12 Most Memorable Michael Caine Movie Quotes

8. "For all my education, accomplishments and so-called wisdom, I can't fathom my own heart." (Hannah and Her Sisters)

Caine won his first Oscar for his role in Woody Allen's Hannah and Her Sisters for his portrayal of Elliot, a man torn by his lust for his wife's sister, Lee. Caine's character often reflects on the moral consequences of his affair, and he struggles with coping with his guilt regarding the damage he has done to his family when he eventually carries on an affair with Lee. Elliot says these words of vulnerability to his analyst as he weighs the complexity of his lust for Lee and the love he still feels for his wife Hannah. He admits that he is powerless to make a decision on what to do about his moral failings and his inability to even simply understand his own feelings. The line not only shows Caine's Elliot at his weakest point in this emotionally complex film, it's also perhaps Caine's most vulnerable performance in his entire career. No other line in the film illustrates this great performance and that conflict better than this confession.