Cheers Quotes

Context

This famous heartbreaker of a line is spoken by Sam Malone, played by Ted Danson, to Diane Chambers, played by Shelley Long, on the Cheers episode "I Do, Adieu" (May 7, 1987).

There once was a time when actors left television to do movies, not the other way around. This time was 1987, when American television audiences were obsessed not over a little ditty about a Jack and Diane, but a little TV show about Sam and Diane. When Shelley Long, the actress playing Diane, decided to become a Girl Scout troop leader, the show had to write her off.

How'd they do it? Well, on the day of Diane's wedding to her on-again/off-again boyfriend, Sam Malone, she discovers that she has the opportunity to publish a novel. Sam encourages her to do it (instead of getting married—apparently you can't do both), so she does, saying she'll return in six months. But Sam knows she won't, so he tells her goodbye by saying, "Have a good life."

Off again.

Where you've heard it

Usually, people pull this one out in a nasty way. Sam's version was a hair sweeter.

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.

Depends on the context, but if you mean it, it's okay to pull it out. Just a little melodramatic, that's all.