Stand By Me: 10 Best Quotes About Youth & Friendship

Summary

• Stand By Me
  captures the vulnerability of young friends like Chris feeling weighed down by reputation.
• Chris reassures Gordie of his dream of becoming a writer, emphasizing the lasting impact of childhood friendships.
• The iconic line, “You guys wanna go see a dead body?” ignites an exciting, dark adventure of youth and fearlessness.

Seen as one of the greatest coming-of-age movies of all time, there are several Stand by Me quotes that highlight the movie’s themes of friendship and the adventures of childhood. Based on a novella by Stephen King and directed by Rob Reiner, 1986’s Stand by Me is one of the most iconic movies of its decade. It follows a group of four young boys on their quest to find a dead body. Along the way, they bond in unexpected ways, giving a whole new meaning to childhood friendship.

The film is narrated by protagonist Gordie Lachance as he looks back on the film’s events years later as an adult. This gives the story a lens of retrospection, reflection, and nostalgia. Youth begins to take on more meaning because the audience is constantly aware of its fleetingness. It is also a story of the close bonds between best friends at a young age, and even though these friendships might fade over the years, their significance lasts a lifetime. While there are many great quotes in Stand by Me, the best capture these themes in a touching and emotional way.

15 “You Can Do Anything You Want, Man.”

Gordie (Wil Wheaton)

One of the big themes of Stand by Me is these kids feeling trapped by their small-town lives. They want to have fun while they’re kids, but they’re getting older, and they know that there is a chance they could end up stuck where they live. This is a discomforting thought, as they see what it does to the people who are still there after all these years. Chris is one of the four boys who see no way out, being from a rough family with limited prospects.

As a good friend will always do, Gordie tries to pump him up with this quote.

Chris tells Gordie as much, as they are sitting together after their adventure and start to get honest about their fears of the future. “I’m never gonna get out of this town am I, Gordie?” Chris asks his friend. However, as a good friend will always do, Gordie tries to pump him up with this quote. Chris isn’t so sure, and they simply slap hands before going their separate ways.

14 “Mighty Mouse Is A Cartoon. Superman’s A Real Guy.”

Teddy (Corey Feldman)

Nothing says friendship like talking about the most nonsensical things, and doing it in a way where both friends are all on board. In this case, the four friends are on their way to see the dead body when Teddy and Vern start talking about two fictional characters. It starts when Verne wonders out loud if Mighty Mouse could beat up Superman. This is a basic debate that happens to this day between comic book fans (Superman vs. the Hulk is a good example). However, this plays out even better.

Teddy seems to think it is ridiculous that Vern could even consider that Mighty Mouse could beat Superman in a fight. That is when Teddy delivers this line, which is equal parts brilliant and equal parts ridiculous. He argues that Mighty Mouse can’t win the fight because he is a cartoon, while Superman is a “real guy.” This is so perfect, as it shows that these friends are all on a journey that will force them to grow up fast, but at the end of the day, they’re all still just kids.

13 “Did Your Mother Have Any Kids That Lived?”

Teddy (Corey Feldman)

When it comes to teens and friendship, kind words and consideration can often take a backseat to insult-throwing, especially when it comes to boys. If Stand by Me shows anything, it is that Gordie, Chris, Teddy, and Verne are used to trash-talking so much that it doesn’t really even affect them, as their only response is usually trying to come up with a better one-liner to throw back at each other. Some of the insults are NSFW, but others are just funny jabs.

For this Stand by Me quote, Teddy is making fun of Vern, which he does more than almost anything else. Chris is mostly patient with Vern, and Gordie is usually nice to everyone. However, Teddy is the master of insults, and as a result, he almost always throws them out at others or is on the brunt end of jokes. Here, he gets one on Vern with his line, and the best part is that Vern only responds, “What do you mean?,” and he really has no idea he was just insulted.

12 “I Brought It For You Guys.”

Vern (Jerry O’Connell)

When the four friends are starting their journey in Stand by Me, they realize that no one brought any food. They argue about the fact that they have nothing to eat and wonder how they’ll sustain themselves on the trip. However, as friends do, they also start arguing about who was actually responsible for getting food to begin with, and everybody looks at Vern. That is when Vern tells them that he brought the comb.

It was enough to make everyone pause, knowing it wasn’t time for more insults.

They have no idea what to make of this before Teddy throws out a line in which he asks why Vern needs a comb since he doesn’t have much hair. Vern’s line is so innocent and sweet when he responds, “I brought it for you guys.” It was enough to make everyone pause, knowing it wasn’t time for more insults. Finally, Chris has them start counting money to see what they can afford. They finally get a few bucks together and get the food before heading out to see the dead body.

