35+ 'Ferris Bueller' Quotes Because, Hey, Life Moves Pretty Fast — Better Enjoy It!

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was a hit from the moment it came out in 1986. The film, starring Matthew Broderick as Ferris, Alan Ruck as his best friend Cameron, and Mia Sara as his girlfriend Sloane, became one of the year’s highest-grossing movies when it came out. Directed by John Hughes, Ferris Bueller remains a teen classic because it taps into what so many kids want: to successfully outsmart their parents and teachers and have a good time with their friends. It’s as simple as that. That means generations of kids have grown up watching Ferris fake being sick so he could peer pressure his friends into ditching school with him, stealing a Ferrari, headlining a parade, and so much more. It also means that those generations of kids have memorized all of the iconic Ferris Bueller quotes — which they happily break out anytime an opportunity arises. Yes, it’s us; we’re “they.”

When Ferris Bueller’s Day Off came out in 1986, Roger Ebert wrote, “Here is one of the most innocent movies in a long time, a sweet, warm-hearted comedy about a teenager who skips school so he can help his best friend win some self-respect.” He adds that Hughes is the “philosopher of adolescence” and notes that “in all of his films, adults are strange, distant creatures who love their teenagers but fail completely to understand them. That’s the case here, all right: All of the adults, including a bumbling high-school dean (Jeffrey Jones), are dim-witted and one-dimensional. And the movie’s solutions to Cameron’s problems are pretty simplistic. But the film’s heart is in the right place, and Ferris Bueller is slight, whimsical, and sweet.”

Who knew that Ferris Bueller was so deep? Here are some classic Ferris Bueller quotes to help you channel your inner Abe Froman (aka the Sausage King of Chicago, aka Ferris).

Best Ferris Bueller Quotes

1. “Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?” — Mr. Lorensax

2. Sloane Peterson: “What could happen to it? It’s in a garage.”

Cameron Frye: “It could get wrecked, stolen, scratched, breathed on wrong… a pigeon could shit on it! Who knows?”

3. “The question isn’t ‘what are we going to do,’ the question is ‘what aren’t we going to do?'” — Ferris Bueller

4. “Um, he’s sick. My best friend’s sister’s boyfriend’s brother’s girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who’s going with the girl who saw Ferris pass out at 31 Flavors last night. I guess it’s pretty serious.” — Economics Student Simone

5. (describing Cameron’s house) “This place is like a museum. It’s very beautiful and very cold, and you’re not allowed to touch anything.” — Ferris Bueller

6. “He makes you look like an ass, is what he does, Ed.” — School Secretary

7. “Cameron has never been in love… at least, nobody’s ever been in love with him. If things don’t change for him, he’s gonna marry the first girl he lays, and she’s gonna treat him like shit, because she will have given him what he has built up in his mind as the end-all, be-all of human existence.” — Ferris Bueller

8. Cameron Frye: “Ferris, my father loves this car more than life itself.”

Ferris Bueller: “A man with priorities so far out of whack doesn’t deserve such a fine automobile.”

9. “Pardon my French, but you’re an asshole!” — Cameron Frye

10. “I weep for the future.” — Chez Quis Maitre ‘d

11. “This is the part where Cameron goes berserk.” (Cameron screams) — Ferris Bueller

12. “You’re not dying, you just can’t think of anything good to do.” — Ferris Bueller

13. Cameron Frye: “What did I do?”

Ferris Bueller: (looking back at him) “You killed the car.”

14. “Ferris Bueller, you’re my hero.” — Cameron Frye

15. “First of all, you can never go too far. Second of all, if I’m going to be caught, it’s not gonna be by a guy like that!” — Ferris Bueller

16. “Not that I condone fascism, or any -ism for that matter. -Ism’s in my opinion are not good. A person should not believe in an -ism, he should believe in himself. I quote John Lennon, ‘I don’t believe in the Beatles, I just believe in me.’ Good point there. After all, he was the walrus. I could be the walrus. I’d still have to bum rides off people.” — Ferris Bueller

17. “How could I possibly be able to handle school on a day like this?” — Ferris Bueller

18. “Pardon my French, but Cameron is so tight that if you stuck a lump of coal up his ass, in two weeks you’d have a diamond.” — Ferris Bueller

19. (After the end credits) … “You’re still here? It’s over!” — Ferris Bueller

20. Ferris Bueller: “Look, it’s really simple. Whatever mileage we put on, we’ll take off.”

Cameron Frye: “How?

