Sally Field’s Top 10 Movies & Film Quotes

Sally Field

Getty NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 09: Sally Field attends the 2019 Vital Voices Solidarity Awards at IAC Building on December 09, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

Sally Field is one of the recipients of the 2019 Kennedy Center Honors, airing on Sunday, December 15 at 8/7c on CBS. The Oscar award-winning actress is certainly a worthy honoree for her lifetime artistic achievements in film and television.

On IMDB, Sally Field has a total of 68 credits from her numerous roles. These are our 10 favorite movies with Sally Field in them, and some of the lines she’s delivered as her most memorable characters:


Forrest Gump (1994)

In 1994, Field played Mrs. Gump, the beloved mother of Forrest Gump, playing by Tom Hanks. In the movie, Field delivered one of the film’s most iconic lines: “Life’s a box of chocolates, Forrest. You never know what you’re gonna get.”

Another great Mrs. Gump line, also delivered to her son, is “You have to do the best with what God gave you.”


Steel Magnolias (1989)

Sally Fields played M’Lynn Eatenton in Steel Magnolias, who delivers this powerful monologue: “I find it amusing. Men are supposed to be made out of steel or something. I just sat there. I just held Shelby’s hand. There was no noise, no tremble, just peace. Oh god. I realize as a woman how lucky I am. I was there when that wonderful creature drifted into my life and I was there when she drifted out. It was the most precious moment of my life.”


Hello My Name Is Doris (2016)

One of Field’s most recent film roles was the title character in Hello My Name Is Doris. The movie


Lincoln (2012)

In the historical drama Lincoln, Field played Mary Todd Lincoln opposite Daniel Day-Lewis. “No one is loved as much as you by the people. Don’t waste that power.”


The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

Although The Amazing Spider-Man was met with a lukewarm reception by fans of the comic book superhero, Field played Peter Parker’s Aunt May Parker in both the original 2012 film and its sequel in 2014. In the first movie, May told Peter “Secrets have a cost. They’re not free. Not now, not ever.”


Norma Rae (1979)

Field was nominated for her first Oscar award after playing the title character in the film Norma Rae. Field went on to win that Oscar for Best Leading Actress.

One of Norma Rae’s great lines in the movie is “You lie down with dogs, you get fleas.”


Places in the Heart (1984)

Field won her second Oscar award in 1984 for “Best Actress in a Leading Role” for her portrayal of Edna Spalding in Places in the Heart. One of her character’s most poignant lines is “I don’t care what it takes. I don’t care if it kills me. I don’t care if it kills you. I’m not going to give up. And if the two of you do, you can go straight to hell.”


Legally Blonde 2: Red White & Blonde

Field got to play Elle Woods’s foe Congresswoman Rudd for the sequel of Reese Witherspoon’s romantic comedy Legally Blonde, which took place in Washington D.C.


Smokey and the Bandit (1977)

Sally Field played the role of Carrie in Smokey and the Bandit, and reprised that role in the film’s sequel which came out in 1980.


The Way West (1967)

According to IMDB, Field’s first credited film role was The Way West; she played Mercy McBee. When the film came out in 1967, Field was 21 years old.