The Wolf Of Wall Street: 20 Quotes We Can All Relate To

Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio struck black comedy gold with 2013’s The Wolf of Wall Street, but which quotes are the best?

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Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street is a darkly comic crime epic that tells the true story of stockbroker Jordan Belfort’s rise to power and fall from grace. While the movie opened to positive reviews, it was criticized by some viewers who felt that it glamorized Belfort’s white-collar criminal lifestyle.

The film’s sense of humor and accurate depiction of Wall Street antics do make that lifestyle look fun. But ultimately, it all becomes too much. That’s the message – a life of excess, as the name would suggest, is too much to handle. Here are some quotes from The Wolf of Wall Street that we can all relate to.

Updated on April 23rd, 2021 by Kristen Palamara: Scorsese’s film, based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, is widely beloved and has pretty positive ratings from Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb. Although it has overall good reviews, some feel the movie has some questionable commentary on business and personal ethics, but there are surprisingly still moments where the characters give helpful, profound, or hilarious advice. The audience can also relate to some of the quotes and dialogue even though they’ve most likely never been in a similar situation to any of the characters in the movie.

20 “Nobody Knows If A Stock’s Going Up, Down Or F***ing Sideways, Least Of All Stockbrokers. But We Have To Pretend We Know.”

Mark Hanna takes Jordan under his wing and is determined to teach him all about the stockbroker game giving him tips and tricks about the job over a lunch together.

He tells Jordan that the stocks are unpredictable and no one knows exactly what’s going to happen, but stockbrokers have to sell the confidence that they do know what will happen to their clients. It’s a relatable line to anyone who has felt out of their depth and just acted like they knew what they were doing until they figured it out and faked it til they made it.

19 “Risk Is What Keeps Us Young.”

Aunt Emma and Jordan meet during his wedding to Naomi and the two become fast friends and Emma says this line to him. It’s a great sentiment and a relatable reminder to everyone.

Although it’s good to be careful in life, sometimes it’s good to take a risk now and again and to maintain some balance between the two. If people don’t take risks, then nothing would happen in their lives so it’s nice to remember to take risks every so often.

18 “You Can Watch Me, Mock Me, Try To Block Me But You Cannot Stop Me.”

Once Jordan Belfort gets comfortable in his new job he quickly rises up the hierarchy ladder to the top position and everyone he works with aspires to be like him, but there are also people who try to stop his business practices and criminal activity.

Jordan has never-ending confidence in himself and becomes completely egotistical thinking that he’s unstoppable. Everyone could probably relate to wanting to be confident in themselves, but maybe not to the extent that Jordan is.

17 “Fall In Love With The Person Who Enjoys Your Madness, Not An Idiot Who Forces You To Be Normal.”

Jordan finds Naomi in the movie and decides to start a relationship with her because she fits well with his new bold and brash personality. Naomi is able to keep up with him and the two are a pretty good pair.

This quote from Jordan is a nice and relatable sentiment that the person you fall in love with should be a good match and hopefully you both appreciate each others’ quirks.

16 “When You Live Your Life By Poor Standards, You Inflict Damage On Everyone Who Crosses Your Path, Especially Those You Love.”

Jordan certainly inflicts a lot of damage on people throughout the movie including his clients and those he loves as he loses control of his life, ignores his own moral compass, and makes several self-destructive decisions.

He’s self-aware that his actions begin hurting people when he says this line and it’s a good reminder for everyone to be a bit more empathetic and hold themselves up to higher standards.

15 “I Made $49 Million, Which Really P***** Me Off Because It Was Three Shy Of A Million A Week.”

One of the problems that the mega-rich seem to face is that no amount of money is ever enough. When they become millionaires, they want to become billionaires. When they become billionaires, they want to become trillionaires.

Jordan Belfort sums this up when he says, “The year I turned 26, as the head of my own brokerage firm, I made $49 million, which really p*ssed me off because it was three shy of a million a week.”

