October Sky (1999) - Quotes

The Train Moves Along Its Track

Taglines: The train is moves was a track.

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

A Dream Can Illuminate the Sky

Taglines: Sometimes, one dream is enough to light up the whole sky.

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

Discussion of Scholarship Opportunities

Official 1: [slips him calling card and pats him in the back] Tom Webster of Virginia State College. I wanna talk to you about a scholarship.

Official 2: [shakes his hand and slips calling card; [w:Virginia Tech|Virginia Tech] Jack Palmer, ]. We got the best science program in the state, buddy, okay?

Man: [shakes Homer's hand; in German accent; leaves as Homer walks on] Congratulations, son. Good luck to you.

Official 3: What did he say to you?

Homer Hickam Jr: What did who say?

Official 3: [[Wernher von Braun; Homer tries to look back and see von Braun, but couldn't amidst the crowd] Von Braun. That was ]. You just shook his hand!

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

Struggle Between Pride and Responsibility

John: Elsie, I don't have the power to settle this strike.

Elsie: The bosses listen to you. They'll do what you tell them.

John: I'm not gonna crawl on my belly in front of those miserable union rats.

Elsie: Is that what this is about? Is this about your pride?

John: It's about what's best for Coalwood. If this mine doesn't produce, then the town dies. Think the union gives a damn about that? They're nothin but a bunch of greedy sons of bitches...

Elsie: [John is silent] Shut up. Just shut up. Homer once said you love the mine more than your own family. I stuck up for you because I didn't want to believe it. Homer has gotten a lot of help from the people in this town. They've helped him build his rockets. They've watched him fly em. But not you, John. You never showed up, not even once. I'm not asking you to believe in it, but he's your son, for God's sake, John. And I am asking you to help him. If you don't, I'll leave you. I'll do whatever it takes to get away from here. I will work, if that's what it takes. I'll live in a tree to get away from you. Don't think I won't.

John: Where would you go?

Elsie: [leaves room in tears] Myrtle Beach.

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

Tensions Rise Among Family Members

John Hickam: [derisively] Hey, hey, don't trouble yourself, Homer. You got more important things to worry about. Just go look for your suitcase.

Jim Hickam: Forget about it, Homer.

Homer Hickam: [furiously goes back into house and angrily confronts his father] Shut up, Jim! Listen, I'm sorry about what's going on here but it isn't my fault! What do you want from me anyway?

John: Better watch yourself, Homer.

Homer: If I win at Indianapolis, maybe I can go to college, maybe even get a job at Cape Canaveral! There's nothing here for me! The town is dying, even the mine is dying...EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT BUT YOU!

John: [incensed] You want to get out so bad, then go. Go!

Homer: Yeah, I'll go! Yeah, I'll go!

John: GO! GO!

Homer: [angrily gets out and violently slams door behind him] And I'll be gone forever! I won't even look back!!!!

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

Classroom Dispute Over Rocket Experiment

Principal Turner: In the first place, you are not a member of this classroom.

Homer Hickam Jr: [students chuckle] Neither are you, Mr. Turner.

Freida Riley: Why don't you let the boy defend himself?

Turner: And in the second place, this rocket proves nothing. You've already admitted having lost a number of your rockets. You cannot prove conclusively that another one of them didn't start that fire.

Hickam: [starts drawing diagram of rocket trajectory] Yes, I can.

Turner: Are we to conclude, Mr. Hickam, that since leaving school, you've not only become an expert in rocket science, but in the field of trigonometry?

Hickam: I didn't say that I was a rock-

Turner: [students chuckle again] Obviously, you learned more in the coal mines than you did in high school.

Riley: Let the boy talk. Go ahead, Homer.

Hickam: [Explains diagram; writes on blackboard] Now, that fire was near Welch, just under three miles from our launch pad. And at the time of the fire, the best that we could do was 1.2 miles which is exactly where we found that rocket, Mr. Turner. See, Mr. Turner, that rocket fell for about 14 seconds, which means that it flew to an altitude of 3,000 feet according to the equation "S" equals one-half "A" "T" squared. Where "S" is the altitude, "A" is the gravity constant or 32 and "T" is the time it took for that rocket to come back down. Velocity equals acceleration times time.

Quentin Wilson: [mutters] Get him, Homer, get him.

Hickam: [students laugh again] Are you following this, Mr. Turner?

Turner: All right, we're all duly impressed. But do you mind telling me, if you did not start that fire, who did?

Discussion on Rocket Launch Conditions

Homer Hickam Jr: [thinks for a moment] Hey, was there a wind that day?

Quentin Wilson: Uh, I don't remember.

Homer: [raises his hand to point in the relative direction, then looks and slowly smiles] Cause if there was, the wind probably came from the west, which means that it would've pushed the rocket...'...right there.

Quentin: Prodigious!

A Town's Secrets and Rumors

Freida Riley: Homer, I was in the store today, and I heard some talk. Boy, it's sure hard to keep a secret in this town, isn't it? But I guess I did a pretty good job. You know, there's a rumor going around that I've been sneaking off to Welch to see some beau. I wish that rumor'd been true.

Homer Hickam Jr: Yeah.

Freida: They told me Hodgkin's can go into remission, so I might have some time.

Homer: Is there anything I can do, Miss Riley?

Freida: You can accept my apology.

Homer: For what?

Freida: My life's work is teaching. And I believed that if you boys won that science fair, got scholarships, went off and did something great with your lives, somehow my life would have counted for something. Homer. You know what? Sometimes you really can't listen to what anybody else says. You just gotta listen inside. You're not supposed to end up in those mines. You know why? Cause I think you made other plans. I want you to know something. I'm proud of you.

Homer: I am.

Freida: Whatever you choose.