In Gone with the Wind, what does Rhett Butler say before leaving Scarlett?

In Gone with the Wind, Rhett Butler says, “Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.”

Clark Gable delivers the line as Rhett during the film’s final exchange with Scarlett O’Hara, played by Vivien Leigh. It expresses Rhett’s decision to end their turbulent relationship and leave her behind.

The line became famous partly because the word “damn” was considered profane under the Motion Picture Production Code. The film was released in 1939, and producer David O. Selznick reportedly paid a fine to retain the wording rather than replace it.

The sentence is often shortened in casual quotations to “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn,” but the emotional force comes from its context: Rhett is rejecting Scarlett’s late appeal, not merely making a general statement of indifference. Gone with the Wind was adapted from Margaret Mitchell’s 1936 novel and won the Academy Award for Best Picture.