[Homer is whipping the dogs pulling his sled] Homer Simpson: Run! Run! Run! Run! Run! Run! Homer Simpson: [the dogs jump over a cliff] Jump! Jump! Homer Simpson: [the dogs land on the other side] Land! Land! Homer Simpson: [the dogs take a breather] Rest! Rest! Homer Simpson: [the dogs pull the sled again] Run! Run! Homer Simpson: [Homer sets up camp and begins removing the dog muzzles] Now I know we've had a rough day, but I'm sure we can put that all behind us and... Homer Simpson: [the dogs start attacking Homer, causing him to scream in pain] Ow! That's my whipping arm! Homer Simpson: [the dogs leave Homer stranded] Oh, why does everything I whip leave me?
Homer Simpson: I'll let you hold the bomb... Bart Simpson: The man knows me!
Ned Flanders: Thank you, Lord, for this bountiful... Ned Flanders: [screams] Ned Flanders: PENIS! Rod Flanders, Todd Flanders: [devoutly] ... bountiful penis. Todd Flanders: Amen.
Ned Flanders: Look at that, you can see the four states that border Springfield: Ohio, Nevada, Maine, and Kentucky! Bart Simpson: Oh yeah.
Marge Simpson: Homer, you have to go out there, face that mob, and apologize for what you did. Homer Simpson: I would, but I'm afraid if I open the door, they'll take all of you! Carl: No we won't. We just want Homer! Homer Simpson: Well, maybe not you, but they'll kill Grandpa! Grampa: I'm part of the mob!
Krusty the Clown: If you can find a greasier sandwich, you're in Mexico!
Mayor Quimby: I hereby declare a state of emergency: Code Black. Lenny: Black? That's the worst color there is.
[Lenny turns to Carl, his black friend] Lenny: No offense there, Carl. Mayor Quimby: I get it all the time.
Homer Simpson: Stay back, I've got a chain saw!
[fakes chainsaw sounds vocally]
Montgomery Burns: Smithers... I don't believe in suicide, but if you'd like to try it, it might cheer me up to watch.
Comic Book Guy: I've spent my entire life doing nothing but collecting comic books... and now there's only time to say... LIFE WELL SPENT!
Krusty the Clown: Perfect. Cut. Print. Kill the pig. Homer Simpson: What... you can't kill him if he's wearing people clothes!
Chief Wiggum: [sees Fat Tony and his mobsters dragging a body wrapped in a sheet to the lake] Uh sorry, sorry, no dumping in the lake! Fat Tony: Fine, I will put my *yard trimmings* in a car compactor.
[he and the mobsters walk off with the body] Lou: Uh, Chief, I think there was a dead body in there. Chief Wiggum: I thought that too, until he said yard trimmings. You gotta learn to listen, Lou.
Tom Hanks: Hello, I'm Tom Hanks. The US Government has lost its credibility so it's borrowing some of mine.
Homer Simpson: Thank you, boob lady!
Russ Cargill: Anyone can pick something when they know what it is; It takes real leadership to pick something you're clueless about. President Schwarzenegger: Ok, I pick 3! Russ Cargill: Try again. President Schwarzenegger: 1! Russ Cargill: Go higher. President Schwarzenegger: 5? Russ Cargill: Too high. President Schwarzenegger: 3? Russ Cargill: You already said 3. President Schwarzenegger: 6? Russ Cargill: There is no 6. President Schwarzenegger: 2? Russ Cargill: Double it. President Schwarzenegger: 4! Russ Cargill: As you wish, sir.
Colin: I'm Colin. Lisa Simpson: I haven't seen you at school Colin: Just moved from Ireland. My dad's a musician. Lisa Simpson: Is he...? Colin: He's not Bono.
Lisa Simpson: I just thought because you're Irish and you care about...
Colin: He's NOT Bono.
