Summary

• John Hughes' iconic teen dialogue in The Breakfast Club still resonates with fans today.
• The film's heartfelt quotes explore self-image, pressure, and the struggles of adolescence.
• The characters in The Breakfast Club challenge stereotypes and reveal their true selves through memorable lines.

John Hughes was a master of writing teenage dialogue and The Breakfast Club quotes remain incredibly memorable for that reason. A tale of five students undergoing detention on a Saturday, this movie was an immediate sensation for teens and general audiences everywhere. It became regarded as one of the definitive movies of the 1980s as it's easy to relate to at least one of the film's characters, if not more. They each get plenty of memorable lines as they joke, argue, and begin to reveal their true personalities and anxieties.

The best Breakfast Club quotes still hit home for many movie fans. While some of the movie's humor and cultural references might be a little dated today, the heartfelt sentiments shared between the characters as they bond due to their forced proximity still strike a chord. Whether they're about self-image, social pressure, or just witty banter, the best Breakfast Club quotes are a timeless reminder of why John Hughes' writing is held in such high regard and why The Breakfast Club is still a movie that has its scenes recreated for a parody or homage even today.

25 “Well Brian, This Is A Very Nutritious Lunch."

John Bender

"All The Food Groups Are Represented. Did Your Mom Marry Mr. Rogers?”

It's an iconic scene when the kids all pull out their lunches and the eclectic meals speak volumes about all of their lives and personalities. Claire (Molly Ringwald) has her perfectly arranged sushi, Andrew (Emilio Estevez) is eating like he's training for a triathlon, Allison (Ally Sheedy) constructs a fascinatingly gross sandwich out of what appears to be Pixy Stix and cereal, and Bender (Judd Nelson) decides to eat with Brian (Anthony Michael Hall).

Bender hasn't brought any food, resulting in this brilliant Breakfast Club quote as he critiques Brian's wholesome lunch. This is a rough spot where Bender shows his bullying ways, and Brian is mostly oblivious to the entire situation. However, when Bender pulls out a note where Brian's mom tells him to study hard and loves him, Bender is cruel and shows a very unlikable trait as he becomes relentless.

24 “I Am The Eyes And Ears Of This Institution, My Friends.”

Carl Reed

Mr. Vernon is ed as the authority figure who is so hard on the teenagers in detention, but there is another adult in the school with them when they have Saturday detention. That is Carl (John Kapelos), the janitor. He’s the one responsible for keeping the entire high school clean - and seemingly, the only one. He’s a little more observant than Mr. Vernon, and he understands that teenagers and school officials are not going to see eye-to-eye, something he even voices to Mr. Vernon at one point.

Carl seems more amused by the antics of the teenagers than anything else. This comes into play later when Carl talks to Mr. Vernon and he clearly sees the troubles the teacher is going through mentally, and he understands the problems the kids are going through. In the end, Carl is right — he might be the wisest character in the entire movie because he watches everyone.

23 "You Know, I Have Just As Many Feelings As You Do, And It Hurts So Much When Someone Steps All Over Them."

Claire Standish

One of the running themes in The Breakfast Club is that the teenagers only think they know one another. What they really know is the images projected by one another to fit into their particular cliques. Bender repeatedly refers to Claire as cold or even frigid early in the movie, but she eventually points out that she has feelings just like everyone else does. Over the course of her time in detention, she becomes more vulnerable, and loosens up to be honest with everyone, saying some things that everyone in the room, and in the audience, can identify with.

Claire's quotes reveal there's more to her than her just being the most popular person in town. It is also a hint at what she reveals later when she laments about how hard it is to always look perfect when she knows she isn't and when she just wants to be a normal teen — something her parents won't allow and something she doesn't even understand how to do.

22 "Sweets, You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried."

John Bender

John Bender might be one of the most beloved characters in the movie, but his Breakfast Club quotes prove that he’s not exactly a nice guy. His rebellious nature leads him to lash out at those he doesn’t like and to try to get under the skin of those he does. When he takes an interest in Claire, he repeatedly insults her, needles her with remarks that he knows she doesn’t like, and won’t allow her to just ignore him.

He very much has the attitude of a little boy pulling the pigtails of a little girl on the playground to get her attention. It’s immature, and in the confined space of detention, it doesn’t win him any favors until he starts being less antagonistic with the others. This is early on and he eventually warms up to the others, but he needs to show his dominance first, if only for his own satisfaction.

21 “I’ve Seen Her Dehydrate Sir, It’s Pretty Gross.”

Andrew Clark

Though the teenagers in the library might not initially get along, they are united in hiding their antics from the authority figures in the school. When they ask to be able to get water, go to the restroom, and things like that just to get out of the library, Mr. Vernon (Paul Gleason) isn’t interested in letting them. Andrew backs Claire up, deadpanning this line about having seen Claire dehydrate in the past.

