A good line never gets old. Pick-up lines? Yeah, they do. Witty, intelligent, thought-provoking phrases? No way. Never.

They can come from anyone, anywhere, at anytime. Even those you deem least capable of dropping one can surprise you. True, the bad ones far outnumber the good ones – big time. But that doesn’t mean a superb sentence can’t brighten your day.

And no, they don’t all have to be Hemingway or Shakespeare. I think we all know Homer Simpson has said more than his share. So, in keeping with this literary love affair, let’s take a look at some of the best lines ever uttered – even if they might not mean what we really think they do.

1. “Love goes toward love like schoolboys from their books, but love from love, toward school with heavy looks.”

“Romeo and Juliet,” William Shakespeare

Translation:School sucks, but you know what? I am Shakespeare, and I sure don’t.

2. “I’ll never let go, Jack.”

Translation:Ha ha, hope you like the bottom of the ocean. By the way, thanks for the necklace.

3. “Being eaten by a crocodile is just like going to sleep … in a giant blender.”

4. “God only knows what I’d be without you.”

“God Only Knows,” The Beach Boys

Translation:An atheist, that’s what I’d be.

5. “Don’t tease me about my hobbies. I don’t tease you about being an a**hole.”

Translation:My faults are my faults, so slag off.

6. “Take nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence. There’s no better rule.”

“Great Expectations,” Charles Dickens

Translation:The proof is in the pudding.

7. “I was in the pool!”

Translation:Shrinkage – the Achilles heel of men everywhere.

8. “The answer is blowin’ in the wind.”

“Blowin in the wind,” Bob Dylan

Translation:Hmm, maybe I should buy a fan.

9. “Jump into my nightmare, the water’s warm.”

Translation:Go ahead and kick me when I’m down you self-absorbed, egomaniacal …

10. “They send you here for life, and that’s exactly what they take.”

– “The Shawshank Redemption”

Translation:Man, the shower room can be a real drag.

11. “Good golly, I’m inspired. I’m going to put on a baseball cap.”

Translation:Um, that’s pretty much what it means.

12. “I was half in love with her by the time we sat down. That’s the thing about girls.”

“Catcher in the Rye,” J.D. Salinger

Translation:Love hits you in the face when you least expect it. Kind of like a drunken frat guy.

13. “And you give yourself away.”

“With or Without You,” U2

Translation:You took my virginity and ran, you son of a -.

Translation:I can’t believe I got so worked up over a stupid sled.

14. “That’s it. I’m gonna die in gym class.”

Translation:In 15 years I will be rich, and you will be an overweight alcoholic clinging to high school glory. How sad.

15. “I wanna get hurt.”

Translation:So what if I’m a glutton for punishment. I don’t see you having sex with Ione Skye.