"This is Benjamin. He’s a little worried about his future."
Director: Mike Nichols
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross, Murray Hamilton, William Daniels
The Graduate — Movie Quotes
Memorable Quotes
Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me. Aren't you?
Context
Spoken when Benjamin is in Mrs. Robinson's house, and she has manipulated him into her bedroom and begun to undress.
Meaning
This quote shatters the unspoken tension between the two characters, highlighting Benjamin's awkwardness and naivety in the face of Mrs. Robinson's blatant sexual aggression.
I just want to say one word to you. Just one word... Plastics.
Context
Said to Benjamin at his graduation party, as unsolicited, supposedly profound career advice.
Meaning
It encapsulates the ultimate symbol of the 1960s older generation's values: synthetic, cheap, and entirely artificial. It represents everything Benjamin wishes to avoid.
It's like I was playing some kind of game, but the rules don't make any sense to me. They're being made up by all the wrong people.
Context
Benjamin trying to explain his overwhelming feelings of alienation and confusion.
Meaning
This summarizes the core existential crisis of the youth in the 1960s—feeling forced to participate in a society whose values they fundamentally reject.
Explore More About This Movie
Dive deeper into specific aspects of the movie with our detailed analysis pages