Context

This line is from the film Midnight Cowboy, directed by John Schlesinger (1969).

Even if you've never seen the movie (and if you're still at an impressionable age, you probably haven't), don't tell us you've never used this line when someone's gotten in your way. A guy on a ten-speed cuts you off while crossing a bike path, the family dog interrupts your forward progress to the dinner table—the circumstances where this quote might come in handy are endless.

In Midnight Cowboy, Ratso is talking to his new buddy, Joe Buck, as the two men walk down a busy New York City sidewalk. As their feet leave the curb and they proceed to cross the street, a cab nearly takes out Ratso. He responds by slamming his hand on the hood of the car and yelling, "I'm walkin' here! I'm walkin' here!"

There's some dispute about whether or not Dustin Hoffman improvised the line, but if he did, it has to rank highly among the most famous improvised lines of all time. Right up there with "Here's Johnny" and "Here's lookin' at you, kid"… and, well, probably a few lines from Anchorman.

Where you've heard it

Ever seen Back to the Future: Part 2? If so, you may have noticed this sneaky little shout-out. Even computer-animated pigeons have been known to get in on the action. And every year, it seems like the ages of those referencing the famous line get younger and younger...

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

This line is a pure emotional reaction. Generally, that equals 0% pretentious. To be pretentious, you've got to be able to put a little bit of thought into it. And it generally doesn't include giving a moving vehicle an impromptu beat-down.