"Buck up - never say die. We'll get along."
The Tramp says this to the Gamin this during his speech at the end of the film, when she seems almost ready to give up on striving for a better future. Given its place at the end of the film, it is likely intended not just for the Gamin but also to the audience—to the millions of American people still struggling to recover from The Great Depression. It is an appeal to keep hope alive and keep trying, and indeed this hope is able to lift the Gamin’s spirit enough for the two of them to keep going, ending the film on a happier note.
“It’s no good—it isn’t practical.”
The President says this after the demonstration of the Bellows Feeding Machine on the Tramp. It is significant primarily because it characterizes the President as cold and obsessed only with what is practical and efficient, rather than caring about the welfare of his workers at all—he has just witnessed the machine malfunction and violently abuse the Tramp, but this is not the reason he turns down the machine. Rather, he only says no to it because he has considered its cost and the potential benefits of it and decided it was not practically worth it.
"Hey! Quit stalling, get back to work! Go on!"
The President appears over a closed circuit television screen that takes up an entire wall to yell at the Tramp while he tries to sneak a cigarette break in the bathroom. The technology of closed-circuit TV was not yet in use at this time, and is one of the futuristic technologies that Chaplin employs in the film. It gives the sense that the President is constantly watching over the workers, and shows just how harsh their work environment is—they are constantly being scolded and driven to work harder and take no breaks. It is also one of the few spoken lines in the film, because, though the film is mostly silent, the President is heard speaking with synchronized sound in the opening scenes.
“The Bellows Feeding Machine will eliminate the lunch hour, increase your production, and decrease your overhead.”
This quote, heard with synchronized sound, demonstrates the absurdity of the push for increased production and efficiency in industry. The push to increase production and decrease overheard has become so strong that the only thing left to do is to completely eliminate the lunch hour, taking away any break from the workday during which the workers can rest. Such a machine turns the worker almost literally into another cog of the factory machine, as he is fixed to the line constantly doing only one thing, and unable to detach even for lunch.
“Section 5, give her the limit.”
The President tells the mechanic to push the assembly line at section 5 up to its maximum speed, showing his desire only for the maximum production possible. He also says this after watching the feeding machine abuse the Tramp during lunch, and shows further evidence that he is unconcerned with the welfare of his workers. It also comes when we are starting to see the beginning of a nervous breakdown in the Tramp, and it makes it clear that this will push the Tramp “to the limit” as well.
"Take it easy and avoid excitement"
The Doctor says this to Tramp when he is leaving the hospital after his nervous breakdown at the factory. It is significant because it is juxtaposed with the reality that the Tramp is going to be unable to “take it easy,” in the modern city—as soon as he leaves the hospital he is hit with noise and bustle of the city, and tasked with the struggle of finding work to survive.
"Take them away."
One of the child welfare officers says this to a police officer, referring to the Gamin’s young sisters. It demonstrates the cold, uncaring way that the officers treat the orphans, even though they are meant to be responsible for their welfare.
"Can't I stay a little longer? I'm so happy here."
The Tramp says this to the sheriff after the sheriff informs him that he is being released from prison after he helped to prevent an escape. It is a comical moment in the film because the Tramp has come to love prison and wants to stay even though most people would prefer their freedom. However, it also makes an important socio-political point: for the poor and unemployed, prison was (and still often is) a safer option than living in the streets because they are guaranteed a roof over their heads and consistent meals.
“I’ll do it! We’ll get a house even if I have to work for it!”
The Tramp says this to the Gamin after the fantasy sequence in which he imagines them living together in a nice suburban house with plenty to eat. It is important for the way that it shows the development of their relationship—the Gamin inspires him to work harder for a good life, not only for himself but for her as well. The way that they motivate and support each other to succeed and achieve a better life becomes the backbone of their relationship throughout the film.
"Of course it's no Buckingham Palace."
The Gamin says this to the Tramp, referring to the house that she found for the two of them. She says it as she shows the house to the Tramp and it repeatedly falls apart and causes him bodily harm. It is an example of understatement, because of course the little shack is so far from as nice as the Buckingham Palace that one would could not even compare the two. While she says this, the Tramp pretends that he loves the house to make her happy.
