty Dancing quotes and lines from Johnny

20. “Now, you’ll hurt me if you don’t trust me, all right?” — Johnny Castle

21. “You wanna hear somethin’ crazy? Last night I… I dreamed that we were walkin’ along and we met your father. He said, ‘Come on,’ and he put his arm around me. Just like he did with Robbie.” — Johnny Castle

22. “That little wimp. He wouldn’t know a new idea if it hit him in the Pachenga.” — Johnny Castle

23. “I don’t see you fightin’ so hard, Baby. I don’t see you runnin’ up to daddy tellin’ him I’m your guy.” — Johnny Castle

24. “Don’t put your heel down, don’t put your heel down.” — Johnny Castle

25. “It’s not on the one, it’s not the mambo. It’s a feeling, a heartbeat.” — Johnny Castle

26. “Look, I know these people, Baby. They’re all rich and they’re mean. They won’t listen to me.” — Johnny Castle

27. “And if I leave quietly, I’ll get my summer bonus.” — Johnny Castle

28. “I’ll never be sorry.” — Johnny Castle

29. “Yeah, it takes a real saint to ask Daddy.” — Johnny Castle

30. “The reason people treat me like I’m nothin’ is because I’m nothin’.” — Johnny Castle

31. “Very early I learned that you have to be true to yourself about what you care about – what you believe in. If you’re not, you have nothing at all. You have to listen to that bird inside that tells you what’s right.” — Johnny Castle

32. “No, no. Look, you’ve gotta understand what it’s like, Baby. You come from the streets and suddenly you’re up here, and these women, they are throwing themselves at ya, and they smell so good, and they really take care of themselves. I mean, I never knew women could be like that, you know?” — Johnny Castle

Dirty Dancing quotes from Baby’s family

33. “I won’t tell your mother about this. Right now, I’m goin’ to bed. And take that stuff off your face before your mother sees you.” — Dr. Jake Houseman

34. “I’ve been thinkin’ about the Domino Effect. Now, if Vietnam falls, what does that mean China’s next?” — Lisa Houseman

35. “Don’t you tell me what to see! I see someone in front of me who got his partner in trouble and sent her off to some butcher, while he moved on to an innocent young girl like my daughter!” — Dr. Jake Houseman

36. “When I’m wrong, I say I’m wrong.” — Dr. Jake Houseman

37. Lisa Houseman: “Oh, my God. Look at that! Ma, I should have brought those coral shoes. You said I was taking too much!”

Marjorie Houseman: “Well, sweetheart, you brought ten pairs.”

Lisa Houseman: “But the coral shoes match that dress!”

38. “Oh, come on. You don’t care about me. You wouldn’t care if I humped the entire army… as long as they were on the right side of the Ho Chi Minh Trail.” — Lisa Houseman

39. “Where is my beige iridescent lipstick?” — Lisa Houseman

40. “I’ve decided to go all the way with Robbie.” — Lisa Houseman

41. “You’re not the person I thought you were. I’m not sure who you are.” — Dr. Jake Houseman

Funny Dirty Dancing quotes

42. “You know I finally met a girl exactly like my mother: dress like her, acts like her. So I brought her home, my father doesn’t like her!” — Stan

43. Jake Houseman: “Max, our Baby’s gonna change the world.”

Max Kellerman: [to Lisa Houseman] “And what are you gonna do, missy?”

Baby Houseman: “Oh, Lisa’s going to decorate it.”

44. Marjorie Houseman: “Look at all of this leftover food. Are there still starving children in Europe?”

Baby Houseman: “Try SouthEast Asia, Ma.”

45. “I didn’t spend all summer long toasting bagels just to bail out some little chick who probably balled every guy in the place.” — Robbie Gould

46. “God, I’m so sick of this rain. Remind me never to take my honeymoon at Niagara Falls.” — Lisa Houseman

47. “This is not a tragedy. A tragedy is three men trapped in a mine, or police dogs used in Birmingham.” — Dr. Jake Houseman

48. “Sure Neil. No problem. We’ll end the season with the Pachenga.” — Johnny Castle

49. Baby Houseman: “Monks burning themselves in protest.”

Lisa Houseman: “Butt out, Baby.”

50. “But, last week, I took a girl from Jamie, the lifeguard. And he said to her, right in front of me, ‘What does he have that I don’t have?’ And she said, ‘Two hotels.’” — Neil Kellerman

Which of these Dirty Dancing quotes is your favorite?

The truth is that both stars talked about their frustration with the other, over the course of their careers. So the tension the audience feels is definitely there, just not in the way we interpret it!

After Johnny and Baby meet, they face a series of challenges including having to get Baby’s dad to save Johnny’s former dance partner from a botched abortion. Jake Houseman wrongfully assumes that Johnny is the father, but it’s actually Robbie, who has been trying to romance Baby’s elder sister,

The audience witnesses the tension between the stars while Johnny is trying to teach Baby the dance moves for a competition he was supposed to enter with his old partner. Their animosity for one another added so much extra heat to these scenes. Ultimately, they are discovered and Baby’s father forbids her from having anything to do with Johnny, which leads up to the most memorable line of the film, “No one puts Baby in a corner.”

It’s such a worthwhile film to watch, with a fabulous story and stellar acting, so if you haven’t watched it, carve out about two hours and give it a shot. Are you already a fan? Let us know your favorite Dirty Dancing quotes and lines in the comment section below!

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