Memorable Quotes from Tony Leung Chiu-wai
37 quotesThe Quest for Lost Memories in 2046
Chow Mo-wan
Everyone who goes to 2046 has the same intention, they want to recapture lost memories. Because in 2046 nothing ever changes. But, nobody knows if that is true or not because no-one has ever come back.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Struggle of Self-Identity and Change
Cop 663
You mustn't let yourself go. You've gained weight so fast. She may have gone but life goes on. You must stop indulging yourself. You're a real disappointment to me. You've changed so much. You can't just switch personality like this. Her walking out is no excuse. It was such a relief when I saw it crying. It may look different, but it's still true to itself. It's still an emotionally charged towel.
[to new soap's bar; to new towel; as it drips]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Misunderstanding about California trip revealed.
Cop 663
Actually she did go to California that evening. But it was the other one.
[after his date failed to meet him in "California" restaurant]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Burden of Creation and Destruction
Alan
You know I hated making cranes. I make one each time I kill someone. How about it, should I make you one?
[paper]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Irreplaceability of Genuine Connections
Chow Mo-wan
In ] you can't bring on a substitute.
[[love]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
An Invitation to Share an Experience
Chow Mo-wan
It's me. If there's an extra ticket... would you go with me?
Su Li-zhen
It's me. If there's an extra ticket... would you go with me?
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Pain of Betrayal in Rehearsal
Su Li-zhen
Look at me, do you have a mistress?
Chow Mo-wan
Yes!
Su Li-zhen
I didn't expect it to hurt that much.
Chow Mo-wan
This is just a rehearsal.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Avoiding Truth Through Vague Answers
Chow Mo-wan
Whenever someone asked why I left 2046, I always gave them some vague answer. It was easier.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Secret Invitation to Leave Together
Chow Mo-wan
I have a secret to tell you. Will you leave with me?
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Persistence Can Lead to Desired Outcomes
Chow Mo-wan
When you don't take "no" for an answer, there is still a chance you'll get what you want.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Conversation About Writing Progress
Chow Mo-wan
I have a chapter to finish.
Su Li-zhen
Where have you got to?
Chow Mo-wan
The drunken master just showed up.
Su Li-zhen
When did he get written in?
Chow Mo-wan
Just now!
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Hope for a Future Beyond the Past
Chow Mo-wan
Take care. Maybe one day you'll escape your past. If you do, look for me.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Self-Doubt and Reflection in 2046
Chow Mo-wan
I slowly began to doubt myself.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The One Thing I Won't Lend
Chow Mo-wan
Do you remember you asked me if there was anything I wouldn't lend? I've given it a lot of thought and now I know there is one thing I'll never lend to anyone.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Connection Between Art and Skill
Nameless
Beautiful calligraphy.
Broken Sword
Beautiful swordplay.
Nameless
But you have not seen me use my sword.
Broken Sword
Without your sword this scroll would not exist.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Disagreement Over Flower Preferences
Tequila
Aren't you the one who sent her all the flowers?
[to Alan, about all the white roses sent to his girlfriend, Teresa]
Teresa
Your flowers are beautiful.
Alan
Thanks. I just picked them at random.
Tequila
My girlfriend hates white roses.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Conversation About Communication and Feelings
Su Li-zhen
Why didn't you call me today?
Chow Mo-wan
I was afraid you won't like it.
Su Li-zhen
Then don't call me ever again.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Importance of Timing in Love
Chow Mo-wan
Love is all a matter of timing.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Reflections on Marriage and Individuality
Chow Mo-wan
I sometimes wonder what I'd be if I hadn't married. Have you ever thought of that?
Su Li-zhen
Maybe happier! I didn't know married life would be so complicated! When you're single, you are only responsible to yourself. Once you're married, doing well on your own is not enough.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Reflections on Loss and Self-Worth
Cop 663
Since she left, everything in the flat is sad. Everything needed lulling to sleep. You've lost a lot of weight, you know. You used to be so chubby. Have more confidence in yourself. You have to stop crying, you know. Where's your strength and absorbency? You're so shabby these days.
[to soap bar; to washcloth]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Changing Course in Relationships
Cop 663
I thought we'd stay together for the long haul, flying like a jumbo jet on a full tank. But we changed course.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Friendship and Choices in Unlikely Situations
Tequila
Could we ever be friends?
Alan
You got the gun. You can tell me to go out and milk a cow and I'll do it.
Tequila
I'm sorry, I don't like milk.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Conversation About Elegance and Kindness
Chow Mo-wan
That handbag I saw you with this evening... Where did you buy it?
Su Li-zhen
Why do you ask?