11 “I’m Sorry If I’m Spoiling Everyone’s Good Time.”

Teddy (Corey Feldman)

Teddy was always the one with the most insults, the foulest mouth, and the least consideration for anyone around him. However, he is also someone who does this because he is unhappy and knows he has a bad home life and very little prospects for his future. This moment comes in the movie when the kids are all starting to break down a little on their journey, seeing the hopelessness of the situation, and not knowing what the future holds, for that day and the years to come.

Teddy stops his insults and wisecracks, and he starts to feel a little beaten down. This is something his friends notice, and they are there for him. However, this is not something Teddy is used to or wants. He says he is sorry if his attitude is now ruining the good time that everyone else is having. He knows good and well that everyone is feeling down right then. Chris and Gordie then try to make him feel better with Chris saying they understand and Gordie saying maybe seeing a dead kid “shouldn’t be a party” anyway.

10 “You’re Gonna Be A Great Writer Someday, Gordie. You Might Even Write About Us.”

Chris (River Phoenix)

Gordie has dreamed of being a writer and making it out of his small hometown, his unhappy home life, and his lack of wealth and prosperity since childhood. However, over the course of the film, he begins to think his dream is “stupid.” Chris tries to reassure him that he isn’t being foolish for wanting what he does, and that Gordie’s doubts are his dad talking. Gordie often talks about his father despite his claims that he doesn’t care about him, and this leads to a lot of insecurity and self-doubt.

During the boys’ adventure, Chris makes a point of encouraging Gordie to pursue his dream because it’s a worthy one and could actually lead to a better life. He jokes that he might write about them if he’s running out of ideas, but of course, it’s one of the most important experiences of their lives. In the end, Chris’s friendly words of encouragement stick with Gordie and it is indeed his friends he chooses to write about when he is older. It makes for a somewhat meta moment, especially since Stand by Me is partially based on writer Stephen King’s childhood.

9 “It’s What They Think Of Me. I’m Just One Of Those Low-Life Chambers Kids.”

Chris (River Phoenix)

Like Gordie, Chris also feels pressure because of his family’s name. Gordie tells him that they might go to college together in the future, but Chris says they’d never accept him because of his reputation. Even while he tells Gordie that he doesn’t have to listen to his dad, Chris feels weighed down by his own father. All four boys have a different connection with their respective fathers, but it’s a central relationship for all of them and shapes their characters.

This Stand by Me quote represents a heartbreaking moment looking at a child who sees a bleak future he cannot escape simply because of how the world sees him. Chris is usually the strong center of the group, but he allows himself to have a moment of vulnerability with his best friend, sharing the worries he has about his life.

8 “You Guys Wanna Go See A Dead Body?”

Vern (Jerry O’Connell)

The adventure in Stand by Me begins when Vern asks his friends if they’d like to see a dead body. The body is Ray Brower’s, a missing local boy who was found by Vern’s older brother and his friend. Vern overhears them talking about it early in the film, but the older boys are afraid to report it because they recently stole a car. Vern decides to start a search of his own, hoping that he and his friends will become local heroes.

Though a dark concept, this line ignites the adventure and gives that feeling of being young and going along with something exciting and a little dangerous.

The bravery required to set out alone, without adults or proper supplies, speaks to the recklessness and fearlessness of youth, which is the driving force of the entire story. Though a dark concept, this line ignites the adventure and gives that feeling of being young and going along with something exciting and a little dangerous. It also adds a small bit of a horror element expected in a Stephen King adaptation.

7 “We’d Only Been Gone For Two Days But Somehow The Town Seemed Different, Smaller.”

Older Gordie (Richard Dreyfuss)

A fascinating aspect of Stand By Me is how this adventure seems both grand and epic as well as insignificant to the boys. By the end of the story, they are ready to go back to their regular childhood lives, but there is also a sense that this experience profoundly changed them in ways they cannot fully grasp. The boys spend the Labor Day weekend of 1959 looking for Ray Brower, but to them, it feels like an eternity.

Gordie’s narration alludes to his own self-importance at the age of twelve, which is a universal experience for many children and teens. Gordie, Vern, Chris, and Teddy felt like they had changed the world after their little quest, but in reality, they were the ones who had changed. Though they don’t know it, they return to very different lives when their adventure is over.

6 “This Is My Age. I’m In The Prime Of My Youth And I’ll Only Be Young Once.”

