Million Dollar Baby (2005) - Quotes

A Bond of Trust and Support

Maggie: I've got nobody but you, Frankie.

Frankie: Then you've got me.

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Training Dynamics in a Boxing Gym

Maggie: Working the bag, boss.

Frankie: I'm not your boss and that bag's working you.

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Facing a Stronger Opponent

Maggie: She's tough, I can't go inside, I can't get close enough to hit her.

Frankie: You know why that is?

Maggie: Why?

Frankie: Cause she's a better fighter than you are, that's why. She's younger, she's stronger, and she's more experienced. Now, what are you gonna do about it?

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The Value of Perseverance in Adversity

Frankie: How many eyes do you need to finish this fight?

Maggie: [with a black eye] One's enough.

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Faith and Confusion in Spirituality

Frankie: Father, that was a great sermon... made me weep.

Father Horvak: What's confusing you this week?

Frankie: Oh, it's the same old, one God-three God thing.

Father Horvak: Frankie, most people figure out by kindergarten that it's about faith.

Frankie: Is it sort of like Snap Crackle and Pop, all rolled into one big box?

Father Horvak: You're standing outside my church, comparing God to Rice Krispies?

Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.

Commitment in Uncertain Times

Maggie: You're gonna leave me again?

Frankie: Never.

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The Importance of Self-Protection in Boxing

Frankie Dunn: You forgot the rule. Now, what is the rule?

Maggie Fitzgerald: Keep my left up?

Frankie: Is to protect yourself at all times. Now, what is the rule?

Maggie: Protect myself at all times.

Frankie: Good. Good.

Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.

Strength Beyond Toughness

Frankie Dunn: Girlie, tough ain't enough.

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Unconventional Training Advice in Boxing

Frankie Dunn: I want you to jab, right in the tits, until they turn blue and fall off.

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Confronting Reality and Pursuing Dreams

Maggie Fitzgerald: I'm 32, Mr. Dunn, and I'm here celebrating the fact that I spent another year scraping dishes and waitressing which is what I've been doing since 13, and according to you I'll be 37 before I can even throw a decent punch, which I have to admit, after working on this speed bag for a month may be the God's simple truth. Other truth is, my brother's in prison, my sister cheats on welfare by pretending one of her babies is still alive, my daddy's dead, and my momma weighs 312lbs. If I was thinking straight I'd go back home, find a used trailer, buy a deep fryer and some Oreos. Problem is, this the only thing I ever felt good doing. If I'm too old for this then I got nothing. That enough truth to suit you?

Commentary on Boxing Performance

Maggie Fitzgerald: I saw your last fight Shawrelle. You spent so much face time on the canvas, you thought the canvas had titties.

Resilience in the Face of Defeat

Eddie Dupris: Anybody can lose one fight, anybody can lose once, you'll come back from this you'll be champion of the world.

The Paradox of Boxing Strategy

Eddie Dupris: Frankie likes to say that boxing is an unnatural act, that everything in boxing is backwards: sometimes the best way to deliver a punch is to step back... But step back too far and you ain't fighting at all.

The Nature of Fighters and Their Pride

Eddie Dupris: All fighters are pig-headed some way or another: some part of them always thinks they know better than you about something. Truth is: even if they're wrong, even if that one thing is going to be the ruin of them, if you can beat that last bad out of them... they ain't fighters at all.

The Art of Shaping a Fighter

Eddie Dupris: To make a fighter you gotta strip them down to bare wood: you can't just tell em to forget everything you know , you gotta make em forget even their bones... make em so tired they only listen to you, only hear your voice, only do what you say and nothing else... show em how to keep their balance and take it away from the other guy... how to generate momentum off their right toe and how to flex your knees when you fire a jab... how to fight backing up so that the other guy doesn't want to come after you. Then you gotta show em all over again. Over and over and over... till they think they're born that way.

The Magic of Fighting for Dreams

Eddie Dupris: If there's magic in boxing, it's the magic of fighting battles beyond endurance, beyond cracked ribs, ruptured kidneys and detached retinas. It's the magic of risking everything for a dream that nobody sees but you.