Memorable Quotes from Spencer Tracy
31 quotesMarriage Perceptions in a Sober Context
Sam Craig
No one will ever believe we were married sober.
[on his and Tess's very short wedding ceremony]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Support and Humor in Legal Debate
Kip Lurie
Well, good luck tomorrow, Amanda. I'm on your side, I guess you know that. You've got me so convinced, I may even go out and become a woman. Goodnight.
Adam Bonner
And he wouldn't have far to go, either.
Amanda Bonner
Shh!
Adam Bonner
What's a matter?
Kip Lurie
He can hear you.
[steps back into the kitchen and whispers]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Identity and Marriage in Modern Relationships
Sam Craig
I don't want to be married to Tess Harding any more than I want you to be just Mrs. Sam Craig. Why can't you be Tess Harding Craig?
Tess Harding
I think it's a wonderful name.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Confessions of Love and Self-Doubt
Sam Craig
There's something I have to get off my chest...
[Sam and Tess are both mildly drunk. Tess's head is resting on Sam]
Tess Harding
I'm too heavy...
[starts to get up]
Sam Craig
No. I love you.
[smiles]
Tess Harding
You do?
Sam Craig
Positive.
Tess Harding
That's nice. Even when I'm sober?
[sighs]
Sam Craig
Even when you're brilliant.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Call for Fairness to Women
Amanda Bonner
For years, women have been ridiculed, pampered, chucked under the chin. I ask you, on behalf of us all, be fair to the fair sex.
[addressing the court]
Adam Bonner
We'll be here a year.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Belief in the potential of every child
Father Flanagan
There is no such thing as a bad boy.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Reluctant Parent's Firm Decision
Stanley Banks
Now look Ellie, I know how anxious you've been to get your hooks into that baby, but the answer is NO. I've been through all that you know, the two o'clock feedings, the colic and the measles & all the rest of it & I'm not going through all of it again, especially with somebody else's baby
Ellie Banks
It wouldn't be like that, Stanley, it'll be fun to have a baby
Stanley Banks
You can go over and see the baby at their apartment when they get it all washed & ironed, but it's not coming here and THAT'S FINAL!
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Man's Struggle with Justice and Loss
Joe Wilson
Your honor, I am Joseph Wilson.
Court Bailiff
Keep your seat!
Judge Daniel Hopkins
Go on.
Joe Wilson
I know that by coming here, I saved the lives of these 22 people, but that isn't why I'm here. I don't care anything about saving them. They're murderers. I know the law says they're not because I'm still alive, but that's not their fault. And the law doesn't know that a lot of things that were very important to me, silly things maybe, like a belief in justice, and an idea that men were civilized, and a feeling of pride that this country of mine was different from all others. The law doesn't know that those things were burned to death within me that night. I came here today for my own sake. I couldn't stand it anymore. I couldn't stop thinking about them with every step and every breath I took, and I didn't believe Katherine when she said... Katherine is the young lady who was going to marry me. Maybe someday after I've paid for what I did, they'll be a chance to begin again, and then maybe Katherine and I...
Katherine Grant
Joe.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Expectations and Capabilities in Relationships
Tess Harding
I'm going to be your wife. You don't think that I can do the little ordinary things that any idiot can do, do you?
Sam Craig
No.
Tess Harding
Why not?
Sam Craig
Because you're incapable of doing them, that's why. You can't expect Seabiscuit to stop in the middle of the stretch, drink a glass of water, and count to seven at the same time, you know. That takes training.
Tess Harding
Well, I'm not Seabiscuit.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Request for Familiarity in Address
Sam Craig
Could I drop you someplace, Miss Whitcomb?
[in front of the airport]
Ellen Whitcomb
You can drop that "Miss Whitcomb.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Concept of Time and Eternity
Dan Farrow
How much time have I got, Father?
[panicky, about to die in the electric chair]
Father Flanagan
Eternity begins in forty-five minutes, Dan.
Dan Farrow
What happens then?
