14 quotes
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]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
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.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
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.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
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.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Unexpected Encounter with a State Trooper
State trooper
I never gave a ticket to a nun before. I gave a ticket to a guy from the IRS one time. Got audited the next year. I'll tell you what, this time I'll let this one slide, but keep your speed down, yeah?
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Confronting Mortality and Masculine Behavior
Sister Helen Prejean
Look at you. Death is looking down your neck, and you're playing your little male come-on games.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Contemplating Death and Burial Connections
Sister Colleen
If Matt dies, guess who he'll be buried next to?
Sister Helen Prejean
Who's the last person to die?
Sister Colleen
Sister Celestine.
Sister Helen Prejean
Oh Lord.
Sister Colleen
You remember when that sweet little girl in the convent came after her wedding day to introduce her husband to us?
Sister Helen Prejean
Sister Celestine said, "I'm glad I never had to share my bed with a man.
Sister Colleen
She loved her celibacy so much.
Sister Helen Prejean
I know. She's gonna be lying next to a man for all eternity.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Perception of Humanity and Crime
Hilton Barber
They won't care if you shot the gun. They'll be thinking of the crime. And of you as a monster. It's easy to kill a monster but hard to kill a human being.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
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.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Perceptions of Humanity and Dehumanization
Clyde Percy
How can you stand next to him?
[about Matthew Poncelet]
Sister Helen Prejean
Mr. Percy, I'm just trying to follow the example of ], who said that a person is not as bad as his worst deed.
[[Jesus]
Clyde Percy
This is not a person. This is an animal.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
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.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Wealth and death row do not mix.
Matthew Poncelet
Ain't nobody with money on death row.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Face of Love in Final Moments
Sister Helen Prejean
I want the last face you see in this world to be the face of love, so you look at me when they do this thing. I'll be the face of love for you.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Moral Dilemmas of Justice and Forgiveness
Prison guard
Tell me something sister, what is a nun doing in a place like this? Shouldn't you be teaching children? Didn't you know what this man has done? How he killed them kids?
Sister Helen Prejean
What he was involved with was evil. I don't condone it. I just don't see the sense of killing people to say that killing people's wrong.
Prison guard
You know what the Bible say, An eye for an eye'.
Sister Helen Prejean
You know what else the Bible ask for death as a punishment? For adultery, prostitution, homosexuality, trespass upon sacred grounds, profane in a sabbath and contempt to parents.
Prison guard
I ain't gonna get no Bible quote from no nun cause I'm gonna lose.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.