Memorable Quotes from Charles Laughton
17 quotesFear and Terror in Unfamiliar Encounters
Dr. Moreau
She's never seen anything like him.
Mr. Montgomery
No?
Dr. Moreau
You and I don't count. The only reactions we get from her are fear and terror.
Mr. Montgomery
That's understandable.
Dr. Moreau
But how will she respond to Parker where there's no cause for fear? Will she be attracted? Is she capable of being attracted? Has she a woman's emotional impulses? I could scarcely hope for a chance like this short of London.
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Desire for a map over love letters
Capt. William Kidd
My darling, darling, darling.....I DON'T WANT LOVE LETTERS FROM YOU, I WANT THE MAP!
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A Lawyer's Unfortunate Fate
Miss Plimsoll
I almost married a lawyer once. I was in attendance when he had his appendectomy, and we became engaged as soon as he could sit up... and then peritonitis set in and he went just like that!
Sir Wilfrid
He certainly was a lucky lawyer.
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Questioning the Nature of Divinity
Dr. Moreau
Mr. Parker, do you know what it means to feel like God?
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Cocoa and Brandy: A Playful Exchange
Sir Wilfrid
I'd better take that thermos of cocoa with me. It helps me wash down down the pills.
Miss Plimsoll
Let me see. My learned patient is not above substituting brandy for cocoa. Sniff, sniff. It is cocoa. So sorry.
[opens thermos and smells]
Sir Wilfrid
If you were a woman, Miss Plimsoll, I would strike you.
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The Intersection of Science and Humanity
Dr. Moreau
Did you see that, Montgomery? She was tender like a woman. Oh, how that little scene spurs the scientific imagination onward.
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A Lighthearted Exchange About Matches
Sir Wilfrid
Give me a match.
Leonard Vole
Sorry, I never carried them.
Sir Wilfrid
What? You said I'd like him.
[to Mayhew]
Leonard Vole
But I do have a lighter.
Sir Wilfird
You're quite right, Mayhew. I do like him.
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Justice and Misunderstandings in England
Leonard Vole
But this is England, where I thought you never arrest, let alone convict, people for crimes they have not committed.
Sir Wilfrid
We try not to make a habit of it.
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A Discourse on Silence and Conversation
Miss Plimsoll
Shall we roll up the window, Sir Wilfrid?
Sir Wilfrid
Just roll up your mouth, you talk too much. If I'd known how much you talk I'd never have come out of my coma.
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Identity and Deception in Marriage
Sir Wilfrid
Mrs Vole. Or Mrs Helm; which do you prefer to be called?
Christine Helm
It does not matter.
Sir Wilfrid
Does it not? In this country, we are inclined to take a rather more serious view of marriage. However, Frau Helm, it would appear that when you first met the prisoner in Hamburg, you lied to him about your marital status?
Christine Helm
I wanted to get out of Germany, so—
Sir Wilfrid
You lied, did you not? Just yes or no, please.
Christine Helm
Yes.
Sir Wilfrid
Thank you. And subsequently, in arranging the marriage, you lied to the authorities?
Christine Helm
I, um, did not tell the truth to the authorities.
Sir Wilfrid
You lied to them?
Christine Helm
Yes.
Sir Wilfrid
And in the ceremony of marriage itself, when you swore to love and to honor and to cherish your husband, that, too, was a lie?
Christine Helm
Yes.
Sir Wilfrid
And when the police questioned you about this wretched man who believed himself married and loved, you told them—
Christine Helm
I told them what Leonard wanted me to say.
Sir Wilfrid
You told them that he was at home with you at 25 minutes past 9, and now you say that that was a lie?
[''beginning to chuckle now'']
Christine Helm
Yes, a lie!
Sir Wilfrid
And when you said that he had accidentally cut his wrist, again, you lied?
[''chuckling again'']
Christine Helm
Yes!
Sir Wilfrid
And now today you've told us a new story entirely! The question is, Frau Helm, were you lying then, are you lying now, or are you not in fact a chronic and habitual LIAR?!
[''chuckling further''; ''serious now'']
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Uncovering Past Relationships and Betrayals
Anthony Keane
Does the name of Margaret Wells convey anything to you?
Andre Latour
Yes, sir.
[hesitating]
Anthony Keane
What does that name convey to you?
Anthony Keane
Well, I must try to help your memory. I put it to you that some years ago you were engaged to Margaret Wells of Three Rivers, Quebec; that on your wedding day she left you at the church door and went off with a saddler named Richard Truton.
Andre Latour
That is finished! That is in the past!
Judge Lord Thomas Horfield
Your question may be relevant, Mr Keane; its ] escapes me.
[[relevance]
Anthony Keane
M'lord, I submit that the witness has shown, in his evidence and also in his behavior, an almost pathological bias against, not only my client, but against all women.
Judge Lord Thomas Horfield
I may be stupid, but I fail to understand what this jilting has to do with the case; after seeing the witness and observing his appearance and bearing, I should be inclined to regard the young lady's conduct as pathological, not his.
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Unclear Nature of the Location Discussed
Captain Donahue
What kind of a place did you say this was, Doc?
Dr. Moreau
I didn't say.
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A Mix-Up in Shakespearean References
Captain Puddin head Feathergill
Alas, poor Yorick, I knew well, a fellow of infinite...
[In hole holding skull]
Capt. William Kidd
That's the wrong play. Now, dig.
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The Achievement of Articulate Speech
Edward Parker
Those poor things out there in the jungle. Those animals. They - They talk.
Dr. Moreau
That was my first great achievement. Articulate speech controlled by the brain. And it was a great achievement! Oh, it takes a long time and infinite patience to make them talk. Someday I will create a woman and it'll be easier.
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Boat Terminology Explained by Captains
Capt. William Kidd
Where's the bow of the boat?
Captain Puddin head Feathergill
That's in the front.
Capt. William Kidd
Where's the stern?
Captain Puddin head Feathergill
That's in the back of the boat.
Capt. William Kidd
Where's the port?
Captain Puddin head Feathergill
That's in the wine closet.
Capt. William Kidd
See if the barometer has fallen!
Captain Puddin head Feathergill
It's still hanging on the wall.
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Self-Reflection on Weight and Hatred
Capt. William Kidd
I hate fat men!
Capt. Bonney
But you're a fat man.
Capt. William Kidd
I hate myself too!
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Confidence in the Face of Drama
Sir Wilfrid
Be prepared for hysterics and even a fainting spell. Better have smelling salts handy and a nip of brandy.
Christine Vole
I do not think that will be necessary. I never faint because I am not sure that I will fall gracefully and I never use smelling salts because they puff up the eyes. I am Christine Vole.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.