10 More Movie Speeches That Dominated The Film

8. Greed Is Good - Wall Street

You know a speech transcends the movie it appears in when it practically becomes the movie's tagline. Ask anyone what they remember from the original Wall Street and the response you will most likely get is "Greed is good." Though that's actually a misquote, nearly any article about Wall Street that has been written in the past twenty-five years makes some reference to stockbroker Gordon Gekko's (Michael Douglas) line: "The point is ladies and gentlemen, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good." Of course, that's only one line from Gekko's powerful speech at the Teldar Paper stockholder's meeting, during which Gekko lambasts the company for losing over $100 million the previous year. Those that would disagree with Gekko's "greed is good" philosophy would still likely find much to agree with in Gekko's criticism of the company's astronomical compensation for the executives despite its failure. In fact, the brilliance of Gekko's words are how they play both sides of the room - those who damn the executives for "their luncheons, their hunting and fishing trips, their corporate jets and golden parachutes" and those who are greedy for that kind of wealth themselves.