Look, Daddy. Teacher says, “Every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.”

This line is popularly associated with the Christmas film It’s a Wonderful Life (1946). The “every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings” idea is used in the movie’s closing moments to signal that George Bailey’s guardian angel, Clarence, has earned his wings. In the film, the sentiment is voiced within the Bailey family circle as they notice a bell ringing on the Christmas tree, tying a homely sound to a comforting piece of folk theology. Although the quote is often repeated as a generic saying and sometimes attributed to “Anonymous,” its best-known cultural home is the movie’s final scene.