National Treasure quotes

View Quote Ben: Two years ago, if you hadn't shown up, hadn't believed the treasure was real, I don't know if I ever would have found Charlotte.
Ian Howe: You would have found it, I have no doubt. That's why I didn't think it was as crazy an investment as everyone said.
Ben: I'm just relieved that I'm not as crazy as everyone says. Or said my dad was. Or my granddad. Or my great-granddad.

View Quote Ben: We don't need someone crazy. But one step sort of crazy, what do you get?
Riley: Obsessed.
Ben: Passionate.

View Quote Ian Howe: Hello, Ben. How are you?
Ben: Um, chained to a desk.
Ian Howe: Sorry to hear that. I want you to meet me on the flight deck of the USS Intrepid. You know where that is?
Ben: New York.
Ian Howe: Meet me there at ten o'clock tomorrow morning. And bring those glasses you found at Independence Hall. Yeah, I know about the glasses. We can take a look at the Declaration, and then you can be on your way.
Ben: And I'm supposed to believe that?
Ian Howe: I told you from the start, I only wanted to borrow it. You can have it. And the glasses. I'll even throw in the pipe from the Charlotte.
Ben: I'll be there.
Ian Howe: And tell the FBI agents listening in on this call if they want the Declaration back, and not just a box of confetti, then you'll come alone.

View Quote Ian Howe: We could borrow it.
Ben: Steal it? I don't think so.
Ian Howe: Ben, the treasure of the Knights Templar is the treasure of all treasures.
Ben: Oh, I didn't know that. Really?
Ian Howe: Look, Ben... I understand your bitterness. I really do. You've spent your entire life searching for this treasure,only to have the respected historical community treat you and your family with mockery and contempt. You should be able to rub this treasure in their arrogant faces, and I want you to have the chance to do that.
Ben: How?
Ian Howe: We all have our areas of expertise. You don't think mine are limited to writing checks, do you!? In a life, I've arranged several operations of questionable legality.
Shaw: I'd take his word for it if I was you.
Ian Howe: So don't worry. I'll make all the arrangements.
Ben: No!!
Ian Howe: I could really use your help here.
Ben: Ian, I'm not going to let you steal the Declaration of Independence.
Ian Howe: Alright. From this point on, all you're going to be is a hindrance. [signals Shaw to ready gun to which Ben nervously laughs]
Riley: Hey!
Ben: What are you going to do? Are you going to shoot me, Shaw!? Well, you can't shoot me. There's more to the riddle; information you don't have, I do. I'm the only one who can solve it.
Shaw: He's bluffing.
Ben: We play poker together, Ian. You know I can't bluff.
Ian Howe: Tell me what I need, or I'll shoot your friend. [Shaw points gun at Riley]
Riley: Hey!
Ian Howe: Quiet, Riley. Your job's finished here.
[Ben lights flare, Shaw turns gun back to Ben and looks astonished along with Ian]
Ben: Look where you're standing. All that gunpowder. You shoot me, I drop this, we all go up.
Riley: Ben?!
Ian Howe What happens when the flare burns down? [Ben looks questionably] You just tell me what I need to know.
Ben: You need to know... If Shaw can catch.
[throws flare, Riley squints scared, Ian catches it before it hits gunpowder]
Ian Howe: Nice try, though. [coat sleeve catches on fire and drops flare on gunpowder]

View Quote Ian Howe: You all right, Ben? No broken bones? A jump like that could kill a man.
Ben: No, it was cool. You should try it some time.
Ian Howe: The Declaration of Independence and the meerschaum pipe. All yours.
Ben: That's it?
Ian Howe: That's it. I knew you'd keep your promise. Now, where is it? Where's my treasure?
Ben: It's right here. The map said "Heere at the wall", spelled with two E's. Wall Street follows the path of an actual wall that the original Dutch settlers built as a defence to keep the British out. The main gate was located at a street called De Heere, also two E's. Later De Heere Street was renamed Broadway after the British got in. So, "Heere at the wall." Broadway, Wall Street. Cheerio.
Ian Howe: Just a moment, Ben.
Ben: Ian, if you break our deal, the FBI will be only a few minutes behind you. You might get away, you might not.
Ian Howe: Is that all the map said?
Ben: Every word.
Ian Howe: Oh, Ben. You know the key to running a convincing bluff? Every once in a while, you've got to be holding all the cards.
[One of Ian's men shows Patrick Gates as hostage]
Ben: Dad.
Ian Howe: Is there anything else you want to tell me?
Ben: Trinity Church. We have to go inside Trinity Church.
Ian Howe: Good. Excellent. Well, why don't you ask Dr. Chase and Riley to join us? I'm sure they're around here somewhere.

View Quote Museum Kid: Is this real?
Ian Howe: Just tell me what you told my friend.
Museum Kid: Just a bunch of letters. I can't remember.
Ian Howe: Can you remember which ones you were gonna tell him next?
Museum Kid: Yeah, here. S-T-O-W.

View Quote Patrick Gates: [lifts up the Declaration to see the front]
Ben, Abigail, Riley: NO!
Patrick Gates: [realises that it's the Declaration of Independence and goes pale] Oh my God!! You--you stole it!

View Quote Powell: Look... this is a waste of time. How could a ship wind up way out here?
Riley Poole: Well, I'm no expert but... it could be that the hydrothermic properties of this region produce hurricane-force ice storms that cause the ocean to freeze and then melt and then refreeze, resulting in a semisolid migrating land mass that would land a ship right around here. [walks away]

View Quote Riley: For the record, Ben, I like the house.
Ben: You know, I chose this estate because in 1812 Charles Carroll met...
Riley: Someone that did something in history and had fun. Great. Wonderful. [puts on a pair of sunglasses and starts the car] Could have had a bigger house.

View Quote Riley: We're all gonna die.
Ben: It's gonna be OK, Riley. I'm sorry I yelled at you.
Patrick Gates: It's okay, kiddo.
Abigail: OK, boys, what's going on? The British came by sea. It was two lanterns, not one.
Patrick Gates: Ian needed another clue, so we gave it to him.
Riley: It was a fake. It was a fake clue.
Ben: The all-seeing eye. Through the all seeing eye.
Riley: That means by the time Ian has figured it out, we'd still be trapped and he'll shoot us then. Either way, we're going to die.
Ben: Nobody's going to die. There is another way out.
Riley: Where?
Ben: Through the treasure room.

View Quote Riley: You know, it took you all of two seconds to decide to steal The Declaration of Independence.
Ben: Yeah, but I didn't think I was going to have to personally tell my dad about it.

View Quote Riley: [after Ben decides to steal the Declaration] This is... huge. [Beat] Prison... huge. You are gonna go to prison. You know that, right?
Ben: Yeah, probably.
Riley: Well... that would... bother most people.

View Quote Riley: [After they find the treasure] They offered you ten percent, man. Ten percent.
Ben: Tell you what- next time we find a treasure that redefines history for all mankind, you call the shots.
Riley: What do you care? You got the girl. Enjoy your spoils while I sit on one percent. Half of one percent, actually. [Jumps into red Ferrari]
Ben: [Looking at Ferrari] I'm sorry for your suffering, Riley.

View Quote Riley: [speaking through headset] So, how do you look?
Ben: [looking in mirror] Not bad.
Riley: Mazel tov.

View Quote Riley: [examining the back of the Declaration] So if this things in invisible ink, how do we look at it?
Patrick Gates: Throw it in the oven.
Abigail, Ben: NO!