Chariots of Fire (1982) - Quotes

Wings and Hope in Every Step

Taglines: With Wings on their Heels and Hope in their Hearts.

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Pursuit of Dreams and Glory

Taglines: Two men chasing dreams of glory!

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Sacrifice and Honour in Pursuit of Goals

Taglines: This is the story of two men who run... not to run... but to prove something to the world. They will sacrifice anything to achieve their goals... Except their honour.

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A Tense Encounter Between Two Characters

Lord Birkenhead: Ah, Liddell! I was afraid you weren't here.

Eric Liddell: I'm afraid I am, sir.

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Controversial Moment in a Competitive Game

Henry Stallard: No ball!

Harold M. Abrahams: [desperate to get into bat] Come on, Aubrey, the old leg-break!

Harold M. Abrahams: How zat!

Henry Stallard: Not out!

Harold M. Abrahams: What do you mean, not out? You could have heard it from bloody Bournemouth! Come on, Liddell, my innings.

Eric Liddell: I didn't touch it, I swear; it must've been the crack of my wrist!

Harold M. Abrahams: He's out I tell you, you're all deaf - deaf and bloody blind! Aubrey I ask you, for God's sake!

Harold M. Abrahams: [punching the air] It's not FAIR!

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Running Light on Hot Bricks

Sam Mussabini: [to Harold in training] I want you to pretend you're running on hot bricks: if you leave your feet too long on the ground, they'll get burned! Pop, pop, pop! Light, light, light as a feather!

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Improving Technique for Competitive Success

Sam Mussabini: Do you want to know why you lost today?

Sam Mussabini: You're over striding. Just a couple of inches.

Sam Mussabini: Now these coins represent the steps in your sprint.

Sam Mussabini: Have you got another two coins, Mr. Abrahams? Well, maybe we can find em.

Sam Mussabini: Remember, over striding – death for the sprinter.

Sam Mussabini: Slap in the face, each step you take. Knocks you back.

Sam Mussabini: Like that!

Sam Mussabini: And that!

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Understanding Limits and Possibilities of Protocol

Lord Andrew Lindsay: [about the Prince of Wales] Protocol, Monty, protocol. He is here to show us what may be done, and, more essentially, what may not be.

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Fear of Winning and Losing

Harold M. Abrahams: Aubrey, I've known the fear of losing but now I am almost too frightened to win.

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Faith and Doubt in Personal Strength

Harold M. Abrahams: He is a strong man but is unsure about his religion.

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A Life's Critical Miscalculation

Harold M. Abrahams: That was the miscalculation of my life.

The Weight of Justification in Time

Harold M. Abrahams: And now in one hour's time, I will be out there again. I will raise my eyes and look down that corridor; 4 feet wide, with 10 lonely seconds to justify my existence. But will I?

The Pursuit of Contentment and Understanding

Harold M. Abrahams: You, Aubrey are my most complete man. You're brave, compassionate, kind: a content man. That is your secret, contentment; I am 24 and I've never known it. I'm forever in pursuit and I don't even know what I am chasing.

Pride in Heritage and Ambition

Harold M. Abrahams: I am a Cambridge man, first and last. I am an Englishman, first and last. What I have achieved – what I intend to achieve – is for my family, my university, and my country.

Pre-race Farewell and Well Wishes

Eric Liddell: [to a competitor] Good luck. Don't suppose I'll see you til after the race...

Purpose and Joy in Running

Eric Liddell: I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.

Faith as a Personal Race to Run

Eric Liddell: You came to see a race today. To see someone win. It happened to be me. But I want you to do more than just watch a race. I want you to take part in it. I want to compare faith to running in a race. It's hard. It requires concentration of will, energy of soul. You experience elation when the winner breaks the tape - especially if you've got a bet on it. But how long does that last? You go home. Maybe your dinner's burnt. Maybe you haven't got a job. So who am I to say, "Believe, have faith," in the face of life's realities? I would like to give you something more permanent, but I can only point the way. I have no formula for winning the race. Everyone runs in her own way, or his own way. And where does the power come from, to see the race to its end? From within. Jesus said, "Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you. If with all your hearts, you truly seek me, you shall ever surely find me." If you commit yourself to the love of Christ, then that is how you run a straight race.