Ferris Bueller: “We’ll drive home backward.”

21. “Between grief and nothing, I’ll take grief.” — Ed Rooney

22. Ferris Bueller: “If you’re not over here in 15 minutes, you can find a new best friend.”

Cameron Frye: “You’ve been saying that since the fifth grade.”

23. “Gummy bear? It’s been in my pocket; they’re real warm and soft.” — Girl on Bus

24. “The key to faking out the parents is the clammy hands. It’s a good non-specific symptom. I’m a big believer in it. A lot of people will tell you that a good phony fever is a deadlock, but, uh, you get a nervous mother, you could wind up in a doctor’s office. That’s worse than school. You fake a stomach cramp, and when you’re bent over, moaning and wailing, you lick your palms. It’s a little childish and stupid, but then, so is high school.” — Ferris Bueller

25. Sloane Peterson: “The city looks so peaceful from up here.”

Ferris Bueller: “Anything is peaceful from 1,353 feet.”

Cameron Frye: “I think I see my dad.”

26. “I do have a test today… It’s on European socialism. I mean, really, what’s the point? I’m not European. I don’t plan on being European. So, who gives a crap if they’re socialists? They could be fascist anarchists. It still doesn’t change the fact that I don’t own a car.” — Ferris Bueller

27. “They bought it. Incredible! One of the worst performances of my career, and they never doubted it for a second.” — Ferris Bueller

28. Ed Rooney: “I don’t trust this kid any further than I can throw him.” School Secretary: “Well, with your bad knee, Ed, you shouldn’t throw anybody. It’s true.”

29. Sloane Peterson: “What are you interested in?”

Cameron Frye: “Nothing.”

30. “You can’t respect somebody who kisses your ass. It just doesn’t work.” — Ferris Bueller

31. “I am not going to sit on my ass as the events that affect me unfold to determine the course of my life. I’m going to take a stand. I’m going to defend it. Right or wrong, I’m going to defend it.” — Cameron Frye

32. Ferris Bueller: “Do you have a kiss for Daddy?”

Sloane Peterson: “Are you kidding?” (They kiss and make out.)

33. “I’ll go, I’ll go, I’ll go, I’ll go.” — Cameron Frye

34. “What is so dangerous about a character like Ferris Bueller is he gives good kids bad ideas.” — Ed Rooney

35. “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” — Ferris Bueller

36. “What is so dangerous about a character like Ferris Bueller is he gives good kids bad ideas. Last thing I need at this point in my career is 1,500 Ferris Bueller disciples running around these halls. He jeopardizes my ability to effectively govern this student body.” — Ed Rooney

37. “Oh, he’s very popular, Ed. The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, wasteoids, dweebies, dickheads, they all adore him. They think he’s a righteous dude.” — School Secretary

38. “You hit me. Look don’t make me participate in your stupid crap if you don’t like the way I do it. You make me get out of bed, you make me come over here. You make me make a phony phone call to Edward Rooney? The man could squash my nuts into oblivion. And-and-and then, and then, you deliberately hurt my feelings.” — Cameron

39. Boy in Police Station: “Drugs?”

Jeannie: “Thank you, no. I’m straight.”

Boy in Police Station: “I meant, are you in here for drugs?”

Jeannie: “Why are you here?”

Boy in Police Station: “Drugs.”

40. Cameron: “The 1961 Ferrari 250GT California. Less than a hundred were made. My father spent three years restoring this car. It is his love; it is his passion.”

Ferris: “It is his fault he didn’t lock the garage.”