“This Is Bravery”
From “The Magnificent Seven,” 1960
Village Boy: We’re ashamed to live here. Our fathers are cowards.
Bernardo O’Reilly (Charles Bronson): Don’t you ever say that again about your fathers, because they are not cowards!
You think I am brave because I carry a gun. Well, your fathers are much braver because they carry responsibility –- for you, your brothers, your sisters, and your mothers. And this responsibility is like a big rock that weighs a ton. It bends and it twists them until finally it buries them under the ground.
And there’s nobody says they have to do this. They do it because they love you, and because they want to. I have never had this kind of courage.
Running a farm, working like a mule every day with no guarantee anything will ever come of it — this is bravery!
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“We Are the Cure”
From “The Matrix,” 1999
(Agent Smith speaks casually to Morpheus, who is hunched over and bleeding.)
Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving): I’d like to share a revelation that I’ve had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species. I’ve realized that you are not actually mammals.
(He smiles.) Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment. But you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area.
(He leans forward.) There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You are a plague. And we are… the cure.
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“Never Go In Against a Sicilian”
From “The Princess Bride,” 1987
Vizzini (Wallace Shawn): Where’s the poison? But it’s so simple! All I have to do is divine from what I know of you -– are you the sort of man who would put the poison into his own goblet or his enemy’s?
Now, a clever man would put the poison into his own goblet, knowing that only a great fool would reach for what he was given. I am not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you.
But you must’ve known I was not a great fool. You would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.
I haven’t made my decision yet, though. Because Iocane comes from Australia, as everyone knows. And Australia is entirely peopled with criminals. And criminals are used to having people not trust them, as you are not trusted by me, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you.
And you must have suspected I would have known the powder’s origin, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.
You’ve beaten my giant, which means you’re exceptionally strong, so you could have put the poison in your own goblet, trusting on your strength to save you, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you.
But, you’ve also bested my Spaniard, which means you must have studied, and in studying you must have learned that man is mortal, so you would’ve put the poison as far from yourself as possible, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.
Ha, it’s worked! You’ve given everything away! I know where the poison is! And I choose — (He points behind the pirate) What in the world can that be?! (He switches goblets.)
Oh, I could’ve sworn I saw something! Well, no matter. Let’s drink — me from my glass, and you from yours. (He drinks, then laughs.) You think I guessed wrong, that’s what’s so funny! I switched glasses when your back was turned! Ha! Ha! You fool! You’ve fallen victim to one of the classic blunders!
The most famous is “Never get involved in a land war in Asia”, but only slightly less well known is this– “Never go in against a Sicilian, when death is on the line!” Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha h-! (He falls over dead.)
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“Take Dead Aim on the Rich Boys”
From “Rushmore,” 1998
Mr. Blume (Bill Murray): You guys have it real easy. I never had it like this where I grew up. But I send my kids here because the fact is, you go to one of the best schools in the country: Rushmore.
Now, for some of you it doesn’t matter. You were born rich and you’re going to stay rich. But here’s my advice to the rest of you: take dead aim on the rich boys. Get them in the crosshairs and take them down.
Just remember, they can buy anything, but they can’t buy backbone. Don’t let them forget it. Thank you.
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“Snowflakes are Perfect”
From “Moonstruck,” 1987
Ronny (Nicholas Cage): Loretta, I love you! Not like they told you love is, and I didn’t know this either, but love don’t make things nice, it ruins everything! It breaks your heart, it makes things a mess!
We aren’t here to make things perfect! Snowflakes are perfect, stars are perfect! Not us, not us! We are here to ruin ourselves and… and to break our hearts and love the wrong people, and… and die!
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“Material Possessions”
From “The Ice Storm,” 1997
Wendy Hood (Christina Ricci): Dear Lord, thank you for this Thanksgiving holiday. And for all the material possessions we have and enjoy. And for letting us white people kill all the Indians and steal their tribal lands. And stuff ourselves like pigs, even though children in Asia are being napalmed —
Ben Hood (Kevin Kline): Jesus! Enough, alright?
Paul… roll?
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“The Answer is ‘Every Day’”
From “The Sixth Sense,” 1999
Cole (Haley Joel Osment): Grandma says hi. She says she’s sorry for taking the bumblebee pendant. She just likes it a lot.
Lynn (Toni Collette): What?
Cole: Grandma comes to visit me sometimes.
Lynn: (She pauses) Cole, that’s very wrong. Grandma’s gone. You know that!
Cole: I know. She wanted me to tell you —
Lynn: Cole, please stop!
Cole: She wanted me to tell you, she saw you dance. She said when you were little, you and her had a fight right before your dance recital. You thought she didn’t come to see you dance, but she did. She hid in the back so you wouldn’t see… She said you were like an angel. (Lynn begins to cry.)
She said you came to her where they buried her. Asked her a question… She said the answer is, “Every day.”
What did you ask?
Lynn: (Crying) Do I… make her proud!
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