Father Flanagan
Oh, a bad minute or two.
Dan Farrow
And after that?
Father Flanagan
Well, Dan, that's a question that scientists and philosophers have been asking for a million years.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Identifying the Unexpected Problem in Family Dynamics
Stanley Banks
Somewhere there was a fly in the ointment... Grampa, that was the fly. Grampa.
[after someone called him 'Grampa' at the announcement event]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Justice Through Legal Means
Joe Wilson
I'll give them a chance that they didn't give me. They will get a legal trial in a legal courtroom. They will have a legal judge and a legal defense. They will get a legal sentence and a legal death.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Exploring Gender Differences in Adam's Rib
Amanda Bonner
What I said was true, there's no difference between the sexes. Men, women, the same.
Adam Bonner
They are?
Amanda Bonner
Well, maybe there is a difference, but it's a little difference.
Adam Bonner
Well, you know as the French say...
Amanda Bonner
What do they say?
Adam Bonner
Vive la difference!
Amanda Bonner
Which means?
Adam Bonner
Which means hurrah for that little difference.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Gift of Motivation and Memory
Joe Wilson
I got you a little momentum." (He meant memento.)
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Confrontation Over Intentions in a Relationship
Adam Bonner
What are ya? Sore about a little slap?
Amanda Bonner
No.
Adam Bonner
Well, what then?
Amanda Bonner
You meant that, didn't you? You really meant that.
[outraged]
Adam Bonner
Why, no, I...
Amanda Bonner
Yes, you did. I can tell. I know your type. I know a slap from a slug.
Adam Bonner
Well, OK, OK.
Amanda Bonner
I'm not so sure it is. I'm not so sure I care to expose myself to typical instinctive masculine brutality.
Adam Bonner
Oh come now.
Amanda Bonner
And it felt not only as though you meant it, but as though you felt you had a right to. I can tell.
Adam Bonner
What've you got back there? Radar equipment?
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Complicated Relationships and Commitments
Warren Haggerty
She may be his wife, but she's engaged to me!
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Reflections on the Complexity of Weddings
Stanley T. Banks
I would like to say a few words about weddings. I've just been through one. Not my own. My daughter's. Someday in the far future I may be able to remember it with tender indulgence, but not now. I always used to think that marriages were a simple affair. Boy meets girl. Fall in love. They get married. Have babies. Eventually the babies grow up and meet other babies. They fall in love. Get married. Have babies. And so on and on and on. Looked at that way, it's not only simple, it's downright monotonous. But I was wrong. I figured without the wedding.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Mob Lacks Independent Thought
Joe Wilson
The mob doesn't think. It has no mind of its own.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Misunderstandings at a Gathering
Tess Harding
Are all these people unemployed?
[attending a baseball game]
Sam Craig
No, they're all attending their grandmother's funeral.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Impatience for Dinner Arrival
Matt Drayton
Well, Tillie, when the hell are we gonna get some dinner?
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Miscommunication About Timing and Location
Stanley Banks
Hello. Buckley, do you know what time it is? It's a quarter to three.
[Telephone rings at night]
Buckley Dunstan
I'm sorry, I didn't realize. Is Kay there?
Stanley Banks
But of course she, where would she be? Hello, I'll take this downstairs, hang on. What do you mean. is she here?
[Sarcastically; Whispers; Puts down the receiver & quietly tiptoes downstairs to hall, then picks up the extension phone]
Buckley Dunstan
Well, I thought if she were there I could come and pick her up if she were there.
Stanley Banks
When did she leave? What time did she leave?
Buckley Dunstan
I don't know, I've been out for a few hours, I just got back a little while ago.
Stanley Banks
What was it, a fight?
Stanley Banks
DID you have a FIGHT?
Buckley Dunstan
We had an argument, yes. Look if anything happens to her, I'll kill myself.
Stanley Banks
Don't worry, I'll do it for you. Did she take anything, a bag or anything?
Buckley Dunstan
She took her hatbox, umbrella & toilet case & a toothbrush.