Ned Flanders: The Good Lord is telling me to confess to something... Homer Simpson: [whispering hopefully, with his fingers crossed] Gay Gay Gay Gay Gay Gay Gay
Homer Simpson: He's not Spider-Pig anymore, he's Harry Plopper.
Bart Simpson: Don't shoot! If you kill my dad, you'll never know where the treasure is buried. Russ Cargill: What treasure? Bart Simpson: The treasure of Ima Wiener. Russ Cargill: I'm a wiener?
[Homer and Bart laugh] Homer Simpson: Classic.
Forrest Gump: Will you marry me?
[Jenny turns and looks at him] Forrest Gump: I'd make a good husband, Jenny. Jenny Curran: You would, Forrest. Forrest Gump: ...But you won't marry me. Jenny Curran: [sadly] ... You don't wanna marry me. Forrest Gump: Why don't you love me, Jenny?
[Jenny says nothing] Forrest Gump: I'm not a smart man... but I know what love is.
[young Jenny's father is chasing her through the fields to beat her when she stops and hides] Young Jenny Curran: Dear God, make me a bird. So I could fly far. Far far away from here.
[repeated line] Forrest Gump: My momma always said, "Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."
Mrs. Gump: You have to do the best with what God gave you.
Drill Sergeant: Gump! What's your sole purpose in this army? Forrest Gump: To do whatever you tell me, drill sergeant! Drill Sergeant: God damn it, Gump! You're a god damn genius! This is the most outstanding answer I have ever heard. You must have a goddamn I.Q. of 160. You are goddamn gifted, Private Gump. Listen up, people... Forrest Gump: [narrates] Now for some reason I fit in the army like one of them round pegs. It's not really hard. You just make your bed real neat and remember to stand up straight and always answer every question with "Yes, drill sergeant." Drill Sergeant: ...Is that clear? Forrest Gump: Yes, drill sergeant!
Forrest Gump: Mama always said, dying was a part of life.
Forrest Gump: You died on a Saturday morning. And I had you placed here under our tree. And I had that house of your father's bulldozed to the ground. Momma always said dyin' was a part of life. I sure wish it wasn't. Little Forrest, he's doing just fine. About to start school again soon. I make his breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. I make sure he combs his hair and brushes his teeth every day. Teaching him how to play ping-pong. He's really good. We fish a lot. And every night, we read a book. He's so smart, Jenny. You'd be so proud of him. I am. He, uh, wrote a letter, and he says I can't read it. I'm not supposed to, so I'll just leave it here for you. Jenny, I don't know if Momma was right or if, if it's Lieutenant Dan. I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it's both. Maybe both is happening at the same time. I miss you, Jenny. If there's anything you need, I won't be far away.
Forrest Gump: He should not be hitting you, Jenny.
Forrest Gump: Lieutenant Dan. Ice cream
Forrest Gump: And cause I was a gazillionaire, and I liked doin it so much, I cut that grass for free.
Forrest Gump: I gotta find Bubba!
Forrest Gump: Her dream had come true. She was a folk singer.
Forrest Gump: When I was in China on the All-American Ping Pong team, I just loved playing ping-pong with my Flexolite ping pong paddle.
Forrest Gump: Mama says they was magic shoes. They could take me anywhere.
Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: Have you found Jesus yet, Gump? Forrest Gump: I didn't know I was supposed to be looking for him, sir.
Forrest Gump: Lieutenant Dan, what are you doing here? Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: I'm here to try out my sea legs. Forrest Gump: But you ain't got no legs, Lieutenant Dan. Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: [mildly irritated, but understanding] Yes... yes, I know that. You wrote me a letter, you idiot!
Jenny Curran: Do you think I could fly off this bridge, Forrest? Forrest Gump: What do you mean, Jenny? Jenny Curran: Nothing.
Forrest Gump: Mama always said life was like a box a chocolates, never know what you're gonna get.
