This isn’t the original interview that I found, but the other one was on Instagram and I lost track of it. Still, the point is still there. Arnold Schwarzenegger has a lot of catchphrases, so I liked to hear his take on it. I’m sure every author, especially those in action and fantasy, would love to create a timeless line. Yet, we never know what will stick, including slogans that are supposed to live forever.
For today, I’m just curious what people think about catchphrases. Do you like them or have any thoughts on what makes a line become a catchphrase?
Legends of Windemere 
It’s interesting that Arnold mentioned how one doesn’t know that a line will catch on. (Like he didn’t know what line the guy meant when he demanded that Arnold say “the line.”) In some ways, catchphrases are like breakout characters. It’s hard to tell ahead of time who will become popular.
Some characters can pull off a catchphrase. I don’t hear very many these days. I remember Captain America sort of had one with “On your left.” Spider-Man had, “Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.” Batman has, “I am vengeance. I am the night.” (Not sure how often he said that.) The hazard of a catchphrase is that it might not stand the test of time. Some from back in the day might sound cheesy now.
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Superheroes seem to develop catchphrases more often. Probably due to comics being a medium where such things are repeated. Verbal catchphrases are much harder to pull off and Arnold is definitely a top authority on it. Wonder which catchphrase caught him by surprise the most.
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“I’ll be back” certainly did, according to the interview.
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I always love a catchphrase. The “I’ll be back,” is a classic. I think it is true that you can’t create a catchphrase. It has to be more natural
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And making it natural is really tough. Nerve-wracking too.
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So true.
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I don’t think it’s possible to create a catchphrase. They have to develop organically. You can have a phrase a character repeats often, but it won’t necessarily become a catchphrase.
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True. It seems to be primarily luck.
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I don’t think it’s possible to create a catchphrase. They have to develop organically. You can have a phrase a character repeats often, but it won’t necessarily become a catchphrase.
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This is tough to pull off. I don’t know if it can be planned out. It almost has to be organic. Yippie-ki-yay MFs.
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That’s an interesting one because it comes off as a definite catchphrase. Then again, there are probably other lines in the movie that were meant to get attention and failed.
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Bruce Campbell has a bunch of them.
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Catch phrases can be fun, but they are hard to predict. They have to be striking or funny, and have meaning in the context of the story or movie. It’s easy to over-do them. One repetition is fine, but after that the line loses its impact.
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It’s funny how catchphrases work that way. In the story, they can’t be overused. Meanwhile, they’re repeated ad nauseam by fans and the public without losing steam for a few years.
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