Teddy (Corey Haim)

Teddy, like the others, has a tendency to exaggerate and dramatize every situation. However, with this particular Stand by Me quote, he sums up one of the film’s key themes even as he’s joking. When Chris tells him to act his age as they plod through the swamp, Teddy retorts that he is acting his age.

At times, the boys forget how young they are, as many children often do, especially because of the grimness of the circumstances that have brought them together on this journey, which at times sees these children having fun. It is also somewhat of a sad line given the tough lives these characters have and the tragic paths ahead. Teddy joking about living the prime of his life highlights that they do not know what the future has in the story and these fun moments with friends are some of the memories that will stay with them forever.

5 “Although I Hadn’t Seen Him In More Than Ten Years, I Know I’ll Miss Him Forever.”

Older Gordie (Richard Dreyfuss)

There is a sense that the ending of the movie ruins the child-like wonder of the story with Gordie talking about the death of Chris. However, viewers may not remember that the film begins with Gordie, as an adult, reading about Chris’s death in a newspaper. Of course, the boys had long since drifted apart at this point, but their shared experiences will always link them.

This is reflective of real life; at the age of twelve, most friendships feel like they’ll be eternal, but this is rarely the reality. There is something very sad in the revelation that Gordie and Chris did not remain close friends given how important they were to each other in their younger years. However, even though Gordie hasn’t seen Chris in a long time, he still loves him, and their connection will always be important to him — it shaped Gordie’s personality.

4 “We Knew Exactly Who We Were And Where We Were Going. It Was Grand.”

Older Gordie (Richard Dreyfuss)

The iconic coming-of-age storyStand by Me gives a reminder of the hardships of being young but also the freedom that comes with that youth. In addition to the boys’ inflated sense of self-importance, they’re also incredibly sure of who they are — of course, this sense of self will soon unravel, given their age. During the film, the boys are still too young to doubt themselves; they’re naive, ambitious, and outspoken, and they have big dreams for their futures.

Gordie reminisces on the sense of certainty he used to have. “It was grand” implies that he no longer feels this way and probably never has since that Labor Day weekend. It is another moment of older Gordie looking back on the moment, knowing that things did not stay like that forever but still enjoying the time for what it was.

3 “He Doesn’t Know You.”

Chris (River Phoenix)

Children and adolescents often behave differently around their friends than they do around their parents, and the same is true of Gordie and his friends. When Gordie breaks down in front of Chris, wishing that he’d died in his brother’s place, Chris is quick to reassure him. He points to his own father suggesting he is no good, only for Chris to suggest it just means his father doesn’t know who Gordie really is.

It is a beautiful moment of friendship with the idea that a friend can know someone better than their own family. Chris is not just telling Gordie that his father is wrong about him, but he is also showing him that he knows who Gordie truly is and how special he is. With Gordie losing his brother, this is a moment that helps remind him that he is loved and there is someone he can still lean on.

2 “Everybody’s Weird.”

Chris (River Phoenix)

Feeling like an outcast is something that a lot of kids deal with at some point in their childhood. Gordie feels insecure about who he is sometimes, which sets him apart from his peers in some ways, and contradicts his earlier comment on being sure of who he was in his youth. He asks Chris if he’s weird, and Chris responds in the affirmative but insists that everyone is weird in their own way.

In youth, everyone feels like an outsider, but children are the quickest to judge their peers and call them something like “weird”. This is a strange paradox and something that can make growing up in a social setting even more confusing. While Chris could have just reassured Gordie that he isn’t weird, he gives much more helpful feedback, insisting that there is no sense in Gordie trying to change to fit in because everyone has their own eccentricities.

1 “I Never Had Any Friends Later On Like The Ones I Had When I Was Twelve. Jesus, Does Anyone?”

Older Gordie (Richard Dreyfuss)

Something Gordie keeps coming back to in his narration is how things have never been the same since that Labor Day weekend in 1959. In the moment, he doesn’t have any hindsight to reflect on the events, but as an adult, he’s able to see everything more clearly. It puts things into perspective and cements that fact that, as fleeting as they were, these friendships of childhood were important.

He also understands that what he experienced was special and that the devoted friendship he shared with Chris, Vern, and Teddy was a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. Of course, none of the boys could be aware of this in their youth, and it’s only many years later — and after Chris’s death — that Gordie can see the importance of those childhood friendships. Had the boys been older when Ray Brower’s body was found, they might not have embarked on this quest out of fear, doubt, and practicality.