[Forrest has finished assembling his rifle] Forrest Gump: DONE, DRILL SERGEANT! Drill Sergeant: GUUUUUUMP! Why did you put that weapon together so quickly, Gump? Forrest Gump: [confused] You told me to, Drill Sergeant? Drill Sergeant: Jesus H. Christ!
[looks at stopwatch] Drill Sergeant: This is a new company record! If it wouldn't be such a waste of a damn-fine enlisted man I'd recommend you for OCS! You are gonna be a general someday, Gump, now disassemble your weapon and continue!
Bubba: Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it.
Bubba: Have you ever been on a real shrimp boat? Forrest Gump: No, but I've been on a real big boat.
Forrest Gump: Now you wouldn't believe me if I told you, but I could run like the wind blows. From that day on, if I was ever going somewhere, I was running!
[repeated line] Forrest Gump: Stupid is as stupid does.
Pvt. Dallas from Phoenix: [Forrest is watching "Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C."] Gump, how can you watch that stupid shit? Turn it off.
Forrest Gump: You know it's funny what a young man recollects? 'Cause I don't remember bein' born. I don't recall what I got for my first Christmas and I don't know when I went on my first outdoor picnic. But I do remember the first time I heard the sweetest voice in the wide world.
Mrs. Gump: Life's a box of chocolates, Forrest. You never know what you're gonna get.
Forrest Gump: Sometimes, I guess there's just not enough rocks.
Fat Man at Bench: It was a bullet, wasn't it? Forrest Gump: A bullet? Fat Man at Bench: That jumped up and bit you. Forrest Gump: Oh, yes sir. Bit me right in the buttocks. They said it was a million dollar wound, but the army must keep that money 'cause I still haven't seen a nickel of that million dollars.
Forrest Gump: I'm sorry I had to fight in the middle of your Black Panther party.
Bubba: My given name is Benjamin Buford Blue, but people call me Bubba. Just like one of them ol' redneck boys. Can you believe that? Forrest Gump: My name's Forrest Gump. People call me Forrest Gump.
[first lines] Forrest Gump: Hello. My name's Forrest, Forrest Gump. You want a chocolate?
Forrest Gump: I'm sorry I ruined your New Year's Eve party, Lieutenant Dan. She tasted like cigarettes.
Jenny Curran: His name's Forrest. Forrest Gump: Like me. Jenny Curran: I named him after his daddy. Forrest Gump: He got a daddy named Forrest, too? Jenny Curran: You're his daddy, Forrest.
Forrest Gump: When I got tired, I slept. When I got hungry, I ate. When I had to go, you know, I went. Elderly Southern Woman on Park Bench: And so, you just ran? Forrest Gump: Yeah.
Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: Where are you boys from in the world? Forrest Gump, Bubba: Alabama, sir! Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: You twins? Forrest Gump: No, we are not relations, sir.
Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: That's what all these cripples down at the VA talk about: Jesus this and Jesus that. They even had a priest come and talk to me. He said God is listening and if I found Jesus, I'd get to walk beside him in the kingdom of Heaven. Did you hear what I said? WALK beside him in the kingdom of Heaven! Well kiss my crippled ass. God is listening? What a crock of shit.
[repeated line] Forrest Gump: That's all I have to say about that.
Forrest Gump: Hello. I'm Forrest, Forrest Gump. Recruit Officer: Nobody gives a hunky shit who you are, pus ball. You're not even a low-life, scum-sucking maggot. Get your ass on the bus, you're in the army now!
Jenny Curran: Have you ever been with a girl, Forrest? Forrest Gump: [nervously] I sit next to them in my Home Economics class...
John F. Kennedy: Congratulations, how do you feel? Forrest Gump: I gotta pee. John F. Kennedy: [turning to camera] I believe he said he had to go pee. Heh heh.
Lyndon B. Johnson: [Putting medal on Forrest] America owes you a debt of gratitude, son. Now I understand you were wounded. Where were you hit? Forrest Gump: In the buttocks. Lyndon B. Johnson: Oh that must be a site.
