Animal House

Animal House Quotes and Analysis

"Toga! Toga!"

Bluto

After the Delta fraternity gets punished by Dean Wormer, the brothers have an idea to throw a toga party to cheer themselves up. To rile everyone up about the imminent party, Bluto starts this chant.

"Now we could do it with conventional weapons, but that could take years and cost millions of lives. No, I think we have to go all out. I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part!"

Otter

This quote occurs after another defeat for Delta. After the brothers are expelled, Bluto tries to boost their morale by suggesting they seek revenge. When no one bites, Otter steps in and says this as a way of motivating everyone to plan a revenge prank. He stresses the importance of not using violence, but instead doing something "futile" and "stupid." The Delta brothers' sense of the absurd and the chaotic is their primary asset in the film.

"Wait til Otis sees us, he loves us."

Boon

After picking up the group of girls at Emily Dickinson College, the group pulls over at a roadside club where Otis Day, a black singer who performed at a Delta party, is playing. As they walk into the club, Boon is confident that Otis loves them and will remember them. (Hint: this will not turn out to be the case).

"Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son."
Dean Wormer

Dean Wormer says this to Kent (aka "Flounder") about the fact that he is a failure. He degrades the student in a rather unceremonious way, showing what an inconsiderate authority figure he is.

"Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell, no!"

Bluto

This line is part of Bluto's motivational speech after the brothers of Delta are expelled from school. He insists that they can decide when it's over for them, and makes a botched reference to history, a comedic signal that he is not very smart; the Germans did not bomb Pearl Harbor, but he refers to this event with conviction.

"You're all worthless and weak!"
Doug Neidermeyer

Doug Neidermeyer says this to the ROTC cadets over whom he presides, and it epitomizes what a mean-spirited, power-hungry guy he is. He loves to be on top of others, degrading them and putting them down, and this is what makes him such a hate-able antagonist.

"Look, these parades you throw are very expensive. You're using my police, my sanitation people, and my Oldsmobiles free of charge. So, if you mention extortion again, I'll have your legs broken."

Carmine De Pasto

Mayor Carmine De Pasto says this to Dean Wormer in a meeting when discussing the upcoming homecoming parade. After Wormer accuses him of extorting money from the college, Carmine turns into a corrupt mafioso and threatens him with violence should he fail to comply with his expectations.

"Who dropped a whole truckload of fizzies into the varsity swim meet? Who delivered the medical school cadavers to the alumni dinner? Every Halloween, the trees are filled with underwear. Every spring, the toilets explode."

Dean Wormer

In his office early in the film, the harried Dean Wormer complains to Greg Marmalard about the fact that the Delta fraternity is so irreverent and badly behaved. He rattles off a list of comical pranks the fraternity has played over the years, getting angrier and angrier with every bullet point.

Katy: Is this really what you're gonna do for the rest of your life?

Boon: What do you mean?

Katy: I mean hanging around with a bunch of animals getting drunk every weekend.

Boon: No! After I graduate, I'm gonna get drunk every night.

Katy & Boon

This exchange typifies the conflict between Katy and Boon throughout the movie. She wants him to grow up and get a life and stop partying so much, while he struggles to take anything seriously. While she wants him to be more adult and choose to live a responsible life, he sees nothing wrong with the way he lives.

"OK, so that means that our whole solar system could be like one tiny atom in the fingernail of some other giant being. This is nuts! That means that one tiny atom in my fingernail could be..."

Larry

Larry says this to Professor Jennings after Jennings gets him high for the first time. Buzzed from the marijuana, Larry has his mind blown by the thought of all of the things the human mind couldn't possibly comprehend.