Memorable Quotes from Orson Welles
53 quotesCommitment to Community and Justice
Charles Foster Kane
It's my duty and — I'll let you in on a little secret — it's also my pleasure to see to it that decent, hard-working people in this community aren't robbed blind by a pack of money-mad pirates, just because they haven't had anybody to look after their interests.
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Transparency in Journalism and Editorial Responsibility
Charles Foster Kane
We have no secrets from our readers. Mr. Thatcher is one of our most devoted readers, Mr. Bernstein. He knows what's wrong with every issue since I've taken charge.
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Questioning the Origin of Fate
Jonathan Wilk
In those years to come, you might find yourself asking if it wasn't the hand of god dropped these glasses... And if he didn't, who did?
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Authority and Decision-Making in Conflict
Howard Graham
Oh, I don't know. That's quite a decision!
Colonel Haki
Graham, I'm not asking you to decide anything, I'm telling you what you must do.
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A Captain's Regret Over a Lost Criminal
Police Captain Hank Quinlan
I followed around after him...ate my heart out trying to catch him but I never did. That was the last killer that ever got out of my hands.
[about his wife's killer]
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Indecision Until Resolution
Michael O'Hara
I never make up my mind about anything at all until it's over and done with.
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Struggle for Respect in Law Enforcement
Police Captain Hank Quinlan
30 years of pounding beats and riding cars, 30 years of dirt and crummy pay. For 30 years, I gave my life to this department. And you allow this foreigner to accuse me. Answer, answer, why do I have to answer him? No sir! I won't take back that badge until the people of this county want me back.
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The Madness of Sharks and Murder
Michael O'Hara
Once, off the hump of Brazil I saw the ocean so darkened with blood it was black and the sun fainting away over the lip of the sky. We'd put in at Fortaleza, and a few of us had lines out for a bit of idle fishing. It was me had the first strike. A shark it was. Then there was another, and another shark again, till all about, the sea was made of sharks and more sharks still, and no water at all. My shark had torn himself from the hook, and the scent, or maybe the stain it was, and him bleeding his life away drove the rest of them mad. Then the beasts took to eating each other. In their frenzy, they ate at themselves.You could feel the lust of murder like a wind stinging your eyes, and you could smell the death, reeking up out of the sea. I never saw anything worse... until this little picnic tonight. And you know, there wasn't one of them sharks in the whole crazy pack that survived.
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A Confession of Accidental Death
Michael O'Hara
I, Michael O'Hara, in order to live in peace with my God, do freely make the following confession...We arrived at the boat landing at approximately 10:20. Mr. Grisby said he heard a sound, something suspicious. He said he was frightened of a hold-up and asked me to get the gun out of the side pocket of the car just in case. I reached in and got the gun, but I had hardly taken hold of it when the gun went off by accident in my hand, and I saw that Mr. Grisby was all covered with blood. It took me a minute to realize that Mr. Grisby was dead, to realize that I, Michael O'Hara, had killed him.
[Michael's pre-signed confession note]
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Foot in a Shoe Incident
Police Captain Hank Quinlan
There's an old lady on Main Street last night picked up a shoe. The shoe had a foot in it. We're going to make you pay for that mess.
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The Complexity of a Man's Life
Charles Foster Kane
I don't think there's one word that can describe a man's life.
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Addiction and Deception in Touch of Evil
Police Captain Hank Quinlan
He's a drug addict. He's got that young wife of his hooked too, but good. If I hadn't seen that hypodermic myself...That's how come he happens to imagine all those crazy things. It's typical. What that wife of his was doing on that dive on skid row. Both a couple of junkies. Course he's using the job as a cover-up.
[about Vargas]
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A Warning from Captain Hank Quinlan
Police Captain Hank Quinlan
That wasn't no miss, Vargas. That was just to turn you round, so I don't have to shoot you in the back. Unless you'd rather run for it.
[Quinlan fires a pistol at Vargas, not hitting him]
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Le Chiffre's Nonchalance About a Worn Chair
Le Chiffre
Don't worry about that chair with a hole in the middle. It's merely waiting to be reupholstered.
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Championing the Underprivileged Against Political Corruption
Charles Foster Kane
with one purpose only, to point out and make public the dishonesty, the downright villainy of Boss Jim W. Gettys political machine, now in complete control of the government of this state. I made no campaign promises, because until a few weeks ago, I had no hope of being elected. Now however, I am something more than a hope. Jim Gettys, Jim Gettys has something less than a chance. Every straw vote, every independent poll shows that I'll be elected. Now I can afford to make some promises. The working man, the working man and the slum child know they can expect my best efforts in their interests. The nation's ordinary citizens know that I'll do everything in my power to protect the underprivileged, the underpaid, and the underfed.