[Whispering to Forrest] Lyndon B. Johnson: I'd like to see that.
[Forrest shows him; Johnson walks away embarrassed] Lyndon B. Johnson: God damn, son.
Abbie Hoffman: Tell us a little bit about the war, man. Forrest Gump: The war in Vietnam? Abbie Hoffman: [to audience] War in Viet-Fucking-Nam!
[Audience cheers]
Richard M. Nixon: Therefore, I shall resign the presidency effective at noon tomorrow. Vice president Ford will be sworn into office at that hour in this office.
Forrest Gump: [in the Watergate hotel; on phone with security] Yeah, sir, you might want to send a maintenance man over to that office across the way. The lights are off, and they must be looking for a fuse box, 'cause them flashlights, they keep me awake.
[Forrest has just graduated from college] Recruit Officer: Have you given any thought to your future, son? Forrest Gump: "Thought"?
[Describing Vietnam] Forrest Gump: We was always taking long walks, and we was always looking for a guy named "Charlie".
Forrest Gump: The best thing about visiting the President is the food! Now, since it was all free, and I wasn't hungry but thirsty, I must've drank me fifteen Dr. Peppers.
Forrest Gump: [dejected] No shrimp. Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: Where the Hell is this God of yours? Forrest Gump: [narrating] It's funny Lieutenant Dan said that, 'cause right then, God showed up.
Forrest Gump: My Mama always said you've got to put the past behind you before you can move on.
[Forrest Gump referring to Apple Computer] Forrest Gump: Lieutenant Dan got me invested in some kind of fruit company. So then I got a call from him, saying we don't have to worry about money no more. And I said, that's good! One less thing.
Bumper Sticker Guy: [running after Forrest] Hey man! Hey listen, I was wondering if you might help me. 'Cause I'm in the bumper sticker business and I've been trying to think of a good slogan, and since you've been such a big inspiration to the people around here I thought you might be able to help me jump into - WOAH! Man, you just ran through a big pile of dog shit! Forrest Gump: It happens. Bumper Sticker guy: What, shit? Forrest Gump: Sometimes.
Forrest Gump: [running] I had run for 3 years, 2 months, 14 days, and 16 hours.
[he stops and turns around] Young Man Running: Quiet, quiet! He's gonna say something! Forrest Gump: [pause] I'm pretty tired... I think I'll go home now.
Dorothy Harris: Are you coming along? Young Forrest Gump: Mama said not to be taking rides from strangers. Dorothy Harris: This is the bus to school. Young Forrest Gump: I'm Forrest, Forrest Gump. Dorothy Harris: I'm Dorothy Harris. Young Forrest Gump: Well, now we ain't strangers anymore.
[last lines] Dorothy Harris: You understand this is the bus to the school, now, don'tcha? Forrest Gump Jr.: Of course; you're Dorothy Harris, and I'm Forrest Gump.
Jenny Curran: Were you scared in Vietnam? Forrest Gump: Yes. Well, I-I don't know. Sometimes it would stop raining long enough for the stars to come out... and then it was nice. It was like just before the sun goes to bed down on the bayou. There was always a million sparkles on the water... like that mountain lake. It was so clear, Jenny, it looked like there were two skies one on top of the other. And then in the desert, when the sun comes up, I couldn't tell where heaven stopped and the earth began. It's so beautiful. Jenny Curran: I wish I could've been there with you. Forrest Gump: You were.
Old man in barbershop: That boy sure is a runnin' fool!
Forrest Gump: Mama always had a way of explaining things so I could understand them.
Forrest Gump: What's my destiny, Mama? Mrs. Gump: You're gonna have to figure that out for yourself.
Forrest Gump: That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd run to the end of town. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd just run across Greenbow County. And I figured, since I run this far, maybe I'd just run across the great state of Alabama. And that's what I did. I ran clear across Alabama. For no particular reason I just kept on going. I ran clear to the ocean. And when I got there, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well turn around, just keep on going. When I got to another ocean, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well just turn back, keep right on going.
