About this quote

In The Shawshank Redemption (1994) Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding delivers this line while explaining the informal role he occupies inside the prison. It appears in a quiet scene where he talks matter-of-factly about how he finds things for other inmates. The casual delivery and the detail about prison life make the line stick in the viewer's mind. It’s memorable because it reveals personality with a single, offhand sentence.

When to use it

• At the hardware store when my team needed an impossible-to-find bolt for a client, I shrugged and said, "I'm the guy who can get it for you," so they'd stop worrying.
• At my sister's garage sale, her kid wanted a discontinued action figure, and I laughed, "I'm the guy who can get it for you," and went hunting online.
• When our film club couldn't source a rare copy of a movie, I told the organizer, "Leave it with me—I'm the guy who can get it for you," and started calling sellers.
• After our soccer jerseys went missing, the team manager texted the coach, "I'm the guy who can get it for you," while contacting his supplier.