[I entered this campaign]
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Responsibility Towards the Underprivileged
Charles Foster Kane
If I don't look after the interests of the underprivileged, maybe somebody else will. Maybe somebody without any money or property, and that would be too bad!
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The Significance of Rosebud in Citizen Kane
Charles Foster Kane
Rosebud...
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The Power of Headlines in News
Charles Foster Kane
If the headline is big enough, it makes the news big enough.
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A Million Dollar Perspective on Loss
Charles Foster Kane
You're right. I did lose a million dollars last year. I expect to lose a million dollars this year. I expect to lose a million dollars next year! You know, Mr. Thatcher, at the rate of a million dollars a year, I'll have to close this place in 60 years.
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Overcoming Hatred Through Love and Understanding
Jonathan Wilk
If there is any way of destroying hatred and all that goes with it, it's not through evil and hatred and cruelty, but through charity, love, understanding.
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Struggles with privilege and expectation
Charles Foster Kane
I always gagged on that silver spoon.
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The Advantage of Choice in Courage
Colonel Haki
Ah, you have this advantage over the soldier, Mr. Graham. You can run away without being a coward.
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The Cost of Fame in Small Towns
Charles Foster Kane
You can't buy a bag of peanuts in this town without someone writing a song about you.
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The Constant Flow of News
Charles Foster Kane
The news goes on for 24 hours a day.
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Justice vs. Public Opinion in the Courtroom
Jonathan Wilk
They say you can only get justice by shedding their last drop of blood. Isn't a lifetime behind prison bars enough for this mad act?...You hang these boys, it will mean that in this land of ours, a court of law could not help but bow down to public opinion.
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A Bright Yet Guilty World
Michael O'Hara
There's a fair face to the land, surely, but you can't hide the hunger and guilt. It's a bright, guilty world.
[describing Acapulco]
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The Safety of Chains Over Freedom
Albert Hastler
To be in chains is sometimes safer than to be free.
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Reflections on a Journey's Discontent
Michael O'Hara
It was early October when we made San Francisco, and dropped anchor across the bay from the city in Sausalito. It had been a most interesting cruise, all very rich and rare and strange. But I had had no stomach for it. To begin with, living on a hook takes away your appetite. You have no taste for any pleasure at all but the one that's burnin in you. But even without an appetite, I had heard it's quite amazing how much a fool like me can swallow.
[voiceover]
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The Last Word of Charles Foster Kane
Charles Foster Kane
* Opening line; his last word as he dies.
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Power and Consequences in a Corrupt System
Police Captain Hank Quinlan
Listen, I got a position in this town, a reputation...somebody's gonna be ruined.
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Caution Against Idealism in a Corrupt World
Police Captain Hank Quinlan
Look out. Vargas'll turn you into one of these here starry-eyed idealists. They're the ones making all the real trouble in the world. Be careful, they're worse than crooks. You can always do something with a crook.
[to Menzies]
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The Complexity of Charles Foster Kane
Charles Foster Kane
*Note: ranked #17 in the ] in American cinema.
[[w:AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes|American Film Institute's list of the top 100 movie quotations]
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Wealth and Influence in Public Perception
Charles Foster Kane
As Charles Foster Kane who owns eighty-two thousand, six hundred and thirty-four shares of public transit - you see, I do have a general idea of my holdings - I sympathize with you. Charles Foster Kane is a scoundrel. His paper should be run out of town. A committee should be formed to boycott him. You may, if you can form such a committee, put me down for a contribution of one thousand dollars.
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The Burden of Innocence and Regret
Michael O'Hara
I went to call the cops, but I knew she'd be dead before they got there and I'd be free. Bannister's note to the DA would fix it. I'd be innocent officially, but that's a big word - innocence. Stupid's more like it. Well, everybody is somebody's fool. The only way to stay out of trouble is to grow old, so I guess I'll concentrate on that. Maybe I'll live so long that I'll forget her. Maybe I'll die trying.
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Challenge of Influence and Power
Charles Foster Kane
I run a couple of newspapers. What do you do?
