18 quotes
Hope for Renewal in a Troubled Town
Doc
] Maybe we need it. It would give us something to build on. This town's wrecked, just as though it was bombed out. Maybe it can come back.
[[about Joe Kokomo's Medal of Honor]
Macreedy
Some towns do and some towns don't. It depends on the people.
Doc
That medal would help.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Consequences of Choices and Accountability
Liz
Help me up, Smitty.
Smith
You were gonna help me, Liz. I still need your help.
Liz
I did everything you said.
[confused]
Smith
You two started out in a car and that's the way you're gonna end up. Over a cliff - burning. You can blame Macreedy for that. He said I had too many witnesses.
Liz
But why me? Why start with me?
Smith
I gotta start with somebody.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Perspective on Worrying About Strangers
Doc T.R. Velie Jr.
I was just wondering what all you people are worrying about...Not that I have the slightest idea...I hold no truck with silence. I've got nothing to hide...It's just that you worry about the stranger only if you look at him from a certain aspect. From my perspective, I look upon him with the innocence of a fresh-laid egg.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Tensions Rise Over Water and Prejudice
Doc
Smith owned Adobe Flat. He leased it to Komoko. He figured he had cheated him because you gotta have water to raise anything. There never was any water on Adobe Flat. Komoko dug a well. He must have gone down sixty feet.
Pete
He got plenty of water. That made Smith pretty sore. He didn't like Japs anyway. The day after Pearl Harbor, Smith went to Sand City.
Macreedy
Yeah, he got turned down, trying to enlist.
Pete
Well, when he got back, he was pretty sore. Around ten o'clock, we all started drinking.
Macreedy
Ten in the morning.
Pete
Yeah. Smith, Coley, Sam, Hector, and me - we were all drunk. Patriotic drunk. We wanted to go out to scare the Jap a little and have a little fun. Well, when we got there, he heard us comin and he locked the door. And then Smith started a fire. And the Jap - he came running out. His clothes were all burning. And then Smith shot him. I didn't even know he had a gun.
Macreedy
Then you got scared and buried him, and kept your mouths shut, hmm?
Pete
Yeah.
Macreedy
Well, go ahead and have your drink now. You're gonna need it.
[He shoves the bottle toward Pete]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Confronting the Past Amidst Despair
Pete
My memories are so pleasant as it is...
Macreedy
It's gonna take an awful lot of whiskey to wash out your guts. Go on, go on! Swill it! What is there left for you to do? You're as dead as Komoko and you don't know it....
Pete
You don't have to remind me. I've never forgotten.
Macreedy
Oh, isn't that noble of you. You haven't forgotten. And you're ashamed. That's really noble of you. I suppose four years from now, you'll be sittin around here tellin people you haven't forgotten me either. That's real progress. In the meantime, I'll be as dead as a - WHY DON'T YOU TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED? What happened?
[To Doc]
Doc
Why did you come here, Mr. Macreedy?
Macreedy
Did Komoko have any other family besides his son Joe?
Doc
Son? Nobody around here ever knew he had a son.
Macreedy
Yes, he had a son. He's dead too. He's buried in Italy...Why, this Komoko boy died trying to save my life. They gave him a medal. I came here to give it to his old man. I figured the least I could do was give him one day out of my life.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Knowledge and Its Consequences in Uncertainty
Smith
You don't know anything about Komoko, now do you, Tim?
Sheriff
I do not. That's the point.
Smith
The point is, what you don't know won't hurt you.
Sheriff
Maybe there's something that I ought to know. Maybe there's something that I ought to ask you before the stranger comes back here and starts breathing down my neck.
Smith
Tim! You're just a lost ball in the high weeds. I told you a long time ago, nothing happened for you to worry about.
Sheriff
Thing is, I do worry. Maybe I ain't much else, but I'm sure a worrier. And I'm still the law.
Smith
Then do your job, Tim.
Sheriff
What is my job, Mr. Smith? Maybe I'd better find out before Macreedy does it for me.
Smith
Macreedy'll do nothing - and neither will you, Tim.
Sheriff
Suppose I decide to try?
Smith
That might be dangerous. Tim, you got the body of a hippo but the brain of a rabbit. Now don't overtax it.