14 “How The F*** Else Are You Supposed To Do This Job? Cocaine And Hookers, My Friend.”

The specifics of this quote aren’t necessarily relatable to everybody. A dentist doesn’t need cocaine and hookers to get through a day of appointments. But no job is easy, and people have to do whatever they have to do to get through each workday. In the case of Mark Hanna, that involves cocaine and hookers.

When Hanna recommends taking drugs on the job to a young, budding Jordan Belfort, he asks, “Mr. Hanna, you’re able to do drugs during the day and then still function, still do your job?” Hanna dryly responds, “How the f*ck else are you supposed to do this job? Cocaine and hookers, my friend.”

13 “If Anyone Here Thinks I’m Superficial Or Materialistic, Go Get A Job At F****** McDonald’s, ‘Cause That’s Where You F****** Belong!”

When it was first released, The Wolf of Wall Street was accused of glorifying the criminal lifestyle of its subject, Jordan Belfort, and glamorizing a life of excess.

But as Jordan himself points out in the movie, the alternative to a life of materialistic superficiality is a lifetime of working at McDonald’s.

12 “Then Two More Every Five Minutes After That Until One Of Us Passes The F*** Out.”

Matthew McConaughey’s Wolf of Wall Street character really knows how to order a drink: “Get us two Absolut martinis. You know how I like ‘em, straight up. In seven-and-a-half minutes, you will bring us two more, then two more every five minutes after that, until one of us passes the f*ck out.”

After Hanna places this order, Belfort says he’s happy with a water and Hanna says, “It’s his first day on Wall Street. Give him time.”

11 “It Was Obscene In The Real World. But Who The F*** Wanted To Live There?”

When Jordan’s dad Max is taking a look at his books, he’s horrified by all his expenses, but Jordan claims it’s all to keep his employees motivated. Max says it’s “obscene” and storms out.

In voiceover, Jordan admits that he’s right, but also offers some sage wisdom: “It was obscene in the real world. But who the f*ck wanted to live there?”

10 “The Only Thing Standing Between You And Your Goal Is The Bulls*** Story You Keep Telling Yourself As To Why You Can’t Achieve It.”

There are plenty of motivational quotes in The Wolf of Wall Street. The movie poses Jordan Belfort as something of a role model and many scenes revolve around him rallying his troops on the trading floor. This was noted as a negative point by some critics, as a guy who scams the poor for his own profit is hardly a hero.

However, there are some lines in the movie that speak a lot of truth, like the one where Jordan basically utters a piece of advice found in the first chapter of most self-help books.

9 “I Choose Rich Every F****** Time.”

Jordan Belfort has an interesting attitude towards money. He wasn’t raised in a rich family. He grew up in a small apartment, raised by two middle-class accountants.

Belfort would eventually become one of the richest people in the world by lying to investors and what he learned was that the idea that earning money honestly and working hard for a steady paycheck is overrated. As someone familiar with both the rich and poor man’s worlds, Jordan definitely favors the former.

8 “You Show Me A Pay Stub For $72,000, I Quit My Job Right Now And Work For You.”

We’re introduced to Jonah Hill’s character Donnie Azoff early in the movie as he approaches Jordan Belfort and talks to him about the world of brokerage. He asks him, “How much money you make?” Jordan says, “$70,000 last month.” Instantly, an incredulous Donnie says, “Get the f**k outta here!” Jordan corrects himself: “Well, technically, $72,000 last month.”

Then Donnie makes the sweeping declaration, “You show me a pay stub for $72,000, I quit my job right now and work for you.” Seconds later, we cut straight to the outside of the diner, as Donnie speaks to his boss on a payphone. He says, with perfect comic delivery from Hill, “Hey, Paulie, what’s up? No, everything’s fine. Hey, listen, I quit!”

7 “How’s Being Sober?” “It F****** Sucks.”