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Betrayal and Deception in a Deadly Scheme
Michael O'Hara
I was right. She was the killer. She killed Grisby. Now she was going to kill me. Her servant Li and his friends smuggled me out into the darkness and hid me where I'd be safe from the cops, not safe from her. One of the Chinese worked in an amusement park. It was closed for the season. An empty amusement park makes a good hide-out and she wanted me hidden. Well, I came to in the Crazy House and for a while there, I thought it was me that was crazy. After what I'd been through, anything crazy at all seemed natural. But now I was sane on one subject - her. I knew about her. She planned to kill Bannister, she and Grisby. Grisby was to do it for a share of Bannister's money. That's what Grisby thought, but of course, she meant to kill Grisby too after he'd served his purpose. Poor howling idiot, he never even did that. He went and shot Broome, and that was not part of the plan. Broome might have got to the police before he died. And if the cops traced it to Grisby, and the cops made Grisby talk, he'd spill everything and she'd be finished. So she had to shut up Grisby but quick. And I was the fall guy.
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Reflections on Wealth and Career Choices
Police Captain Hank Quinlan
Don't you think I could have been rich? A cop in my position. What do I have...after thirty years, a little turkey ranch - that's all I got. A couple of acres.
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Questioning Reality and Guilt
Michael O'Hara
I began to ask myself if I wasn't out of my head entirely. The wrong man was arrested. The wrong man was shot. Grisby was dead and so was Broome. And what about Bannister? He was going to defend me in a trial for my life. And me, charged with a couple of murders I did not commit. Either me or the rest of the whole world is absolutely insane.
[voiceover]
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Obsessed with Love and Reasoning
Michael O'Hara
That's how I found her, and from that moment on, I did not use my head very much, except to be thinking of her.
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A Captain's Burden of Responsibility
Police Captain Hank Quinlan
Pete. That's the second bullet I, I stopped for you.
[after being shot by Menzies]
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Constant Surprises in a Dangerous Game
Colonel Haki
We know a week ago Mueller got in touch with Banat. Tonight we learn Banat is here. It was he who shot at you at the cabaret, a waiter identified him, I am dumbfounded. But then I am dumbfounded every 25 minutes.
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Embracing Foolishness and Consequences
Michael O'Hara
When I start out to make a fool of myself, there's very little can stop me. If I'd known where it would end, I'd never let anything start, if I'd been in my right mind, that is. But once I'd seen her, once I'd seen her, I was not in my right mind for quite some time...me, with plenty of time and nothing to do but get myself in trouble. Some people can smell danger, not me.
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The Sanitary Nature of Being Broke
Michael O'Hara
I've always found it very... sanitary to be broke.
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Insanity in a World of Money and Murder
Michael O'Hara
Talk of money and murder. I must be insane, or else all these people are lunatics.
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Defiance Against Corruption and Consequences
Charles Foster Kane
Don't worry about me, Gettys. Don't worry about me. I'm Charles Foster Kane! I'm no cheap, crooked politician, trying to save himself from the consequences of his crimes! Gettys! I'm going to send you to Sing Sing! Sing Sing, Gettys! Sing Sing!
[louder]
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Natural Killers Exist Among Us
Colonel Haki
Mr. Graham, there are men who are natural killers. Banat is one of them.
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A Toast to Love on One's Own Terms
Charles Foster Kane
A toast, Jedediah, to love on my terms. Those are the only terms anybody ever knows - his own.
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Doubt and Belief in Human Experience
Jonathan Wilk
I wasn't expecting you to fall down on your knees and thank god for deliverance.
Judd Steiner
God"? That sounds rather strange coming from you, Mr. Wilk.
Jonathan Wilk
A lifetime of doubt and questioning doesn't necessarily mean I've reached any final conclusions.
Judd Steiner
Well I have. And god has nothing to do with it.
Jonathan Wilk
You sure, Judd? In those years to come, you might find yourself asking if it wasn't the hand of god dropped those glasses... and if he didn't, who did?
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A Journey to Rediscover Lost Memories
Charles Foster Kane
I was on my way to the Western Manhattan Warehouse in search of my youth. You see, my mother died a long time ago and her things were put in storage out West. There wasn't any other place to put them. I thought I'd send for them now. Tonight, I was going to take a look at them. You know, a sort of sentimental journey.
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The Allure of the Accused Man
Albert Hastler
It's true, you know. Accused men are attractive. Not that being accused makes any immediate change in a man's personal appearance. But if you've got the right eye for these things, you can pick out an accused man in the largest crowd. It's just something about them, something attractive.
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The Nature of War Explained
Colonel Haki
You can cable her when you stop at Trabzon. "C'est la guerre.
Howard Graham
What?
Colonel Haki
War is war.
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Trust Issues in Relationships
Michael O'Hara
Personally, I don't like a girlfriend to have a husband. If she'll fool her husband, I figure she'll fool me.
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Perception of New York City's Size
Michael O'Hara
New York is not as big a city as it pretends to be.
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