Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Quotes
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Source: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Speaker: Jefferson Smith
"I wouldn't give you two cents for all your fancy rules."
I wouldn't give you two cents for all your fancy rules if, behind them, they didn't have a little bit of plain, ordinary, everyday kindness and a little looking out for the other fella, too.
Context
This line is spoken by Jefferson Smith, played by James Stewart, in the movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, directed by Frank Capra (1939).
This movie is about a naïve, super-honest guy named Smith, who randomly gets plunked into a slot in the U.S. Senate. He's manipulated by the corrupt Washington machine at first, but eventually takes a stand with a 24 hour long filibuster, during which he refuses to relinquish the Senate floor until his voice is heard. This particular quote is one of many that come out the mouth of Mr. Smith as he fights to reclaim the American dream.
Where you've heard it
These days, Mr. Smith is pretty much synonymous with anybody who tries to take a stand against the powers that be, and the famous filibuster from the movie is mentioned anytime somebody pulls a similar trick.
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.
Mr. Smith is standing up for the little guy—nothing pretentious about that.