Memorable Quotes from Caroline Kava
4 quotesFamily Conflict and Strained Relationships
Mrs. Kovic
What happened in that war? What happened to you? You need help, Ronnie, you need help.
Ron Kovic
No, you need help! All your God and your bullshit dreams about me!
Mrs. Kovic
You'll wake the whole neighborhood.
[She starts telling the other children to go to bed]
Ron Kovic
YOU ARE ASHAMED OF ME! You're EMBARRASSED by me.
Tommy Kovic
Please, Mom, let me talk to him.
Mrs. Kovic
You go to bed!
Ron Kovic
FUCK YOU!
Mr. Kovic
Don't you talk to your mother like that!
Mrs. Kovic
What did you say to me?! WHAT DID YOU SAY TO ME??
[Comes back to Ron's room, enraged; Smacks Ron's face a couple of times and leaves; Ron strolls after her]
Ron Kovic
FUCK YOU!!!
Mr. Kovic
Ronnie, that's ENOUGH!
Mrs. Kovic
You're gonna wake the whole neighborhood!
Ron Kovic
OH, WAKE EM UP! TELL THEM! CUSACKS, CAMELLETTIS, WALSHES!! You tell them all! Tell them what they did to me. What they did to this country.
Mrs. Kovic
They're gonna call the police this time
[To Mr. Kovic]
Ron Kovic
We went to Vietnam to stop communism!... We shot women and children!
Mrs. Kovic
You didn't shoot women and children! What are you saying?
Ron Kovic
That was the war, communism, the insidious evil! They told us to go.
Mrs. Kovic
Yes, yes that's what they told us.
Ron Kovic
Thou shalt not kill, Mom. Thou shalt not kill women and children! Thou shalt not kill! Remember? Isn't that what you taught us? Isn't that what they taught us?
Mrs. Kovic
Stop it! Stop it!
Ron Kovic
But they're the evil, Mom. They're the ones we should be fighting. They lied to me growing up, they lied to all of us, but it's not gonna work anymore. Not for you... for me... for anybody else.
Mrs. Kovic
Stop it, stop it! As long as you're in this house, you will not talk that way. Eli, please stop him.
Mr. Kovic
Ron, come on now... you made your point, now stop.
Ron Kovic
No, I haven't made my point. Tell her, Dad. They're killing everybody now.
Mrs. Kovic
I didn't force you to go!!
Ron Kovic
YES, YOU DID! YES, YOU DID!!! It's all falling apart, Mom! King. Kennedy. Kent State. We all lost the war, Mom. Fucking Communism won! It's all for nothing!
Mrs. Kovic
That is not true, Ronnie.
Ron Kovic
What do you know, Ma? WHAT DO YOU KNOW?!?
Tommy Kovic
Ron.
Ron Kovic
What? Tell her, Tommy. You tell her, Dad! Tell her it's all a lie! It's a fucking lie! Tell her God's as dead as my legs. There's no God and there's no country. It's just me... and this fucking wheelchair for the rest... of my life. It's just me and this... dead... penis.
[Unzips his pants and sticks his hand in]
Mrs. Kovic
OH MY GOD! RONNIE!!
[Hysterically disgusted]
Mr. Kovic
Don't, Ronnie! Not with the catheter! For God sake!
Ron Kovic
DEAD... PENIS!
Mrs. Kovic
Oh, GOD! Eli, I can't take this anymore.
Mr. Kovic
Go to your rooms. Go to your ROOMS!
[Notices the children]
Mrs. Kovic
THE HELL WITH YOU!!!
[To Ron]
Ron Kovic
In church they said that it's a sin if you play with your penis, I wish I could.
Mrs. Kovic
Don't say "penis" in this house!
Ron Kovic
Penis!
Mrs. Kovic
Stop!
Ron Kovic
Penis! Big fucking erect penis, MA!
Mrs. Kovic
STOOOOOOP!!
Ron Kovic
PENIS! PENIIIIIIIIIS!!!
Mrs. Kovic
Lord, he won't let go, what do I do?
[Praying in tears]
Ron Kovic
I really don't have time to learn to use it. It's gone in some jungle. Some fucking jungle over there. It's just gone. I'm sorry it happened this way. I'm sorry if you're sad, Mom. I'm so sorry you're sad. I'm sorry.
[Notices his mother sits down crying, and he, too, is in tears; Softens]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Patriotism and Parental Pride in Conflict
Mrs. Kovic
Ronnie, Ronnie, you're doing the right thing! Communism has to be stopped! It's God's will that you go, and I'm proud of you. Just be careful, that's all.
[entering Ron's room, beaming; gently pats his shoulder]
Ron Kovic
Don't you know what it means to me to be a Marine, Dad? Ever since I was a kid I've wanted this - I've wanted to serve my country - and I want to go. I want to go to Vietnam - and I'll die there if I have to.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Struggles of Sacrifice and Disrespect
Ron Kovic
They burned the flag and they demonstrated against us; it's on the cover of the paper today. They have no respect. They have no idea what's going on over there, Mom - the men that are sacrificing their lives. People are dying every day over there, and nobody back here even seems to care. It's a bunch of goddamn shit if you ask me!
Mrs. Kovic
Ronnie, don't take the Lord's name in vain - not in front of the children. I agree with everything you say!
Ron Kovic
I served my country - and they just want to take from it - just take, take! Love it or leave it, that's what I think.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Space Race Reflections and National Pride
Ron Kovic
Why did the Russians beat us into space, Dad?
Mr. Kovic
Well, the Russians, they don't even bother feeding their people. They put all their money into weapons and things like that.
Ron Kovic
But we're supposed to be the best, right, Dad?
Mr. Kovic
You bet we are, but we've been pretty stupid too. We put the Russians back on their feet after World War II and they took Hungary, Poland, half of Europe - and they still want more.
Mrs. Kovic
Communism is an insidious evil, Ronnie. They don't believe in God and if we don't watch out, they're gonna take over this country someday.
Ron Kovic
But don't people know? Why don't we stop them? We're supposed to be the best. We can't let them take over our country, Dad, what's wrong?
Mr. Kovic
Well, people are scared of em... I think everybody's scared of em these days.
Ron Kovic
I'm not. I'm not scared of em! I hate the Communists. I really hate them. We're gonna come back and beat them someday.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.