45 Famous Forrest Gump Quotes on Running, Love, and Destiny

Forrest Gump is a 1994 American epic romantic comedy-drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis. Starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, and Sally Field, the film tells the story of Forrest Gump, a simple man with a low IQ who inadvertently becomes a part of some of the most defining moments of the 20th century.

Forrest Gump quotes have become iconic and have become an important part of popular culture. Some of the most memorable Forrest Gump quotes are showcased below.

Best Forrest Gump Quotes

These are some of the best and most famous Forrest Gump quotes of all time:

• What’s normal anyways?
• My given name is Benjamin Buford Blue, but people call me Bubba. Just like one of them ol’ redneck boys. Can you believe that?
• Anyway, like I was sayin’, shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. There’s shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There’s pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That, that’s about it. – Quiet, quiet! He’s gonna say something!
• I’m pretty tired… I think I’ll go home now.
• I never thanked you for saving my life.
• God can hear my prayers, so I pray.
• One day it started raining, and it didn’t quit for four months. We been through every kind of rain there is. Little bitty stingin’ rain… and big ol’ fat rain. Rain that flew in sideways. And sometimes rain even seemed to come straight up from underneath. Shoot, it even rained at night…
• I don’t remember being born, I don’t recall what I got for my first Christmas, and I don’t know when I went on my first outdoor picnic. But I do remember the first time I heard the sweetest voice in the wide world.
• If there’s anything you need, I won’t be far away.

• Bubba was my best good friend. And even I know that ain’t something you can find just around the corner.
• Now, mama said there’s only so much fortune a man really needs… and the rest is just for showing off.
• My mama always told me that miracles happen every day. Some people don’t think so, but they do.
• My mama says they were magic shoes. They could take me anywhere.
• When I got tired, I slept. When I got hungry, I ate. When I had to go, you know, I went.- Forrest
• Well, now we ain’t strangers anymore.
• Always be able to look back and say, at least I didn’t lead no humdrum life.
• Sometimes, I guess there just aren’t enough rocks.
• Me and Jenny goes together like peas and carrots.
• If you do not like my family and friends, I do not want to hear anything about it. They may mean nothing to you, but they mean everything to me.
• He was from a long great military tradition. Somebody from his family had fought and died in every single American war. I guess you could say he had a lot to live up to.
• I’d never named a boat before, but there was only one I could think of, the most beautiful name in the wide world.
• My name’s Forrest. People call me Forrest.

Quotes by Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump is the protagonist of the movie “Forrest Gump.” Here are some of the most famous quotes by him from the movie:

• Stupid is as stupid does.
• My mama always said, ‘Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.’
• My Mama always said you’ve got to put the past behind you before you can move on.
• Mama always said, dying was a part of life. I sure wish it wasn’t.
• Mama always had a way of explaining things so I could understand them.
• Lieutenant Dan got me invested in some kind of fruit company [Apple computer]. So then I got a call from him, saying we don’t have to worry about money no more. And I said, that’s good! One less thing. 
• The best thing about visiting the President is the food! Now, since it was all free, and I wasn’t hungry but thirsty, I must’ve drank me fifteen Dr. Peppers.
• There’s an awful lot you can tell about a person by their shoes.

Quotes by Jenny 

Jenny is one of the most important characters and a friend and partner of Forrest in the movie. Check out these quotes by Jenny from Forrest Gump:

• Run, Forrest! Run!
• Listen, you promise me something, OK? Just if you’re ever in trouble, don’t be brave. You just run, OK? Just run away.
• Dear God, make me a bird. So I could fly far. Far far away from here.
• You can sit here if you want.

Quotes by Mrs. Gump

Mrs. Gump is the mother of Forrest, who plays a significant role in Forrest’s life as well as the movie. Here are some of the most memorable quotes by Mrs. Gump from the movie:

• You have to do the best with what God gave you.
• Don’t ever let anybody tell you they’re better than you.
• You’re gonna have to figure that out for yourself.

Quotes on Destiny

Check out these quotes on destiny from the movie Forrest Gump:

• I don’t know if we each have a destiny, or if we’re all just floatin’ around accidental-like on a breeze. But I, I think maybe it’s both. 
• What’s my destiny, Mama?

Quotes on Running

Here are some of the most famous Forrest Gump quotes on running:

• Now you wouldn’t believe me if I told you, but I could run like the wind blows. From that day on, if I was goin’ somewhere, I was runnin’!
• I had run for 3 years, 2 months, 14 days, and 16 hours.
• That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I’d run to the end of town. And when I got there, I thought maybe I’d just run across Greenbow County. And I figured, since I run this far, maybe I’d just run across the great state of Alabama. And that’s what I did. I ran clear across Alabama. For no particular reason I just kept on going.

