In The Terminator, what does the Terminator say before leaving the police station?

The story behind the answer

In The Terminator, the Terminator tells a police desk officer, “I'll be back.” He then leaves the building and returns in a car to crash through the station's entrance.

The short sentence became Arnold Schwarzenegger's signature line and one of the most recognizable quotations in action cinema. Its impact comes partly from the character's literal interpretation: rather than arguing with the officer, the Terminator calmly promises to return and does so moments later.

James Cameron directed and co-wrote The Terminator, released in 1984. Schwarzenegger plays the original film's hostile cyborg assassin, while Linda Hamilton plays Sarah Connor. The same line appears in later entries and other Schwarzenegger films, but its first major use is in this 1984 science-fiction thriller.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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