Forrest Gump: I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floatin' around accidental-like on a breeze. But I, I think maybe it's both.
Forrest Gump: In the land of China, people hardly got nothing at all. John Lennon: No possessions? Forrest Gump: And in China they never go to church. John Lennon: No religion too? Dick Cavett: Ah. Hard to imagine. John Lennon: Well it's easy if you try, Dick.
Coach Bryant: That kid may be the stupidest son of a bitch I've ever seen, but damn he can run!
Mrs. Gump: Remember what I told you, Forrest. You're no different than anybody else is. Did you hear what I said, Forrest? You're the same as everybody else. You are no different. Principal: Your boy's... different, Miz Gump. His IQ's 75. Mrs. Gump: Well, we're all different, Mr. Hancock. There must be something that can be done? Principal: Is there a Mr. Gump, Miz Gump? Mrs. Gump: He's on vacation.
Young Forrest Gump: Mama. What's vacation? Mrs. Gump: Vacation's when you go somewhere... and you never come back.
Jenny Curran: Do you ever dream, Forrest, about who you're gonna be? Forrest Gump: Who I'm gonna be? Jenny Curran: Yeah. Forrest Gump: Aren't-aren't I going to be me?
Jenny Curran: You can't keep trying to rescue me all the time. Forrest Gump: They was trying to grab you. Jenny Curran: A lot of people try to grab me.
Jenny Curran: Can I have a ride? Pickup-Truck Driver: Where are you going? Jenny Curran: I don't care.
Forrest Gump: He was from a long great military tradition. Somebody from his family had fought and died in every single American war. I guess you could say he had a lot to live up to.
Forrest Gump: Lieutenant Dan was always getting these funny feelings about a rock or a trail or the road, so he'd tell us to get down, shut up. Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: Get down! Shut up! Forrest Gump: So we did.
[Forrest Gump listing some of his comrades] Forrest Gump: There was Dallas, from Phoenix; Cleveland - he was from Detroit; and Tex... well, I don't remember where Tex come from.
[when the bullies from school were chasing him] Jenny Curran: Run, Forrest! Run!
[Forrest is waiting with Forrest Jr. for the school bus on little Forrest's first day of school in Greenbow. The bus arrives and little Forrest is about to board it] Forrest Gump: Forrest, don't...
[pause, then] Forrest Gump: I just wanted to tell you I love you. Forrest Gump Jr.: [smiles] I love you too, Dad.
Jenny Curran: Why are you so good to me? Forrest Gump: You're my girl! Jenny Curran: [pause] I'll always be your girl.
Forrest Gump: [to Jenny] They're sendin' me to Vietnam...
[Jenny is despondent] Forrest Gump: ...It's this whole 'nuther country.
[Jenny has told Forrest that she has an incurable disease, and the doctors don't know what to do] Forrest Gump: You could come home with me, to my house in Greenbow, Jenny. You and little Forrest. If you're sick, I'll take care of you. Jenny Curran: Will you marry me, Forrest? Forrest Gump: [long pause] Okay.
Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: I never thanked you for saving my life.
Young Jenny Curran: You can sit here if ya want.
Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: [while being ambushed] You guys get that pig unfucked and get it on the tree line!
Forrest Gump: So what are you doing in New York, Lt. Dan? Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: I am living off the government tit! Sucking it dry!
Forrest Gump: [Forrest narrating] Jenny taught me how to climb. And I taught her how to dangle.
Mrs. Gump: What's normal anyways?
Forrest Gump: She got the cancer and died on a Tuesday.
Principal: [after Mrs. Gump had been entertaining him] You're momma sure does care about your education, son. Principal: [Forrest remains quiet] You don't say much do you? Young Forrest Gump: [imitates the noises he has just heard] eh, eh, eh, eh, eh...
