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Jaws Quotes

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Source: Jaws

Speaker: Brody

You're gonna need a bigger boat.

Context

This line is spoken by Brody, played by Roy Scheider, in the film Jaws, directed by Steven Spielberg (1975).

Searching for a serial-killing shark, Police Chief Brody sets sail on a small fishing vessel to lure out the beast. When he catches a glimpse of the massive creature and all 1,237 of its teeth (an approximation), he staggers back into the cabin and utters the understatement of the 1970s to the boat's captain: "You're gonna need a bigger boat."

Where you've heard it

You hear it any time a situation suddenly spirals out of control—and you usually hear it misquoted as "We're gonna need a bigger boat." 

Just fill in the blank: "We're gonna need a bigger ___________." Knife. Body bag. Truck. Tank. Battery. Pizza. The list goes on and on.

Just remember: the original is "you're," not "we're." Small difference, but let's respect the script, people.

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.

All this quote does is show that you're unprepared for whatever you just got yourself into. Whenever you say it, keep an eye on the water.