‘Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion’s starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there—fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge—they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around.’
Love Actually begins with this quote, spoken by David and set to real-life scenes from Heathrow Airport of people greeting one another. The quote sets the uplifting tone of the movie, reminding the audience that love is not always a grand gesture and it is not always convenient, but it is always possible.
[in English] 'It's my favorite time of day, driving you.'
[in Portuguese] 'It's the saddest part of my day, leaving you.'
Jamie and Aurelia’s relationship is restricted to hand signals and facial expressions, as they are separated by a language barrier. This quote, an exchange they share just before their working relationship is about to end, shows how similarly they feel and the fact that they reciprocate one another's feelings in spite of not being able to communicate.
"But you know the thing about romance is that people only get together right at the very end."
Spoken by Sam to his stepfather, Daniel, this quote refers to the public imaginary about romance movies. Even the 10-year-old Sam knows that often love does not articulate itself until the 11th hour.
"Would you wait around to find out if it's just a necklace, or if it's sex and a necklace, or if, worst of all, it's a necklace and love? Would you stay, knowing life would always be a little bit worse? Or would you cut and run?"
After the nativity play, Karen confronts Harry about the necklace she found in his jacket. She outlines all her concerns about what the necklace symbolizes and asks Harry what he would do in her position.
"But for now, let me say, without hope or agenda, just because it's Christmas, and at Christmas you tell the truth: to me, you are perfect, and my wasted heart will love you, until you look like this."
This quote is not spoken, but written on a poster. Mark writes a humorous and heartfelt message to Juliet professing his love for her. He suggests that he loves her and will continue to love her, but also implies that he expects nothing from it.
"As dire chance and... and...and fateful cockup would have it, here I am, mid-50s, and without knowing it I've gone and spent most of my adult life with a...with a chubby employee. And...and much as it grieves me to say it, it...it might be that the people I love is, in fact...you."
At the end of the movie, Billy leaves a glamorous party at Elton John's house to spend the evening with his manager, Joe. He suggests that he had an epiphany that Christmas is about spending time with the people one loves, and that the person he loves most, in spite of his better judgment, is Joe.
Harry: Tell me, exactly, how long is it you’ve been working here?
Sarah: Two years, seven months, three days, and I suppose what, two hours?
Harry: And how long have you been in love with Karl, our enigmatic chief designer?
Sarah: Um, two years, seven months, three days, and, I suppose, an hour and thirty minutes.
Harry is Sarah's boss, and in this exchange, somewhat early in the film, he encourages her to go after her office crush, Karl. She confides in him that she has been in love with Karl almost as long as she has worked there.
"When she first mentioned what's about to happen, I said, 'Over my dead body.' And she said, 'No, Daniel, over mine...'"
Daniel says this of his late wife at her funeral. He introduces the song that Joanna wanted him to play by telling those assembled about the exchange they had about it right before she died, in which she insisted, with good humor, that it was precisely the song she wanted to be played.
"Certainly sir. Ready in the flashiest of flashes!"
When Harry purchases a necklace for Mia, his secretary, he wants the jeweler to complete the transaction quickly, so that Karen does not see. The jeweler says this line, insisting that he will do the wrapping very quickly, but then proceeds to take his time in a particularly drawn-out and humorous way.
"I’m on shag highway, heading west!"
Colin assures his doubting friend, Tony, that going to America to look for a girlfriend is a good idea. He humorously uses this metaphor to suggest that he is going to score sexually as soon as he gets to Wisconsin.