Stanley Banks
Don't worry about it then, if she took her toothbrush, she's not headed for the river.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Coverage Confusion in Sports Reporting
Tess Harding
You mean our paper sends two people to cover the game?
[attending a baseball game]
Phil Whittaker
No, I cover the game, he just kicks it around in his column.
Tess Harding
We've got only one man at Vichy...
Sam Craig
Vichy, are they still in the league?
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Power of a Mother's Love
Father Flanagan
I know that a mother can take a whip to the toughest boy in the world, and he forgets it because he knows that she loves him.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Evaluating the Soundness of Legal Arguments
Adam Bonner
First of all, I should like to say that I think the arguments advanced by the counsel for the defense were sound... MERE sound!
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Father's Reflection on Changing Love
Stanley T. Banks
Right then I knew we'd lost her. She'll always love us of course, but not in the old way. From now on her love will be handed out like a farmer's wife tossing scraps to the family rooster.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Challenges of Adult Communication in Marriage
Tess Harding
Sam, why can't we sit down like adults and patch this thing up?
Sam Craig
I'm afraid that might become a habit. Then we'd wind up with a patchwork quilt for a marriage.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Shared Thoughts and Perspectives
Adam Bonner
No matter what you think you think, you think the same as I think.
[to Amanda]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Reflecting on Excitement for the New Baby
Stanley Banks
You're more excited about this baby than you were any of ours.
[to Ellie]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Power of Love Over Prejudice
Matt Drayton
Now, Mr. Prentice, clearly a most reasonable man, says he has no wish to offend me, but wants to know if I'm some kind of a nut. And Mrs. Prentice says that like her husband, I'm a burnt-out old shell of a man who cannot even remember what it's like to love a woman the way her son loves my daughter. And strange as it seems, that's the first statement made to me all day with which I am prepared to take issue. Because I think you're wrong. You're as wrong as you can be.I admit that I hadn't considered it, hadn't even thought about it, but I know exactly how he feels about her. And there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that your son feels for my daughter that I didn't feel for Christina. Old? Yes. Burnt out? Certainly. But I can tell you the memories are still there – clear, intact, indestructible. And they'll be there if I live to be 110. Where John made his mistake, I think, was attaching so much importance to what her mother and I might think. Because in the final analysis, it doesn't matter a damn what we think. The only thing that matters is what they feel, and how much they feel for each other. And if it's half of what we felt, that's everything.As for you two and the problems you're going to have, they seem almost unimaginable. But you'll have no problem with me. And I think that uh, when Christina and I and your mother have some time to work on him, you'll have no problem with your father, John. But you do know – I'm sure you know – what you're up against. There'll be a hundred million people right here in this country who'll be shocked and offended and appalled at the two of you. And the two of you will just have to ride that out. Maybe every day for the rest of your lives. You can try to ignore those people or you can feel sorry for them and for their prejudices and their bigotry and their blind hatreds and stupid fears. But where necessary, you'll just have to cling tight to each other and say screw all those people! Anybody could make a case, and a hell of a good case, against your getting married. The arguments are so obvious that nobody has to make them. But you're two wonderful people who happened to fall in love and happen to have a pigmentation problem. And I think that now, no matter what kind of a case some bastard could make against your getting married, there would be only one thing worse. And that would be if – knowing what you two are, knowing what you two have, and knowing what you two feel – you didn't get married.
[Matthew's voice softening]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Choosing the Perfect Wedding Date
Ben Banks
Can't be June. I've got my final. Why not May?
Ellie Banks
May's too early.
Tommy Banks
July's out. I'm going to camp.
Kay Banks
This isn't a kids party. It's my wedding and my friends.
Stanley T. Banks
Ellie, what did you mean by?
Kay Banks
No one has to raise a finger. When the time comes, I'll do everything. And I mean everything.
Ellie Banks
I can imagine that.
Ben Banks
I'm not going.
Kay Banks
Listen! I don't care if you come or not!
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.