Memorable Quotes from Sean Penn
55 quotesDesperate Grief and Vengeful Rage
Cristina Peck
Katie could have lived. She'd be alive right now but that bastard left her there. Laying in the street. He left the three of them like animals. He didn't care. She could be here with me. That son of a bitch is walking the streets, and I can't even go into their room. I wanna kill him. I'm gonna kill Jack Jordan. I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch.
Paul Rivers
Slow down, just slow down.
Cristina Peck
Slow down. Slow down. While I what, huh? While I what?
Paul Rivers
Take it easy.
Cristina Peck
Take it easy? My husband and my little girls are dead, and I'm supposed to take it fucking easy? I can't just go on with my life! I am paralyzed here! I am a fucking amputee! Do you see that? Who are you? You owe it to Michael. No, you've got his heart. You're in house fucking his wife! And sitting in his chair! We have to kill him!
Paul Rivers
Not like this.
Cristina Peck
Then how? Tell me how! Katie died with red shoelaces on. She hated red shoelaces. And she kept asking me to get her some blue ones. And I never got her the blue ones. She was wearing those fucking red shoelaces when she was killed!
The Weight of Loss and Its Impact
Paul Rivers
They say we all lose 21 grams... who will be next?
[From trailer]
Vengeance Driven by Loss and Grief
Jimmy Markum
I'm gonna find him, Katie. I'm gonna find him before the police do. I'm gonna find the man, and I'm gonna kill him.
Questioning the Teaching of Homosexuality
Harvey Milk
How do you "teach" homosexuality? Is it like French?
Acknowledging Divine Identity and Human Struggles
Sister Helen Prejean
You are a son of God.
Matthew Poncelet
Thank you. I've never been called a son of God before. I've been called a son of a you-know-what plenty of times, but I've never been called a son of God.
[in tears; laughs slightly]
Acknowledging Longstanding Deception in Relationships
Paul Rivers
We've been a fraud for a long time, Mary.
Call to Action for Change
Harvey Milk
(to Cleve) March them right up to the steps of City Hall. When things start to look really bad- the city's first gay supervisor... will come out and play peacemaker. Do it with me. (Gives Cleve the bullhorn)
Connection Through the Earth's Movement
Paul Rivers
The earth turned to bring us closer. It turned on itself and in us, until it finally brought us together in this dream.
[Quoting a poem]
Appreciation for Black Women
Col. Steven J. Lockjaw
You like black girls? I love em. I love em!
A Message of Hope and Belonging
Harvey Milk
Tonight, it's become clear to everyone out there that they do know one of us, and now that they do, they can see that we are not sick. They can feel that we are not wrong. And they know that there must be, that there should be a place for us in this great country, in this world. A message of hope has been sent to all those young people, to all of those who have been afraid by this wave of hate, to all of those who have lost their homes, lost their hometowns. Tonight, we are clear that there is a place for us! My brothers and sisters, we can come home again.
Confronting Cowardice in the Face of Danger
Harvey Milk
This is shit. Shit and masturbation. This is just a coward's response to a dangerous threat.
Questioning Existence in a Strange Situation
Paul Rivers
What I doing in this precorpse club?
The Weight of Life and Loss
Paul Rivers
How many lives do we live? How many times do we die? They say we all lose 21 grams... at the exact moment of our death. Everyone. And how much fits into 21 grams? How much is lost? When do we lose 21 grams? How much goes with them? How much is gained? How much is gained? Twentyone grams. The weight of a stack of five nickels. The weight of a hummingbird. A chocolate bar. How much did 21 grams weigh?
Fighting for Lives Beyond an Issue
Dan White
You have an issue.
Harvey Milk
It's more than just an issue. This is our lives we're fighting for.
Reflection on Activism and Time Constraints
Harvey Milk
I wish I had time to explain all the things that I did. Almost everything was done with an eye on the gay movement.
The Significance of Numbers in Life
Paul Rivers
There is a number hidden in every act of life, in every aspect of the universe. Fractals, matter-- there is a number screaming to tell us something... Numbers are a door to understanding a mystery that is bigger than us.
Reflections on Death's Waiting Room
Paul Rivers
So this is death's waiting room.