Sheriff
Yes, Mr. Smith.
[He lowers his eyes and looks away]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Unexpected Events at the Train Station
Conductor
What's all the excitement? What happened?
Macreedy
A shooting.
Conductor
Thought it was something. First time the Streamliner's stopped here in four years.
Macreedy
Second time.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Confrontation Over Prejudice and Anger
Smith
Why would a man like you be looking for a lousy Jap farmer?...I believe a man is as big as what'll make him mad. Nobody around here seems big enough to get you mad.
Macreedy
What makes you mad, Mr. Smith?...The Japanese make you mad, don't they?
Smith
Well, that's different. After that sneak attack on Pearl Harbor...].
[[w:Battle of Bataan|Bataan]
Macreedy
Komoko made you mad.
Smith
It's the same thing. Loyal Japanese-Americans, that's a laugh. They're all mad dogs. What about ], the ]?
[[Battle of Corregidor|Corregidor; [w:Bataan Death March|death march]
Macreedy
What did Komoko have to do with Corregidor?
Smith
He was a Jap, wasn't he? Look, Mr. Macreedy, there's a law in this county about shootin dogs. But when I see a mad dog, I don't wait for him to bite me. I swear, you're beginning to make me mad.
Macreedy
All strangers do.
Smith
No they don't. Not all of em. Some do when they come around snooping.
Macreedy
Snooping for what?
Smith
I don't know. Outsiders coming in looking for something.
Macreedy
Looking for what?
Smith
I don't know. Somebody's always looking for something in this part of the West. To the historians, it's the "Old West." To the book writers, it's the "Wild West." To the businessman, it's the "Undeveloped West." They say we're all poor and backward and I guess we are. We don't even have enough water. But to us, this place is our West. And I wish they'd leave us alone.
Macreedy
Leave you alone to do what?
Smith
I don't know what you mean.
Macreedy
What happened to Komoko?
Smith
He went away, I told you. Shortly after he left, some kids went out there. They got foolin around and burned his place down. That's how it was. You know how kids are.
Macreedy
I don't believe you. There's somethin buried up there.... That means a grave. I suppose you knew that. I saw a lot of it, you know, overseas. I figured it wasn't a human grave because it wasn't marked. Kind of a mystery, isn't it?
[He pulls the wildflowers from his pocket]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Suspicion and Speculation Among Characters
Doc
He's no salesman, that's for sure. Unless he's peddlin dynamite.
Sam
Maybe he's a cop or somethin'.
Doc
Ever see a cop with a stiff arm?
Sam
Maybe his arm's all right. Maybe he's just hangin onto something tight in his pocket.
Doc
Like what? A pistol? A stick of TNT so he can blow up the whole mangy, miserable town.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Consequences of Inaction in Dangerous Situations
Doc
They're gonna kill you with no hard feelings.
Macreedy
And you're gonna sit there and let em do it.
Doc
I try to live right. I drink my milk every day. But mostly, I try to mind my own business - which is something I'd advise you to do.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Threat of an Unassuming Stranger
Coley
I think Macreedy's a nothin', a nobody...So there's nothin to worry about...What can he find out? That Komoko...Suppose he finds out.
Smith
A nobody like Macreedy can raise a pretty big stink. The point is - who'd miss a nobody like Macreedy if he just, uh, say, disappeared? Who, Coley?...
Pete
Why don't we wait?...I mean, maybe he won't find anything. Maybe he'll just go away.
Smith
Not Macreedy. I know those maimed guys. Their minds get twisted. They put on hair-shirts and act like martyrs. All of em are do-gooders, freaks, troublemakers.
Pete
Let's wait and see. There's no danger yet.
Smith
No danger, he says. This guy's like a carrier of small pox. Since he's arrived, this town has a fever, an infection, and it's spreading.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Struggling with Responsibility and Redemption
Sheriff
Let Smith find himself a new boy. I can't take it another day. Four years ago, if I'd of done my job, if I'd of checked up and found out what happened. But I didn't! It was just like Smith figured...I didn't even try to find out. Don't you understand? You know, when you wear this badge, you're the Law. And when somebody does something against the Law, then you're supposed to do something about it. Me - I did nothin'. That's what's eatin me. What kind of prescription you got for that?