Chow Mo-wan
It looked so elegant. I want to get one for my wife.
Su Li-zhen
Mr. Chow, you're so good to your wife!
Chow Mo-wan
Not really! My wife is so fussy. Her birthday is some days away. I don't know what to get her. Could you buy one for me to give her?
Su Li-zhen
Maybe she wouldn't want one just exactly the same.
Chow Mo-wan
You're right, I didn't think of that.
Su Li-zhen
A woman would mind.
Chow Mo-wan
Yes, especially since we're neighbors. Do they come in other colors?
Su Li-zhen
I'd have to ask my husband.
Chow Mo-wan
Why?
Su Li-zhen
He bought it for me on a business trip abroad. They aren't on sale here.
Chow Mo-wan
Then never mind.
Su Li-zhen
Actually... I want to ask you something too. Where did you buy your tie?
Chow Mo-wan
I don't know where it came from. My wife buys all my ties.
Su Li-zhen
Really?
Chow Mo-wan
She bought this one on a business trip abroad. It's not on sale here.
Su Li-zhen
What a coincidence!
Chow Mo-wan
Yes.
Su Li-zhen
Actually... My husband has one just like it. He said it was a gift from his boss. So he wears it every day.
Chow Mo-wan
And my wife has a bag just like yours.
Su Li-zhen
I know, I've seen it.
Chow Mo-wan
What are you getting at, actually?
Su Li-zhen
I thought I was the only one who knew.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Perceptions of Identity and Role
Alan
To you I'm a thief, to my mother, a son, to the ] I'm a hero.
[[Triad (organized crime)|Triads]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Final Memories of a Past Encounter
Chow Mo-wan
As I recall, that's the very last time we saw each other.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Dreams of Light in the Cold
Tequila
Don't you have any dreams?
Alan
Yeah. I want to move down to Antarctica.
Tequila
Freezing there. You enjoy the cold?
Alan
It's got a lot going for it. It's always light. I'd like that after all this darkness.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Reflection on Business Acumen
Cop 663
He has great business sense. First he sold me fish and chips, then the whole thing.
[to Faye about previous restaurant's owner]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Struggling with Identity in Gangster Life
Alan
So busy being a gangster, I don't know which me is real.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Conversation on Longing and Connection
Su Li-zhen
Why did you call me at the office today?
Chow Mo-wan
I had nothing to do. I wanted to hear your voice.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Keeping Secrets in the Past
Chow Mo-wan
In the old days, if someone had a secret they didn't want to share... you know what they did?
Ah Ping
Have no idea.
Chow Mo-wan
They went up a mountain, found a tree, carved a hole in it, and whispered the secret into the hole. Then they covered it with mud. And leave the secret there forever.
Ah Ping
What a pain! I'd just go to get laid.
Chow Mo-wan
Not everyone's like you.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Ambiguity of the Peony's Bloom
Chow Mo-wan
When the Peony blooms, she stands tall. Does she mean no or yes?
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Reflections on Loneliness and Abandonment
Cop 663
Did I leave the tap running, or is the apartment getting more tearful? I always thought it would cope okay. Didn't expect it to cry so much. When people cry, they can dry their eyes with tissues. But when an apartment cries, it takes a lot to mop it up.
[after he finds out his apartment was flooded]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Journey into an Uncertain Future
Chow Mo-wan
He didn't turn back. It's as if he boarded a very long train headed for a drowsy future through the unfathomable night.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Seeking Answers Through Remembrance and Technology
Chow Mo-wan
I once fell in ] with someone. I couldn't stop wondering if she loved me back. I found an android which looked just like her. I hoped she would give me the answer.
[[love]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Conflicted Loyalties in Crisis
Alan
I killed one of our own..
Tequila
Bull.
Alan
I'm sure I killed one of our own-
Tequila
Bullshit!
Alan
I definitely saw his ID!
Tequila
You're hallucinating! How many times do I have to say it? You didn't kill a cop! You're your own worst enemy. If you can't conquer your own fears, how can you conquer anything else? Take this!
[Gives Alan a handgun]
Tequila
I shot a cop, you know. In the teahouse incident.
Alan
I know. Pang told me.
Tequila
I didn't know he was a cop until afterwards.
Alan
How did you feel.
Tequila
Worst than you do now.
Alan
...Was the guy I shot really a cop?
Tequila
Yeah.
Alan
Fuck!
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Questioning the Role of the Sword
Broken Sword
Is the sword the only answer?
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Hope and Uncertainty in Relationships
Su Li-zhen
Am I hopeless?
Chow Mo-wan
Not really.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.