[After waking up in the emergency room]
Marching Together in Anger and Unity
Harvey Milk
I know you're angry! (cheers) I'm angry! Let us march the streets of San Francisco and share our anger!
Embracing Change with Confidence and Style
Harvey Milk
(on his new look) I'm not gonna let those Pacific Heights biddies write me off because of a ponytail. And I like it. No more pot, no more bathhouses for me and my little poo.
Divine Observation in a Moment of Desperation
Jimmy Markum
As I was holding him under the water...I could feel God watching me, shaking his head. Not angry...but like if a puppy shit on a rug.
Contemplation in the Face of Death
Matthew Poncelet
It's quiet. Only three days left. Plenty of time to read my Bible and look for a loophole.
Discussion on Race and Activism
Matthew Poncelet
I like rebels. Some blacks is OK. ], he led his people all the way to DC and kicked the white man's butt.
[[Martin Luther King]
Sister Helen Prejean
You respect Martin Luther King?
Matthew Poncelet
He put up a fight. He wasn't lazy.
Sister Helen Prejean
What about lazy whites?
Matthew Poncelet
Don't like em.
Sister Helen Prejean
So it's lazy people you don't like.
A Conversation About Dave Boyle
Sean Devine
So, Jimmy...when was the last time you saw Dave?
Jimmy Markum
The last time I saw Dave.
Sean Devine
Yeah. Dave Boyle.
Jimmy Markum
Dave Boyle.
Sean Devine
Yeah, Jimmy. Dave Boyle.
Jimmy Markum
That was 25 years ago, going up this street in the back of that car.
Sean Devine
Jimmy, what did you do?
Jimmy Markum
Thanks for finding my daughter's killers, Sean. If only you'd been a little faster.
Self-Preservation Over Street Codes
David Kleinfeld
Fuck you and your self-righteous code of the goddamned street. Did it pull you out of a thirty-year stint in five years? Did it? No, I did. Did it get you acquitted four fucking times? No, it didn't, I did. So fuck you, fuck the streets, your whole goddamn world is this big, and there's only one rule - you save your own ass.
Seeking Forgiveness Before the End
Prison guard
Do you have any last words, Poncelet?
Matthew Poncelet
Yes, I do. Mr. Delacroix, I don't wanna leave this world with any hate in my heart. I ask your forgiveness for what I done. It was a terrible thing I done, taking your son away from you.
[pauses]
Clyde Percy
How about us?
[Softly to his wife]
Matthew Poncelet
Mr. and Mrs. Percy, I hope my death gives you some relief.
A Heartfelt Confession of Regret
Jimmy Markum
I killed Dave. I killed him and I threw him into Mystic. But I killed the wrong man. That's what I've done. And I can't undo it.
Annabeth
Shh, Jimmy. Shh. I wanna feel your heart. Last night, when I put the girls to bed, I told them how big your heart was. I told them how much you loved Katie.
Jimmy Markum
Annabeth.
Annabeth
Because you created her. And, sometimes your love for her was so big, it was like your heart felt like it was gonna explode.
Jimmy Markum
Please stop.
Annabeth
I told them their daddy loved them that much, too. That he had four hearts and they were all filled up and aching with a love that meant we would never have to worry. And that their daddy would do whatever he had to for those he loved. And that is never wrong. That can never be wrong, no matter what he had to do. And those girls fell asleep in peace.
The Impact of Choices on Life Paths
Jimmy Markum
Did you ever think about how one little choice could change a whole life? I heard Hitler's mother wanted to abort him. At the last minute, she changed her mind. See what I mean?
Sean Devine
What do you mean, Jimmy?
Jimmy Markum
What if you or I had gotten into that car instead of Dave Boyle?
Sean Devine
What car? You're losing me here.
Jimmy Markum
If I'd gotten into that car that day, my life would have been a different thing. My first wife, Marita, Katie's mother...she was a beautiful woman. Regal. As a lot of Latin women are, and she knew it. You had to have balls to go near her, and I did. Eighteen years old, the two of us. She was carrying Katie. Now, here's the thing, Sean. If I'd gotten into that car, I'd be a basket case. I never would have had the juice to go near her. And Katie never would have been born. And she never would have been murdered. You know?
