Forrest Gump Quotes

Context

This line is spoken by Forrest Gump (played by Tom Hanks) in the movie Forrest Gump, directed by Robert Zemeckis (1994).

This smash hit took the '90s by storm and had people all over the world doing (often less-than-tasteful) impressions of Forrest Gump's characteristic drawl. In case you've somehow inexplicably managed to not watch this movie, we'll tell you that Forrest is a guy from the South with an unnamed disability that makes him slow-witted. Of course, that doesn't stop him from doing all kinds of stuff, like fight in the Vietnam War, become an international table tennis superstar, start a cross-country running movement, and own a shrimp boat. With his life, Forrest proves that his Mama was right: he might seem stupid, but he shows he's not through the amazing things he does.

Forrest first says the quote to Jenny, the girl who will be his lifelong love, when they meet on the school bus as kids. It pops up later on in the movie as well, like when he blows a wad of cash on a shrimp boat. You can check those moments here and here.

Where you've heard it

This quote pops up way less than other FG favorites, like "Life is like a box of chocolates" or "Run, Forrest! Run!" However, if you're one of the few people who watched the movies Bam Bam and Celeste or Material Girls, then maybe you caught it there. More than likely you've heard one of the other quotes, or you've just heard a joke about Forrest in general, like on The Office, when Meredith tells Pam that her attempt at a southern accent makes her sound like Mr. Gump. To be fair, Meredith is totally right about that.

Additional Notable References:

TV

• The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

It's not pretentious, gang; it's just good common sense.