Doc
I don't know. I haven't found one for myself. But there's one thing, Tim, don't quit.
Sheriff
Why not?
Doc
Because maybe this feller Macreedy's got the prescription.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Confrontation and Tension in Dialogue Exchange
Coley
I'm half-hoss, half-alligator. You mess with me and I'll kick a lung outta ya. Whaddya think of that?
Macreedy
No comment.
Coley
You know, talkin to you is like pullin teeth. You wear me out. You're a yellow-bellied Jap lover. Am I right or wrong?
Macreedy
You're not only wrong - you're wrong at the top of your voice.
Coley
You don't like my voice?
Macreedy
I think your friend is trying to start trouble.
[To Smith]
Smith
Why ever would he want to do that?
Macreedy
Well, I don't know. Maybe he thinks that if he needles me enough, I might crack. I might even fight back. And then either he or your other ape sittin over there could beat me to death and cop a plea of self-defense.
Smith
I don't think that'll be necessary. You're so scared now you'll probably drown in your own sweat.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Brief Stay in a Desolate Place
Conductor
Man, they look woebegone and far away.
Macreedy
Oh, I'll only be here twenty-four hours.
Conductor
In a place like this, it could be a lifetime.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Tension in a Small Town
Smith
I want to apologize for some of the people in town.
Macreedy
They act like they're sittin on a keg.
Smith
A keg? Of what?
Macreedy
I don't know. Diamonds? Gunpowder?
Smith
Oh, it's nothing like that. We're suspicious of strangers is all. Hangover from the old days. The Old West.
Macreedy
I thought the tradition of the Old West was hospitality.
Smith
I'm trying to be hospitable, Mr. Macreedy. You going to be around long?
Macreedy
Could be.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Questions of Involvement and Change
Liz
Things change.
Macreedy
Sure do. And Smith is the kid who changes em, isn't he?...What's wrong with this town of yours, Miss Worth?...
Liz
I don't want to get involved.
Macreedy
Involved in what?
Liz
Whatever you're up to. Whatever happens, I've got to go on living in this town. These people are my neighbors, my friends.
Macreedy
All of em?
Liz
This is my town, Mr. Macreedy, like it or not.
Macreedy
Well, if you don't like it, why do you stick around?
Liz
My brother Pete, he'd never leave.
Macreedy
Didn't it ever occur to you that you might leave without him? You look like a pretty independent young lady. Your brother seems to me...
Liz
Weak. Yeah, I know. That's why I couldn't leave him.
Macreedy
What did your brother do?
Liz
What do you care? What do you care about Black Rock?
Macreedy
I don't care anything about Black Rock. Only it just seems to me that there aren't many towns like this in America. But one town like it is enough and because I think somethin kind of bad happened here, Miss Worth, somethin I can't quite seem to find the handle to.
Liz
You don't know what you're talking about.
Macreedy
Well, I know this much. The rule of law has left here and the gorillas have taken over.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Confrontation Amidst Rising Tensions
Macreedy
Wouldn't it have been easier to wait until I turned my back? Or are there too many witnesses present?
Smith
You're still in trouble.
Macreedy
You're in trouble. Whatever happens, you're sunk.
Smith
You got things a big twisted.
Macreedy
You killed Komoko, Smith, and sooner or later you're gonna go up for it. Not because you killed him, because I think in a town like this, you can get away with it. But because you didn't have guts enough to do it alone. You put your trust in guys like this - and Hector here - not the most dependable of God's creatures. And one of these days, they're gonna catch on that you're playin em for a sap. And then what are ya gonna do? Peel em off, one by one? And in the meantime, one of em's gonna crack and when they do, you're gonna go down - but hard. Cause they got somethin on ya, Smith. Something to use when the goin gets tough. And it's gettin tougher every minute.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Second Chance Amidst Past Failures
Doc T.R. Velie Jr.
Four years ago, something terrible happened here. We did nothing about it. Nothing! The whole town fell into a sort of settled melancholy, and all the people in it closed their eyes, and held their tongues, and failed the test with a whimper. And now something terrible's going to happen again. And, in a way, we're lucky because we've been given a second chance.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.