Source: It's a Wonderful Life

Speaker: George Bailey

What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word, and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down.

Context

This line is spoken by George Bailey (played by Jimmy Stewart) in the film It's a Wonderful Life, directed by Frank Capra (1946).

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, everyone eats a lot, fights through crowds at shopping malls, gawks at photos of creepy Santas on the Internet, and watches It's a Wonderful Life, the beloved movie about a man who isn't having a wonderful life and wants to kill himself, but whose guardian angel shows him how important his life really is.

This famous line is from a romantic speech George gives to his love, Mary Hatch (Donna Reed), to win her over—and to destroy the delicate balance of gravity between the earth and the moon.

Watch the wonderful clip here.

Where you've heard it

You've heard this from someone in love who is telling the object of his affection that he'll do anything possible—and anything impossible—to win their heart. Aside from that, you've probably heard this on TV around the holidays when you're staying up too late and flipping through the channels.

Additional Notable References:

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

This is a little romantic, but even more ridiculous. Plus, please don't pull down the moon as a gift for someone. The rest of us need it for, you know, tides and stuff.

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