The most romantic movie lines ever. Find your inspiration for Valentine’s Day

For those moments when ‘I love you’ seems a bit lame, you can count on these timeless lines from Hollywood romances:

`We’ll always have Paris’

Casablanca: Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) to Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman)

There’s got to be something to a line that is remembered and repeated even 70 years after it was first uttered on screen. Bogart says this to Ingrid Bergman as they prepare to part in one of the most memorable movie climaxes of all time. He’s referring to their brief, intense romance in Paris on the eve of World War II. The line from the 1942 classic features on the American Film Institute’s list of ‘100 years… 100 movie quotes’.

‘You should be kissed, and often, and by someone who knows how’

Gone with the Wind: Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) to Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh)

The rakish Clark Gable and an impetuous Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara made one of the most enduring on-screen couples ever in the sweeping drama set in the American Civil War. This line crackled with their chemistry for all its male chauvinistic tone.

‘I might be the only one who appreciates how amazing you are in every single thing that you do, and … I watch them, wondering how they can watch you bring their food, and clear their tables and never get that they just met the greatest woman alive. And the fact that I get it makes me feel good, about me.’

As Good as it Gets: Melvin (Jack Nicholson) to Carol (Helen Hunt)

What happens when a rude, sociopathic writer with OCD begins to soften in the face of love? Jack Nicholson finds it hard to express his feelings for Helen Hunt, who plays a single mother and struggling waitress. Then, says it beautifully.

‘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.’

Dirty Dancing: Baby (Jennifer Grey) to Johnny (Patrick Swayze)

The 80s film about forbidden love is among the most-loved romantic movies. This line stands out from amidst the dance moves and the great sound track.

‘You jump, I jump, remember?’

Titanic: Jack Dawson (Leonardo di Caprio) to Rose (Kate Winslett)

The dramatic setting of an ocean liner doomed to sink on its maiden voyage, the eternal rich girl-poor boy love story … it was the ultimate in romance. James Cameron’s grand spectacle is packed with memorable lines such as this.

‘And it’s not because I’m lonely, and it’s not because it’s New Year’s Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.’

When Harry Met Sally: Harry (Billy Crystal) to Sally (Meg Ryan)

The iconic rom-com set the trend for many films in the genre. It’ packed with great lines and screenwriter Nora Ephron seems to have saved the best for last. In the awwww-evoking climax Billy rushes to a New Year’s Eve party to declare his love for Sally in this disarming way.

‘You had me at hello’

Jerry McGuire: Dorothy (Renée Zellweger) to Jerry (Tom Cruise)

‘Show me the money’ may be an oft-quoted line from the film, but Renee Zellweger clinches it with this one. It’s her response to Jerry’s rambling declaration of love and a catch phrase for love at first sight.

After all, I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.

Notting Hill: Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) to William Thacker (Hugh Grant)

It’s a special moment when it’s a Hollywood super star uttering these words to the gauche owner of a travel book store in Notting Hill. The impossible love story makes you so want to believe in fairytale romances.

‘I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone.’

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Arwen (Liv Tyler) to Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen)

The LOTR films are not where you’ll expect to be tripping over romantic lines. But the half-elven Arwen, who gives up her immortality to be with Aragorn, says it so beautifully. It makes even nerds feel that lump in the throat.

‘It was a million tiny little things that, when you added them all up, they meant we were supposed to be together … and I knew it. I knew it the very first time I touched her. It was like coming home. .. only to no home I’d ever known …’

Sleepless in Seattle: Sam Baldwin (Tom Hanks) directed at Annie Reed (Meg Ryan)

They are not face to face when Tom Hanks says this. In fact, he’s on a caller line to a radio station and Meg Ryan is listening in. But there’s enough feeling to make you want to reach for the box of tissues.