Forrest Gump: One day it started raining, and it didn't quit for four months. We been through every kind of rain there is. Little bitty stingin' rain... and big ol' fat rain. Rain that flew in sideways. And sometimes rain even seemed to come straight up from underneath.
Forrest Gump: Me and Jenny goes together like peas and carrots.
Jenny Curran: Forrest, I'm sick. Forrest Gump: Do you have a cough due to cold?
Jenny Curran: [hearing that Forrest is going to Vietnam] Listen, you promise me something, OK? Just if you're ever in trouble, don't be brave. You just run, OK? Just run away.
Richard M. Nixon: [awarding Forest U.S table tennis tournament medal in 1972] So how are you enjoying yourself in our nation's capital, son? Forrest Gump: Yes, sir. Richard M. Nixon: So where are you staying? Forrest Gump: Uh..it's called the hotel airbot. Richard M. Nixon: Oh, no, I know of this much nicer hotel that's very new. It's very modern. I'll have my people set you up and take care of it for you.
«My momma always said, “Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get”»
Jakob Elinsky: What do we say to him? Frank Slaughtery: We say nothin'. The guy's going to hell for seven years, what are going do wish him luck?
[Monty standing in the men's bathroom, talking to himself in a mirror with a "FUCK YOU" written on it] Monty Brogan: Well, fuck you, too. Fuck me, fuck you, fuck this whole city and everyone in it. Fuck the panhandlers, grubbing for money, and smiling at me behind my back. Fuck the squeegee men dirtying up the clean windshield of my car. Get a fucking job! Fuck the Sikhs and the Pakistanis bombing down the avenues in decrepit cabs, curry steaming out their pores, stinking up my day. Terrorists in fucking training. SLOW THE FUCK DOWN! Fuck the Chelsea boys with their waxed chests and pumped up biceps. Going down on each other in my parks and on my piers, jingling their dicks on my Channel 35. Fuck the Korean grocers with their pyramids of overpriced fruit and their tulips and roses wrapped in plastic. Ten years in the country, still no speaky English? Fuck the Russians in Brighton Beach. Mobster thugs sitting in cafés, sipping tea in little glasses, sugar cubes between their teeth. Wheelin' and dealin' and schemin'. Go back where you fucking came from! Fuck the black-hatted Chassidim, strolling up and down 47th street in their dirty gabardine with their dandruff. Selling South African apartheid diamonds! Fuck the Wall Street brokers. Self-styled masters of the universe. Michael Douglas, Gordon Gekko wannabe mother fuckers, figuring out new ways to rob hard working people blind. Send those Enron assholes to jail for FUCKING LIFE! You think Bush and Cheney didn't know about that shit? Give me a fucking break! Tyco! Worldcom! Fuck the Puerto Ricans. 20 to a car, swelling up the welfare rolls, worst fuckin' parade in the city. And don't even get me started on the Dom-in-i-cans, 'cause they make the Puerto Ricans look good. Fuck the Bensonhurst Italians with their pomaded hair, their nylon warm-up suits, their St. Anthony medallions, swinging their, Jason Giambi, Louisville slugger, baseball bats, trying to audition for the Sopranos. Fuck the Upper East Side wives with their Hermes scarves and their fifty-dollar Balducci artichokes. Overfed faces getting pulled and lifted and stretched, all taut and shiny. You're not fooling anybody, sweetheart! Fuck the uptown brothers. They never pass the ball, they don't want to play defense, they take five steps on every lay-up to the hoop. And then they want to turn around and blame everything on the white man. Slavery ended one hundred and thirty seven years ago. Move the fuck on! Fuck the corrupt cops with their anus violating plungers and their 41 shots, standing behind a blue wall of silence. You betray our trust! Fuck the priests who put their hands down some innocent child's pants. Fuck the church that protects them, delivering us into evil. And while you're at it, fuck JC! He got off easy! A day on the cross, a weekend in hell, and all the hallelujahs of the legioned angels for eternity! Try seven years in fuckin' Otisville, J! Fuck Osama Bin Laden, Al Qaeda, and backward-ass, cave-dwelling, fundamentalist assholes everywhere. On the names of innocent thousands murdered, I pray you spend the rest of eternity with your seventy-two whores roasting in a jet-fuel fire in hell. You towel headed camel jockeys can kiss my royal Irish ass! Fuck Jacob Elinsky, whining malcontent. Fuck Francis Xavier Slaughtery my best friend, judging me while he stares at my girlfriend's ass. Fuck Naturelle Riviera, I gave her my trust and she stabbed me in the back, sold me up the river, fucking bitch. Fuck my father with his endless grief, standing behind that bar sipping on club sodas, selling whisky to firemen, cheering the Bronx bombers. Fuck this whole city and everyone in it. From the row-houses of Astoria to the penthouses on Park Avenue, from the projects in the Bronx to the lofts in Soho. From the tenements in Alphabet City to the brownstones in Park slope to the split-levels in Staten Island. Let an earthquake crumble it, let the fires rage, let it burn to fucking ash and then let the waters rise and submerge this whole rat-infested place.