The Importance of Hope in Life
Harvey Milk
Without hope, life's not worth living. So you, and you, and you... You gotta give em hope.
Misunderstandings About Identity and Appearance
Willa
Why is your shirt so tight?
Col. Steven J. Lockjaw
I'm not gay, if that's what you're saying.
Willa
I didn't say that.
Col. Steven J. Lockjaw
I'm not a homosexual!
Willa
I did not say that, but I see the lifts in your shoes.
Coping with Grief and Responsibilities
Theo
So how are you handling all this so far?
Jimmy Markum
It hasn't really sunk in, Theo.
Theo
Yeah? It's gonna hurt like hell when it does. When my Janey died, I was no good for six months...but my kids were all grown up. I had that luxury. You, you got domestic responsibilities.
Jimmy Markum
Domestic responsibilities?
Theo
Yeah, you gotta take care of my daughter and those girls. That's your first priority.
Jimmy Markum
Oh, you figured that might have slipped my mind?
Theo
It just needed to be said, that's all. You'll come through because you're a man. Like I said to Annabeth, your wedding day. I said, You got yourself a real old-school man there.
Jimmy Markum
Like they put her in a bag.
Theo
What?
Jimmy Markum
That's what Katie looked like when I saw her in the morgue. Like they put her in a bag and then they beat the bag with pipes.
Theo
Well...
Jimmy Markum
Janey died in her sleep, all due respect. She went to sleep, she never woke up. Peaceful.
Theo
You don't need to talk about Janey.
Jimmy Markum
My daughter was murdered. They put a gun to her. As we stand here, she's on an autopsy slab...getting cut open by scalpels and chest spreaders...and you're talking to me about domestic fucking responsibility? Good to see you, Theo.
Rejecting Labels and Embracing Identity
Harvey Milk
I don't want to see another sign that says fucking "Machine" on it because this three-time "faggot loser" is running for Supervisor.
Reflections on a Life Unfulfilled
Harvey Milk
Forty years old — and I haven't done a thing that I'm proud of.
The Wrongness of Killing, Regardless of Circumstance
Matthew Poncelet
I just wanna say I think killin is wrong, no matter who does it, whether it's me or y'all or your government.
Critique of Political Rewards and Machines
Harvey Milk
I don't think state assembly seats should be the reward for service to the Democratic Party machine. Machines run on oil and grease. They're dirty, they're dehumanizing, and they tend to be entirely unresponsive to the needs of anybody but those of their operator.
The Risks of Activism and Prejudice
Harvey Milk
I fully realize that someone who stands for what I stand for... an activist, a gay activist... makes themself a target for someone who is insecure, frightened, terrified, and disturbed themselves. It's a very real possibility you see because — in San Francisco... we have broken the dam of major prejudice in this country.
The Burden of Solitude in Suffering
Jimmy Markum
The death part you do alone, but I could have helped her with the dying.
Authenticity in Personal Identity
Scott Smith
Are you on uppers or something?
Harvey Milk
No, this is just plain old me.
Movement Over Candidate: A Vision for Change
Harvey Milk
I'm not the candidate. I'm part of a movement. The movement is the candidate - there is a difference. You don't see it. I do.
Eating Alone and Health Risks
Paul Rivers
Did you know that eating alone could cause kidney damage? And that's BAD.
Recognition of Responsibility
Paul Rivers
Ah. The culprit.
[Holding a glass jar containing his surgically removed heart]
Confronting Sins and Seeking Redemption
Jimmy Markum
We bury our sins here, Dave. We wash them clean.
Respect and Humanity in Dialogue
Sister Helen Prejean
Show me some respect, Matthew.
Matthew Poncelet
Why? Cause you're a nun?
Sister Helen Prejean
Because I'm a person.
The Complexity of Human Connections
Paul Rivers
There are so many things that have to happen for two people to meet.
Navigating the Uncertainty of Legal Troubles
David Kleinfeld
Hey, look, relax. You’re not dealing so he can’t have anything on you. That’s not possible. This is the way this guy is. He’s on a goddamn fishing exhibition.
Struggling with Loss and Unfulfilled Desires
Paul Rivers
I can't keep going like this. The insemination, the child. It's like we're trying to put a Band-Aid on something that's just been bled dry.
Wealth and death row do not mix.
