Based on the bestselling book by Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook is a romantic tearjerker and probably the best movie adapted from a Sparks novel. Released on June 25, 2004, The Notebook was directed by Nick Cassavetes and stars Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, James Garner, Gena Rowlands, and James Marsden.
Here’s a sampling of some of the best and/or most memorable lines from The Notebook:
Duke [James Garner]: “It was an improbable romance. He was a country boy. She was from the city. She had the world at her feet, while he didn’t have two dimes to rub together.”
Noah [Ryan Gosling]: “If you’re a bird, I’m a bird.”
Allie [Rachel McAdams] as they get ready to make love]: “You’re gonna have to talk me through this.”
Duke: “Summer romances end for all kinds of reasons. But when all is said and done, they have one thing in common: They are shooting stars – a spectacular moment of light in the heavens, a fleeting glimpse of eternity. And in a flash, they’re gone.”
Duke: “He got the notion into his head that if he restored the old house where they had come that night, Allie would find a way to come back to him. Some called it a labor of love. Others called it something else. But in fact, Noah had gone a little mad.”
Duke: “Allie was surprised how quickly she fell in love with Lon Hammond. He was handsome, smart, funny, sophisticated, and charming. He also came from old Southern money and was fabulously wealthy.”
Duke: “She had come back into his life like a sudden flame, blazing and streaming into his heart. Noah stayed up all night contemplating the certain agony he knew would be his if he were to lose her twice.”
Noah: “My Dearest Allie, I couldn’t sleep last night because I know that it’s over between us. I’m not bitter anymore because I know that what we had was real. And if, in some distant place in the future we see each other in our new lives, I’ll smile at you with joy and remember how we spent the summer beneath the trees, learning from each other and growing in love. The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds, and that’s what you’ve given me. That’s what I hope to give to you forever. I love you. I’ll be seeing you. Noah”
Allie: “Why didn’t you write me? Why? It wasn’t over for me. I waited for you for seven years but now it’s too late.”
Noah: “I wrote you 365 letters. I wrote you every day for a year.”
Allie: “You wrote me?”
Noah: “Yes. It wasn’t over; it still isn’t over.”
Lon [James Marsden]: “The way I see it, I got three choices. One, I can shoot him. Two, I can kick the crap out of him. Or three, I leave you. Well, all that’s no good, you see, because none of those options get me you.”
Noah: “It’s not gonna be easy. It’s going to be really hard. We’re gonna have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, every day. You and me…every day.”
Noah: “I want all of you, forever, you and me, every day.”
Noah: “You’re gonna kill me, woman! I need sleep, I need food to regain my strength!”
Duke: “I am no one special – just a common man with common thoughts. I’ve led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten. But in one respect, I’ve succeeded as gloriously as anyone who ever lived: I’ve loved another with all my heart and soul, and for me, that has always been enough.”