[pause] Monty Brogan: No. No, fuck you, Montgomery Brogan. You had it all, and you threw it away, you dumb fuck!
Uncle Nikolai: I have been in three different prisons, Montgomery. Three different countries. And you know what I learned? I learned prison is a bad place to be.
Uncle Nikolai: I tattooed "survive" on my hand the night before I went away to prison. And I did. We do what we have to do to survive.
[On imagining an alternate ending for Monty] James Brogan: We'll drive. Keep driving. Head out to the middle of nowhere, take that road as far as it takes us. You've never been west of Philly, have ya? This is a beautiful country Monty, it's beautiful out there, like a different world. Mountains, hills, cows, farms, and white churches. I drove out west with your mother one time, before you was born. Brooklyn to the Pacific in three days. Just enough money for gas, sandwiches, and coffee, but we made it. Every man, woman, and child alive should see the desert one time before they die. Nothin' at all for miles around. Nothin' but sand and rocks and cactus and blue sky. Not a soul in sight. No sirens. No car alarms. Nobody honkin' atcha. No madmen cursin' or pissin' in the streets. You find the silence out there, you find the peace. You can find God. So we drive west, keep driving till we find a nice little town. These towns out in the desert, you know why they got there? People wanted to get way from somewhere else. The desert's for startin' over. Find a bar and I'll buy us drinks. I haven't had a drink in two years, but I'll have one with you, one last whisky with my boy. Take our time with it, taste the barley, let it linger. And then I'll go. I'll tell you dont ever write me, dont ever visit, I'll tell you I believe in God's kingdom and I'll see you and your mother again, but not in this lifetime. You'll get a job somewhere, a job that pays cash, a boss who doesn't ask questions, and you make a new life and you never come back. Monty, people like you, it's a gift, you'll make friends wherever you go. You're going to work hard, you're going to keep your head down and your mouth shut. You're going to make yourself a new home out there. You're a New Yorker, that won't ever change. You got New York in your bones. Spend the rest of your life out west but you're still a New Yorker. You'll miss your friends, you'll miss your dog, but you're strong. You got your mother backbone in you, you're strong like she was. You find the right people, and you get yourself papers, a drivers license. You forget your old life, you can't come back, you can't call, you can't write. You never look back. You make a new life for yourself and you live it, you hear me? You live your live the way it should have been. But maybe, this is dangerous, but maybe after a few years you send word to Naturelle. You get yourself a new family and you raise them right, you hear me? Give them a good life Monty. Give them what they need. You have a son, maybe you name him James, it's a good strong name, and maybe one day years from now years after im dead and gone reunited with your dear ma, you gather your whole family around and tell them the truth, who you are, where you come from, you tell them the whole story. Then you ask them if they know how lucky there are to be there. It all came so close to never happening. This life came so close to never happening.