When the feds finally catch up to Jordan and he’s temporarily placed under house arrest, Donnie comes over to visit him. Jordan asks him if he wants a beer and tells him he’s drinking non-alcoholic beer after getting sober. Donnie doesn’t get the concept of non-alcoholic beer.

Donnie says, “I can’t imagine ever not enjoying getting f**ked up,” and asks, “How’s being sober?” Jordan says, “It f**kin’ sucks.” Now, in all fairness, Jordan’s criminal status at the time probably did not help the whole sobriety thing.

6 “I’ll Tell You What, I’m Never Eating At Benihana Again. I Don’t Care Whose Birthday It Is.”

One of the most surprising turns in The Wolf of Wall Street is that Jordan Belfort was ultimately brought down by the CEO of Benihana. Belfort explains the criminal charge that ended his career:

Something about laundering drug money through off-shore boat racing and a guy named Rocky Aoki. You know, the founder of Benihana…Why would you be so cruel as to choose a chain of f*cking hibachi restaurants to take me down?!

Later, during a visit, Donnie tells Jordan, “I’ll tell you what, I’m never eating at Benihana again. I don’t care whose birthday it is.”

5 “I Will Not Die Sober!”

One of the most cinematic sequences during the whopping three-hour runtime of The Wolf of Wall Street is when Jordan demands that his sailor get his yacht through a storm so that he can deal with a business problem. The bottom deck of the yacht floods and it seems like they might not make it.

Jordan tells Donnie to go downstairs and “get the ‘ludes.” Donnie says, “I can’t go down there! It’s flooded! It’s three feet of water down there!” and then Jordan utters these immortal words: “I will not die sober! Get those f**kin’ ‘ludes!” Who wants to die sober?

4 “Let Me Give You A Little Legal Advice: Shut The F*** Up!”

One of the most underrated performances in The Wolf of Wall Street is that of Kyle Chandler as the FBI agent who brings Belfort to his ultimate downfall. Their passive-aggressive conversation on the deck of Belfort’s yacht stands as one of the most well-acted scenes in recent memory.

As the movie goes on, Chandler’s character becomes increasingly blunt with Belfort. In the end, he just tells him, “Let me give you a little legal advice: Shut the f**k up!” To be fair, this is great legal advice. If you say nothing, then the feds have nothing. It’s as simple as that. That’s why they’re trained to interrogate people.

3 “I Want You To Deal With Your Problems By Becoming Rich!”

Jordan Belfort is great at giving motivational speeches to his staff, like this one: “So, you listen to me and you listen well. Are you behind on your credit card bills? Good! Pick up the phone and start dialing! Is your landlord ready to evict you? Good! Pick up the phone and start dialing! Does your girlfriend think you’re a f**king worthless loser? Good! Pick up the phone and start dialing!

I want you to deal with your problems by becoming rich! All you have to do today is pick up that phone and speak the words that I have taught you. And I will make you richer than the most powerful CEO in the United States of f**king America!”

2 “I Ain’t Going Anywhere!”

When the feds try to oust Jordan Belfort from his own brokerage company, he refuses to go. Instead, he gives an impassioned speech about it:

This right here is the land of opportunity. This is America. This is my home! The show goes on! They’re gonna need to send in the National Guard to take me out, ‘cause I ain’t going nowhere!

Nobody likes being told what to do – although, for most of us, the demands don’t come from the FBI as a result of a federal investigation – so we can all relate to Belfort’s declaration.

1 “Sell Me This Pen.”

There’s an interesting story about where this line came from. On the way to the set to film the Diner scene, the cop who was assigned to guard Leonardo DiCaprio told him that he was once interviewed for a job by the real Jordan Belfort. During the interview, Belfort handed him a pen and said, “Sell me this pen.”

So, DiCaprio incorporated it into the scene. When the actors roll with this, it’s pure improvisation. In the end, it became so iconic and memorable that it was brought back in the movie’s final moments at a conference hosted by Belfort to show how disappointed he is with the next generation of business minds.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/wolf-wall-street-quotes-we-relate/