The Dude Abides — 50+ Hilarious Quotes From The Big Lebowski

Even when a film doesn’t sell many box office tickets, it can still become a cult classic. The Coen Brothers unleashed The Big Lebowski in 1998. Unfortunately, it competed against the immensely successful Titanic and basically never stood a chance. Despite smaller audiences when the movie first came out, today there are thousands…nay….millions who believe that The Big Lebowski is a perfect comedic movie. To ask a fan to name their favorite Big Lebowski quotes would probably end up with them reciting the entire movie; the script is just that good. Each over-the-top character (and actor) shows out a memorable performance from Jeff Bridges as the Dude to Philip Seymour Hoffman as Brandt and everyone in between. The soundtrack is absolute perfection, and you witness one of the most memorable movie dream sequences ever. Maude Lebowski (Julianne Moore) in Roman battle gear: VA-VA-VOOM!

The plot is simple and yet so convoluted: Stoner pacifist Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski is mistaken for a millionaire with the same name. The Dude seeks compensation for his rug getting peed on but gets in over his head when the millionaire’s trophy wife gets kidnapped. The Dude enlists his bowling buddies to help out, leading to interactions with Nihilists, police, porn directors, and the millionaire’s daughter, an avant-garde artist Maude Lebowski.

The flawless script paired with the perfect cast has led to a massive cult following over the years equipped with annual Lebowski Fests, endless merch and fan art, and some incredible cosplay opportunities. So pour yourself a White Russian, and enjoy these memorable and hilarious quotes from The Big Lebowski.

The Dude Quotes

1. “Obviously you’re not a golfer.”
2. “Hey, nice marmot.”
3. “Careful man, there’s a beverage here!”
4. “Let me explain something to you. Um, I am not ‘Mr. Lebowski.’ You’re Mr. Lebowski. I’m the Dude, so that’s what you call me. That or, uh, His Dudeness or, uh, Duder, or El Duderino, if you’re not into the whole brevity thing.”
5. “I had a rough night and I hate the fucking Eagles, man.”
6. “The rug really tied the room together.”
7. “This aggression will not stand, man.”
8. “Hey, I know that guy, he’s a Nihilist. Karl Hungus.”
9. “Yeah, well, you know, that’s just, like, your opinion, man.”
10. “This is a very complicated case, Maude. You know, a lotta ins, a lotta outs, lotta what-have-yous.”
11. “Walter, I love you, but sooner or later, you’re going to have to face the fact you’re a goddamn moron.”
12. “You human… paraquat!”
13. “Mr. Treehorn treats objects like women, man.”
14. “She’s not my special lady, she’s my fucking lady friend. I’m just helping her conceive, man!”
15. “The Dude abides.”
16. “At least I’m housebroken.”
17. “They’re gonna kill that poor woman.”
18. “Strikes and gutters, ups and downs.”
19. “What the fuck you talkin’ about?”

More Big Lebowski Quotes

1. Blond Treehorn Thug: “Your name’s Lebowski, Lebowski. Your wife is Bunny.”

The Dude: “My… my wi-, my wife, Bunny? Do you see a wedding ring on my finger? Does this place look like I’m fucking married? The toilet seat’s up, man!”

1. The Big Lebowski: “What makes a man, Mr. Lebowski?”

The Dude: “Dude.” The Big Lebowski: “Huh?” The Dude: “Uhh… I don’t know, sir.” The Big Lebowski: “Is it being prepared to do the right thing, whatever the cost? Isn’t that what makes a man?”

1. Maude Lebowski: “What do you do for recreation?”

The Dude: “Oh, the usual. I bowl. Drive around. The occasional acid flashback.”

1. Maude Lebowski: “Does the female form make you uncomfortable, Mr. Lebowski?”

The Dude: “Uh, is that what this is a picture of?” Maude Lebowski: “In a sense, yes. My art has been commended as being strongly vaginal, which bothers some men. The word itself makes some men uncomfortable. Vagina.” The Dude: “Oh yeah?” Maude Lebowski: “Yes they don’t like hearing it and find it difficult to say whereas, without batting an eye, a man will refer to his dick or his rod or his Johnson.” The Dude: “Johnson?”

1. Maude Lebowski: “Do you like sex, Mr. Lebowski?”

The Dude: “‘Scuse me?” Maude Lebowski: “Sex. The physical act of love. Coitus. Do you like it?” The Dude: “I was talking about my rug.” Maude Lebowski: “You’re not interested in sex?” The Dude: “You mean coitus?”

