"[after downing an alien ship via parachute; in crazed relief] THAT'S RIGHT! THAT'S RIGHT! [struggling with the parachute] Get offa me, get offa me! THAT'S WHAT YOU GET! HAHA! Look at you! Ship all banged up! WHO'S DA MAN?! HUH?! WHO'S DA MAN?! Wait till I get another plane! I'm linin' all of your friends up, right beside you! [climbs onto the alien ship] Where you at, huh?! Huh?! Where you at?! [the alien pilot emerges, but he punches it and knocks it out] Welcome to Earth! [puts a cigar in his mouth] Now that's what I call a "close encounter.""

"I felt guilty about making my work look so good. I started thinking maybe I did my job too well, and it might have been the nucleus of an idea for someone to say: ‘Hey, let’s crash a plane into the White House.’"

"[to the pilots at Area 51 before the mass sortie] Good morning. [turns on mic] Good morning. In less than an hour, aircraft from here will join others from around the world, and you will be launching the largest aerial battle in the history of mankind. [pauses] Mankind. That word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can't be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests. Perhaps it's fate that today is the Fourth of July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom. Not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution… but from annihilation. We're fighting for our right to live. To exist. And should we win the day, the Fourth of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day when the world declared in one voice: We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!"

"At one point the news comes that New York, Washington and Los Angeles have been destroyed, and is there grief? Despair? Anguish? Speculation about what that will mean for professional sports? Not a bit – the characters nod and hurry on to the next scene."

"All of this feeds into a sliding scale of villain power. Culminating with the aliens of Independence Day. Notice, in that case, that you no longer need incompetence or corruption of our institutions. Jeopardy takes care of itself. The invaders are so badass that even the United States government and military are allowed to simultaneously be both capable and good! In order to provide spear-carrier support for the two or three point-of-view heroes."

"Enjoy the Super Bowl - it may be your last."

"Today, the human race celebrates their Independence Day."

"A war is on, pitting superior alien technology against Humankind's will to survive. The odds are even."

"[to the unconscious alien] Y'know, this was supposed to be my weekend off. But no! You got me out here, draggin' your heavy ass, through the burnin' desert, with your dreadlocks stickin' out the back of my parachute. You gotta come down here with an attitude, actin' all big and bad. AND WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SMELL?! [screams and kicks the alien] I could've been at a barbecue!...But I ain't mad. It's all right."

"On July 2, they arrive. On July 3, they strike. On July 4, we fight back."

"They only want one thing...DESTRUCTION."

"EARTH: Take a good look. It could be your last."

"On the Fourth of July, you will have a ringside seat for the ultimate fireworks show."

"WARNING! Your next stop may not be there."

"We've always believed we weren't alone. On July 4, we'll wish we were."

"Don’t make plans for August."