How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from It Happened One Night.
Quote #1
PETER: [I'm looking for] the sort of a girl that'd jump in the surf with me on moonlit nights—and love it as much as I did.
This, in a nutshell, is Peter's ideal, and it becomes Ellie's, too, since as soon as Peter shares his vision, she senses its appeal and wants it to be her future as well. She's already that person, though. Just think: The first thing we see her do is jump into the sea and run away from her father. Her adventurous spirit is exactly what Peter wants.
Quote #2
PETER: A normal human being couldn't live under the same roof with her, without going nuts.
Peter may be right, if "going nuts" is just another name for being in love. Interestingly, It Happened One Night doesn't equate love with uninterrupted happiness. It's not all roses and lullabies: Love in this film is also about facing adversity and, above all, having fun together, even when that means being at odds. That's what keeps a life spent together interesting, the film suggests.
Quote #3
ELLIE: How about Cinderella—or a real hot love story?
This is what Ellie proposes she and Peter should perform when they take their show on the road. She says this just after she and Peter have successfully convinced the detectives sent by Ellie's father that she's someone else—specifically, Peter's wife. Here again, a character speaks more of the truth than she means to and in doing so predicts the future—since "a real hot love story" is eventually what the film itself becomes.