1. “Fuck it, Dude. Let’s go bowling.” — Walter Sobchak
2. “Smokey, this is not ‘Nam. This is bowling. There are rules.” — Walter Sobchak
3. “Shut the fuck up, Donny!” — Walter Sobchak
4. “Is this your homework, Larry?” — Walter Sobchak
5. “Has the whole world gone crazy? Am I the only one around here who gives a shit about the rules? You think I’m fuckin’ around, mark it zero!” — Walter Sobchak
6. “Forget it, Donny, you’re out of your element!” — Walter Sobchak
7. “That rug really tied the room together, did it not?” — Walter Sobchak
8. “You want a toe? I can get ya a toe. Believe me, there are ways dude, you don’t even wanna know about ‘em, believe me. Hell, I can get ya a toe by three o’clock this afternoon, with nail polish.” — Walter Sobchak
9. “Nihilists! Fuck me. I mean, say what you want about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it’s an ethos.” — Walter Sobchak
10. Walter Sobchak: “Saturday, Donny, is Shabbos, the Jewish day of rest. That means that I don’t work, I don’t drive a car, I don’t fucking ride in a car, I don’t handle money, I don’t turn on the oven, and I sure as shit don’t fucking roll!”

Donny: “Sheesh.” Walter Sobchak: “Shomer shabbos!” The Dude: “Walter, how am I going to…” Walter Sobchak: “Shomer fucking shabbos.”

1. “Donny was a good bowler and a good man. He was one of us. He was a man who loved the outdoors… and bowling, and as a surfer, he explored the beaches of Southern California, from La Jolla to Leo Carrillo and… up to… Pismo. He died, like so many young men of his generation, he died before his time.” — Walter Sobchak
2. “You said it, man. Nobody fucks with the Jesus.” — Jesus Quintana
3. “What’s this day of rest shit? What’s this bullshit? I don’t fuckin’ care! It don’t matter to Jesus. But you’re not foolin’ me, man. You might fool the fucks in the league office, but you don’t fool Jesus. This bush league psych-out stuff. Laughable, man — haha!” — Jesus Quintana
4. “He’s a good man… and thorough.” — Maude Lebowski
5. “Do you have to use so many cuss words?” — The Stranger
6. “Sometimes you eat the bear, and sometimes, well, he eats you.” — The Stranger
7. “Your revolution is over, Mr. Lebowski. Condolences. The bums lost. My advice is to do what your parents did; get a job, sir. The bums will always lose. Do you hear me, Lebowski?” — The Big Lebowski
8. “Her life is in your hands, Dude.” — Brandt
9. “I am the walrus.” — Donny
10. “Phone’s ringing, Dude.” — Donny
11. “Ve vant ze money, Lebowski.” — Nihilist
12. Bunny Lebowski: “Uli doesn’t care about anything. He’s a Nihilist.”

The Dude: “Ah, that must be exhausting.”

1. Jackie Treehorn: “Interactive erotic software. The wave of the future, Dude. One hundred percent electronic!”

The Dude: “Yeah well, I still jerk off manually.”

1. Da Fino, Private Snoop: “I’m a brother shamus!”

The Dude: “Brother Seamus? Like an Irish monk?”

1. Younger Cop: “And was there anything of value in the car?”

The Dude: “Oh, uh, yeah, uh… a tape deck, some Creedence tapes, and there was a, uh… uh, my briefcase.” Younger Cop: “In the briefcase?” The Dude: “Uh, uh, papers, um, just papers, uh, you know, uh, my papers, business papers.” Younger Cop: “And what do you do, sir?” The Dude: “I’m unemployed.”

1. “You are entering a world of pain.” — Walter Sobchak
2. “Calm down your being very undude.” — Walter Sobchak
3. Walter Sobchak: “Am I wrong?”

The Dude: “No, you’re not wrong.” Walter Sobchak: “Am I wrong?” The Dude: “You’re not wrong, Walter. You’re just an asshole.” Walter Sobchak: “OK then.”

1. “Way out west, there was this fella… fella I wanna tell ya about. Fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least that was the handle his loving parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. Mr. Lebowski, he called himself ‘The Dude.’ Now, ‘Dude’ — that’s a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then there was a lot about the Dude that didn’t make a whole lot of sense. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that’s why I found the place so darned interestin’. They call Los Angeles the ‘City Of Angels.'” — The Stranger