It’s not going to be the most memorable line against some of the other quotes from The Breakfast Club, but Emilio Estevez’s delivery of Andrew's line is perfect. It is also funny because Andrew might be the jock, but he is also one of the most uncomfortable when it comes to talking to others and understanding how to carry on a conversation. As a jock, he is mostly used to small talk, and when things get intellectual and confrontational, he is stilted and uneasy, and this quote is a nice example of his awkward manner of fitting in.

20 "Why, Because I'm Telling The Truth? That Makes Me A B***h?"

Claire Standish

Claire gets a lot of insults from the rest of the group because she’s seen as cold and unfeeling. Claire, however, also appears to understand the cliques of their school better than anyone in the room. She understands the fears they all have of not fitting into their respective friend groups, of being ostracized by the student body for not sticking to the status quo. She’s the only one willing to point out that despite the bonding in Saturday’s detention, none of them will be hanging out together at school the next week.

For that, the others think she’s being callous, but with how well everyone sticks to their roles, she’s likely right. There is very little chance these five will ever do anything together in the future. They are likely never to talk again, although they might give each other familiar nods along the way. Claire knows that they will go on with their lives, but this doesn't mean they won't learn something. It just means they won't connect again in the real world outside of detention.

19 “Eat. My. Shorts.”

John Bender

Bart Simpson might be known for using this particular phrase to taunt other characters in The Simpsons, but he’s far from the only pop culture character to use it. In the 1980s and ‘90s, the phrase was a fairly common insult that was considered PG, marking The Breakfast Club as a product of its time. The term almost feels out of place since The Breakfast Club isn’t afraid to use more colorful language or curse words even in some of the movie’s best-known quotes.

It is also one of the Breakfast Club quotes that feels a little dated. With Bart Simpson saying it for so many years, it feels almost unnatural to hear it coming out of the mouth of someone like Bender. He is someone who is rough around the edges, and he is someone who says what he is thinking and what he feels. Using a quote that is now just a silly playground insult from a cartoon doesn't hit as much as it might have when the movie was released so many years ago.

18 "Do You Know How Popular I Am? I'm So Popular. Everybody Loves Me So Much At This School."

Claire Standish

When the group decides to smoke together, despite Andrew’s initial protests, they all begin to be much more open with their comments. Though Claire has, at that point in the movie, started to open up more and become a bit more vulnerable, this is the point where she also starts to loosen up. Claire remarks on her own popularity, but it’s not meant in a serious way.

It helps to humanize Claire a little bit and give her some levity instead of leaving her as the serious one of the group as everyone starts spilling secrets. It is a fun moment and one that shows that Claire doesn't like her place as the popular girl in the school. She knows that people make fun of her behind her back, even those people who claim to be her friends. Despite this, she keeps up the charade, pretending to be happy that she is so popular, while knowing it is fleeting and doesn't mean anything in the end.

17 "I See Me, And I Don't Like What I See, I Really Don't."

Brian Johnson

It doesn't take long into their day of Saturday detention for the group to start spilling their deepest secrets to one another. Their insecurities and their fears are all laid out on the table despite them all thinking that they'll never talk to one another after detention is over. In this Breakfast Club quote, Brian its that he doesn't like what he sees when he looks in the mirror.

Brian's struggle with self-esteem and satisfaction is one anyone can relate to on some level, which is part of what's made the movie's appeal so enduring. Bender spends a lot of time early making fun of Brian. Andrew mocks him, as one might expect a jock to do to a nerd. However, Brian has it tough at home. He has an abusive life with his family and he isn't a happy person. He knows he is smart, but he also knows that paints a target on him with other kids. Brian hates who he is, and his ission is heartbreaking.

16 "You Do Everything Everyone Tells You To, And That Is The Problem."

Allison Reynolds

Allison hits the nail on the head when it comes to the more popular people in the school with this Breakfast Club quote. They are yes-people, not thinking for themselves, but quickly succumbing to the effects of peer pressure. It's the pressure that sees both Claire and Andrew eventually break down during the day. Allison, on the other hand, does what she wants, or tries to. Allison points out that doing exactly what other people want is a problem.

She might lie to get reactions out of people, but Allison is more in tune with who she really is than anyone else in the room. While she seems like the weird girl in this group, she knows that she is weird, and she is seemingly comfortable in her own skin. She clearly has problems, but she at least will speak up about things and be honest. She knows that Caire fakes her happiness at being popular, and Andrew is doing what he does for his dad. She won't hesitate to call them out on their hypocrisy.