Quotes on Love

Check out these beautiful Forrest Gump quotes on love that portray the bittersweet nature of it:

• Why don’t you love me Jenny?
• I may not be a smart man, but I know what love is. 
• I’d always let her know that I was OK. Then I’d sign each letter, Love, Forrest Gump.

About the Movie – Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump is a 1994 American epic romantic-comedy-drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Eric Roth. The film tells the story of Forrest Gump, a simple man with a low IQ who inadvertently becomes a part of some of the most defining moments of the 20th century.

The film stars Tom Hanks in the lead role, who won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Forrest Gump. The film also stars Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, and Sally Field in key roles.

The movie is set in the American South during the 1950s and 1960s and follows Forrest Gump, a below-average IQ man born in a small town in Alabama. Despite his low IQ, Forrest is a kind-hearted and determined individual who becomes a war hero, a successful businessman, and a loving father.

The film explores themes of love, fate, and the American Dream through Forrest’s journey as he encounters some of the most defining moments of the 20th century, including the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, and the counterculture of the 1960s.

Forrest Gump received widespread critical acclaim upon its release and was a commercial success. The film won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Tom Hanks. It also won four Golden Globe Awards and a BAFTA. The film’s popularity has endured, and is considered a modern classic. 

About the Director – Robert Zemeckis

American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is the son of Rosa Nespeca and Alphonse Zemeckis, his father was Lithuanian-American while his mother was Italian-American.

In the early 1980s, Zemeckis faced trouble finding work but managed to stay busy by writing scripts for other directors. However, his screenplay for “Back to the Future” was rejected by every major studio until Michael Douglas hired him to direct “Romancing the Stone” in 1984.

This film became a sleeper hit and gave Zemeckis the recognition he needed to direct “Back to the Future” trilogy, which was a commercial and critical success. He also directed “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” which combined traditional animation and live-action and was a financial and critical success, winning three Academy Awards.

Zemeckis directed “Death Becomes Her” in 1992, a black comedy starring Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, and Bruce Willis. His next film, “Forrest Gump” starring Tom Hanks, was his first with dramatic elements and was also his biggest commercial success to date.

The film grossed $677 million worldwide, becoming the top-grossing US film of 1994 and winning six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director.

He continued to direct and produce films, including “Contact” in 1997, a long-gestating project based on Carl Sagan’s 1985 novel of the same name, and executive produced HBO’s “Tales from the Crypt” (1989–1996) and directed three episodes of the series. In the early 1990s, he founded South Side Amusement Company, which later became ImageMovers.

About the Book – Forrest Gump

“Forrest Gump” is a novel written by Winston Groom, first published in 1986. The story follows the life of Forrest Gump, a simple man with a low IQ who becomes embroiled in some of the major events of the 20th century in America. 

The book was a commercial and critical success and was later adapted into a successful film directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks. Both follow the same basic plot, but there are some differences in the story’s details and tone.

The protagonist, Forrest Gump, recounts various escapades, including shrimp fishing and ping pong tournaments, while reminiscing about his childhood sweetheart as he stumbles through significant events in American history, from the Vietnam War to college football, all playing a role in his tale.

Overall, Forrest Gump is a touching and entertaining story that explores the life of an unlikely hero who becomes an important figure in American history. The novel and the film are both well-worth reading and watching, offering different perspectives on the same story.

About the Author – Winston Groom

Winston Groom is an American author, best known for writing the novel “Forrest Gump.” The novel was first published in 1986 and became a commercial success, garnering positive reviews from critics.

Groom was born in 1943 in Washington, D.C. He graduated from the University of Alabama in 1965 with a degree in English. After college, he served in the U.S. Army, including a tour of duty in Vietnam. He then worked as a journalist for several newspapers and magazines.

He began writing novels in the early 1980s, starting with “Better Times Than These,” a story about a group of soldiers during the Vietnam War.

In addition to “Forrest Gump,” Groom has written several other novels, including “Gone the Sun,” “As Summers Die,” “Such a Pretty, Pretty Girl,” “The Crimson Tide: An Illustrated History of Football at the University of Alabama,” and “Shiloh, 1862.” He also wrote “Patriotic Fire: Andrew Jackson and Jean Laffite at the Battle of New Orleans.”