Why Terminator Is So Quotable

Alternatively, this could be titled Schwarzenegger and The Spartan Way.

I wrote this because my roommates and I watched Terminator 2 last week, and it was such a good film that it made me go on a Schwarzenegger binge, for lack of a better word. Dude's an inspiration; won the equivalent of World's Best Bodybuilder SEVEN times, then started a few successful construction and mail-order businesses with his winnings, and only THEN got into acting in his mid-30's, where he became one of the most successful and iconic actors ever. And then he became governor of California. I don't know how great he was at that, but he apparently wasn't the worst. And now he's back in acting, not because he needs the money (he hasn't needed the money since the '70's) but because he likes it. This from the son of some random Austrian army officer who never got attention and just really wanted to be Mr. Teen Austria. Something else. 

But moving on to the subject of this paper ... 

Arnold Schwarzenegger has said his iconic phrase "I'll be back," at least twenty times in public venues, from public speeches, to TV appearances to variations in eleven of his solo films (this is not counting his Terminator films). It's apparently one of his go-to phrases when interacting with the public, and has become an iconic part of both his public character, his career, and all of cinema.

Why is that? 

To expand on this, what is it that makes that phrase so memorable? More importantly, why are so many of the phrases in Terminator so memorable? There are six one-liners* from the Terminator franchise that have been repeated in near-every film and become embedded in the cultural lexicon. Most of them are three or four words. Most were said by Micheal Biehn's character in the first one, but Arnold has been the one to say them in most subsequent films. 

The quality of these films has been infamously variable throughout the years, but Arnold has said that he is still always happy to be in them and make them. Why? Why are these lines memorable? Why are they the way that they are? Why are they so essential to the Terminator franchise? And why does Arnold Schwarzenegger like saying them and using them in public life so much? And why do we love them too? 

The answer has something do with laconic phrases. 

In ancient Sparta, the country famous for stressing combat skill to a ridiculous extent, there was the development of what is now called laconic phrases, named after the region Sparta was based in, Laconia. The theory was that a Spartan should be terse and to the point with what he said. It was the height of manliness and action to be short, direct, and useful. Thus, the development of a lot of famously short phrases. King Philip of Macedonia (Alexander the Great's father) said that if he invaded, he would raze Sparta. The king at the time sent back a one-word answer: "If." The Spartans at Thermopylae were told to give up their weapons. They responded, "come and take them." Most epically, some Spartans were told that enemies' arrows would block out the sun. Their god-level response? "Then we shall fight in the shade." 

You can't make this stuff up. Except, oh wait, you can. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger has always been a proponent of the short-stated trash talk. As a life-long competitor, he's always known the power of a powerful comeback. A rival body-builder talks about milk's benefits. "Milk is for babies. When you grow up, you have to drink beer." Manly, locking the opponent out, and beefing yourself up. Devastating. That's why he won and the other guy didn't. As a life-long championship bodybuilder, specifically, he's always valued the power of self-discipline, strength, and toughness, and so much of that can be expressed with a good one-liner.  

Enter Terminator. 

The first Terminator was essentially a horror movie, where the titular robot could never be stopped until the very end. Ahnuld did it so well because he's so big and stoic he can convince us he's an emotionless robot. Anything he ever said was just a prelude to him kicking someone's butt. He was the picture of the unstoppable fighter - relentless, massive, and unfeeling. 

Then came the sequel. Arnie's a good guy now. Now he gets to say most of the iconic one-liners.** An update to the old formula. This is where most of the classic lines come from.

Beyond the element of the movie one-liner or the meme fodder value, the heart of the matter is that these lines are classic laconic logic. Short, to the point, and useful, but all the more memorable and dangerous for being so. And like the Spartans (and to a lesser extent the Terminator), Arnold believes in endless self-discipline and mastery. He is an avatar of the Spartan ideal as held in the modern day. He has worked and struggled to degrees that most people never do. And that's why playing the Terminator is special to him. It's what he truly is on some level. When he comes up against an obstacle, he can't be bargained with. He can't be reasoned with. He doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And he absolutely will not stop, ever, until it is done. 

He'll be back. 

--

*Here's the list for clarity's sake.

• "I'll be back"
• "Come with me if you want to live."
• "Get out."
• Hasta la vista baby."
• "I cannot self-terminate."
• "Get down." 

Four of these in the first one, all of them in the second, and variations (most of them said by Arnie specifically) in the rest of the movies. 

**To get at the more mundane part of this; these lines are also popular because they're good memes - memes work best when they're short, powerful and easily shared. These lines are short and unique enough that they're easily spread, and of course, they have a powerful origin point to spread them out. This all makes sense.