From Here to Eternity Quotes

Karen Come back here, Sergeant. I'll tell you the story; you can take it back to the barracks with you. I'd only been married to Dana two years when I found out he was cheating. And by that time I was pregnant. I thought I had something to hope for. I was almost happy the night the pains began. I remember Dana was going to an officers conference. I told him to get home early, to bring the doctor with him. And maybe he would have... if his "conference" hadn't been with a hat-check girl! He was drunk when he came in at 5 AM. I was lying on the floor. I begged him to go for the doctor, but he fell on the couch and passed out. The baby was born about an hour later. Of course it was dead. It was a boy. But they worked over me at the hospital, they fixed me up fine, they even took my appendix out - they threw that in free.

Sgt. Warden Karen...

Karen And one more thing: no more children. Sure I went out with men after that. And if I'd ever found one that...

Sgt. Warden Karen, listen to me, listen.

Karen I know. Until I met you I didn't think it was possible either.

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Karen Are these really important?

Sgt. Warden Yes, but not important they get signed today. Tomorrow's okay.

Sgt. Warden I have copies at the office, so it won't be much work to fix em up.

Karen That's what I like about you, Sergeant: you have confidence. It's also what I dislike about you.

Sgt. Warden It's not confidence, ma'am; it's honesty. I just hate to see a beautiful woman going all to waste.

Karen Waste, did you say? There's a subject I might tell you something about. I know several kinds of waste, Sergeant. You're probably not even remotely aware of some of them. Would you like to hear? For instance, what about the house without a child? There's one sort for you. Then there's another... You're doing fine, Sergeant. My husband's off somewhere, and it's raining outside, and we're both drinking now. You've probably only got one thing wrong. The lady herself. The lady's not what she seems. She's a... washout, if you know what I mean... and I'm sure you know what I mean!

Sgt. Warden You going to cry?

Karen Not if I can help it. What are you doing?

Sgt. Warden I'm leaving. Isn't that what you want?

Karen I don't know, Sergeant. I don't know.

Karen Don't try to be gallant, Sergeant. If you think this is a mistake, come right out and say so... Well, I guess it's about time for me to be heading home, isn't it?... Well, isn't it?

Sgt. Warden What's the matter? What started all this, anyway? You think I'd be here if I thought it was a mistake? Taking a chance on 20 years in Leavenworth for making dates with the company commander's wife? And her acting like - like Lady Astor's horse, and all because I got here on time!

Karen Well, on the other hand, I've got a bathing suit under my dress...

Sgt. Warden Me too!

Alma Prew, it's true we love each other now, we need each other, but back in the States it might be different.

Pvt. Prewitt That ain't the real reason.

Alma You're right, it's not.

Pvt. Prewitt What is the real reason?

Alma I - I won't marry you because I don't want to be the wife of a soldier.

Pvt. Prewitt Well, that... would be about the best I could ever do for you.

Alma Because nobody's going to stop me from my plan. Nobody, nothing. Because I want to be proper!

Pvt. Prewitt Proper.

Alma Yes, proper! In another year I'll have enough money saved. Then I'm going to go back to my home town in Oregon, and I'm going to build a house for my mother and myself, and join the country club and take up golf. Then I'll meet the proper man with the proper position, to make a proper wife, and can run a proper home and raise proper children. And I'll be HAPPY because when you're PROPER you're SAFE!

Pvt. Prewitt You've got guts, honey. I hope you can pull that off.

Alma I do mean it when I say I need you. Cause I'm lonely. You think I'm lying, don't you?

Pvt. Prewitt Nobody ever lies about being lonely.

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Karen I never knew it could be like this! Nobody ever kissed me the way you do.

Sgt. Warden Nobody?

Karen No, nobody.

Sgt. Warden Not even one? Out of all the men you've been kissed by?

Karen Now that'd take some figuring. How many men do you think there've been?

Sgt. Warden I wouldn't know. Can't you give me a rough estimate?

Karen Not without an adding machine. Do you have the adding machine with you?

Sgt. Warden I forgot to bring it.

Karen Why don't you tell the truth, you just don't want the responsibility. You're probably not even in love with me.

Sergeant Warden You're crazy! I wish I didn't love ya; maybe I can enjoy life again.

Sgt. Karelsen I'm getting sick and tired watching you being a stooge for Holmes.

Sgt. Warden You won't see it much longer. I'm getting sick and tired of it myself. I'm through, Pete. Any day now. And I mean it.

Sgt. Warden Listen, if Holmes let me, I'd transfer out of here tomorrow. Half a dozen companies in this regiment would grab me, and in grade, too.

Sgt. Karelsen Oh, sure. I could be Chief of Staff, too. Only I just can't think of leaving my old buddies.

Sgt. Warden Where're you going, Little Sir Echo?

Sgt. Karelsen To take my shower, if the stinking First Sergeant has no objections. Where do you think? To the movies in this towel?

Sgt. Warden Hurry up. We'll get some beer.

Sgt. Karelsen I wouldn't drink with you if it was the last beer in the world.

Sgt. Warden I'm buying.

Sgt. Karelsen That's different.

Pvt. Maggio I just hate to see a good guy get it in the gut.

Cpl. Buckley You better get used to it, kid. You'll probably see a lot of it before you die.

Pvt. Prewitt A man don't go his own way, he's nothing.

Sgt. Warden Maybe back in the days of the pioneers a man could go his own way, but today you got to play ball.

Cpt. Holmes You know why you were assigned to G Company?

Pvt. Prewitt No, sir.

Cpt. Holmes I pulled a few strings. I'm the regimental boxing coach, you know.

Pvt. Prewitt Yes, sir.

Cpt. Holmes I saw your fight with Connors in the Bowl, year before last. You should've won it.

Pvt. Prewitt Thank you, sir.

Cpt. Holmes Our regiment got beaten in the finals last December, but I mean to win this year. All I've needed is a top middleweight.

Pvt. Prewitt I'm sorry, sir. I quit fighting.

Cpt. Holmes Quit fighting? When? What for?

Pvt. Prewitt Well, over a year ago. Maybe you heard about what happened with Dixie Wells?

Cpt. Holmes You mean that fellow that got hurt?

Pvt. Prewitt Yes sir.

Cpt. Holmes Yes, I heard about that. It's too bad. I can understand how you feel, but those things happen.

Pvt. Prewitt That's WHY I decided I would quit, sir.

Cpt. Holmes You might as well say stop war because one man got killed!