Matthew Poncelet
Ain't nobody with money on death row.
Critique of Urban Life and Responsibility
Jackie Flannery
Yuppies got to be thicker than the rats and the roaches. Assholes can't live without their dogs. Got dog shit all over the sidewalk. And it didn't use to be that way, it used to be, you dropped a cone, you could lift it up and finish it. People are roaming the streets homeless because of these assholes!
Terry
So we're like Robin Hood in this instance.
Jackie Flannery
Yeah. And I'm Friar Fuck.
Struggling with Grief and Memory
Jimmy Markum
I just can't let anything get fucked up in these next few days. Because it's all anybody will remember about her. One thing you could say about Katie, even when she was little...that girl was neat. When I got out of the joint...you know, after Marita died...I remember, I was more afraid of my little daughter...than I ever was of being in prison. I loved her...most...because when we were sitting in that kitchen that night...it was like we were the last two people on Earth. You know, forgotten. Unwanted. And it's really starting to piss me off, Dave, because I can't cry for her. My own little daughter, and I can't even cry for her.
Dave Boyle
Jimmy...you're crying now.
Final Message in Case of Assassination
Harvey Milk
This is Harvey Milk speaking- Friday, November the 18th. This is only to be played in the event of my death by assassination.
Confrontation Over Unforgivable Actions
Paul Rivers
You shouldn't have done it
Jack Jordan
Done what?
Paul Rivers
[shouting You shouldn't have done it!
Call to Action for Equality and Democracy
Harvey Milk
My name is Harvey Milk and I'm here to recruit you. I want to recruit you for the fight to preserve your democracy. Brothers and sisters, you must come out! Come out to your parents, come out to your friends, if indeed they are your friends. Come out to your neighbors, come out to your fellow workers. Once and for all, let's break down the myths and destroy the lies and distortions. For your sake, for their sake. For the sake of all the youngsters who have been scared by the votes from Dade to Eugene. On the ] it says, Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free. In the Declaration of Independence, it is written, All men are created equal and endowed with certain inalienable rights. So for Mr. Briggs and Mrs. Bryant, and all the bigots out there, no matter how hard you try, you can never erase those words from the Declaration of Independence! No matter how hard you try, you can never chip those words from the base of the Statue of Liberty! That is where America is! Love it or leave it!
[[Statue of Liberty]
Reflections on Childhood and Reality
Sean Devine
Sometimes I think... I think all three of us got in that car. And all of this is just a dream, you know?
Jimmy Markum
A dream, sure.
Sean Devine
In reality, we're still eleven year-old boys locked in a cellar imagining what our lives woulda been like if we'd escaped.
Jimmy Markum
Maybe you're right. Who the fuck knows?
Discussion of Perfidia Beverly Hills' Affiliations
Virgil Throckmorton
Do you know a black militant by the name of Perfidia Beverly Hills?
Col. Steven J. Lockjaw
Yes, I do.
Virgil Throckmorton
And was she a member of the rebel group known as the French 75?
Col. Steven J. Lockjaw
She was.
Virgil Throckmorton
Colonel Lockjaw, did you engage in a romantic relationship with this woman?
Col. Steven J. Lockjaw
Gentlemen, I have engaged the enemy face to face in battle, and in the dark alleys and shadows of espionage. I was once raped in reverse.
Virgil Throckmorton
Raped in reverse? Could you explain how that might work for us, Colonel Lockjaw?
Col. Steven J. Lockjaw
The enemy employed deception. I was drugged, and while unconscious my brain was not working but my power was, and I believe I was taken advantage of.
Virgil Throckmorton
What kind of proof do you have? If you were unconscious, how do you know this to be true?
Col. Steven J. Lockjaw
I don't know it to be true, but I suspect it. When I awoke, there was sensitivity in a private place, and there was some residue of an interaction.
Virgil Throckmorton
Interaction?
Col. Steven J. Lockjaw
I believe she was a sperm thief.
Sandy Irvine
A semen demon?
Col. Steven J. Lockjaw
That's correct.
Virgil Throckmorton
Colonel Lockjaw, what would be the purpose of the enemy raping you in reverse?
Col. Steven J. Lockjaw
They saw the power of my mind and body. They desired it.