The Elephant Man (1980) - Quotes

Searching for Mr. Merrick's Whereabouts

Dr. Frederick Treves: (To Jim in the furnace room) Where is he? Where's Mr. Merrick?

Jim: I don't know what you mean, sir.

Dr. Frederick Treves: DON'T LIE TO ME!! I know all about it, you were seen! You're involved with Bytes, aren't you? You've taken him. WHERE. IS. HE?

Jim: Now, wait a minute. I haven't taken him anywhere. I don't know no Bytes. We were just having a bit of fun. We never hurt him. You know, just having a laugh, that's all.

Dr. Frederick Treves: (Shoves Jim to a wall) YOU BASTARD! HE'S GONE!!!

Jim: When I left him, he was in bed safe and sound!

Dr. Frederick Treves: YOU BASTARD! (Shoves Jim, making him knock over a table with plates) YOU BASTARD!!

Jim: You're not listening to me! I told you, I don't know no Bytes! I ain't done nothing wrong! People pay money to see your monster, Mr. Treves. I collect it.

Dr. Frederick Treves: YOU'RE THE MONSTER! YOU'RE THE... FREAK! NOW, GET OUT! YOU'RE FINISHED, DAMN YOU!

Jim: (Picks up a fire poker) You don't frighten me, you and your bleedin Elephant Man. I'm glad what I done, and you can do nothing about it. Only Mothershead can sack me now!

Mothershead: (Comes up behind him and knocks him out with a package) Done.

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A Son's Reflection on His Mother

John Merrick: Would you care to see my mother?

Dr. Frederick Treves: [surprised] Your mother? Yes, please.

Mrs. Treves: Oh but she's... Mr. Merrick, she's beautiful!

John Merrick: [sadly] Oh, she had the face of an angel! I must have been a great disappointment to her.

Mrs. Treves: No, Mr. Merrick, no! No son as loving as you could ever be a disappointment.

John Merrick: If only I could find her, so she could see me with such lovely friends here now; perhaps she could love me as I am. I've tried so hard to be good.

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

Unexpected Kindness in Unlikely Encounters

Mrs. Treves: I'm very pleased to meet you, Mr. Merrick.

John Merrick: [begins to cry] I'm very pleased...

Dr. Frederick Treves: What is it, John? What's the matter?

John Merrick: It's just that I-I'm not used to being treated so well by a beautiful woman...

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

The Limits of Care and Cure

John Merrick: There's something I've been meaning to ask you for some time now.

Dr. Frederick Treves: What's that?

John Merrick: Can you cure me?

Dr. Frederick Treves: No. We can care for you, but we can't cure you.

John Merrick: [matter-of-factly] No. I thought not.

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Understanding Discomfort in Social Interactions

Mrs. Mothershead: Sir! I don't quite... I don't quite understand why it is you allow that sort of people in there.

Dr. Frederick Treves: Why? Because he enjoys it, and I think it's very good for him.

Mrs. Mothershead: Yes, but, sir, you saw the expression on their faces. They didn't hide their disgust. They don't care anything about John! They only want to impress their friends!

Dr. Frederick Treves: I think you're being rather harsh on them, don't you, Mrs. Mothershead?

Mrs. Mothershead: I beg your pardon!

Dr. Frederick Treves: You yourself hardly showed him much loving kindness when he first arrived, did you?

Mrs. Mothershead: I bathed him, I fed him, and I cleaned up after him, didn't I? And I see that my nurses do the same. And if loving kindness can be called care and practical concern, then I did show him loving kindness, and I am not ashamed to admit it!

Dr. Frederick Treves: I didn't mean it exactly that way, Mrs. Mothershead. Now please believe me. Of course I appreciate your concern. I appreciate everything you've done for Mr. Merrick.

Mrs. Mothershead: Thank you.

Dr. Frederick Treves: But I am the physician in charge--

Mrs. Mothershead: I appreciate tha--

Dr. Frederick Treves: And I must do what I think is best for him!

Mrs. Mothershead: If you ask for my opinion, he's only being stared at all over again!

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

Understanding a Life Beyond Imagination

Carr Gomm: [[imagine] Can you ] the kind of life he must have had?

Dr. Frederick Treves: Yes, I think I can.

Carr Gomm: I don't think so. No one could possibly imagine it! I don't believe any of us can!

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

Perception of Identity and Humanity

Mrs. Kendal: Why, Mr. Merrick, you're not an elephant man at all.

John Merrick: Oh no?

Mrs. Kendal: Oh no... no... you're a Romeo.

Discussion of Mental Capacity in The Elephant Man

Dr. Fox: Have you ever mentioned his mental state?

Dr. Frederick Treves: [[birth; [idiot; [Pray; [God] Oh, he's an imbecile, probably from ]. Man's a complete ]... ] to ] he's an idiot.

The Enduring Nature of Life

Mary Jane Merrick: [[Nothing; [die; [wind; [cloud; [heart] Never. Oh, never. ] will ]. The stream flows, the ] blows, the ] fleets, the ] beats. Nothing will die.

The Unexpected Origin of the Elephant Man

Bytes: [[Life] ]!... is full of surprises. Consider the fate of this creature's poor mother, struck down in the fourth month of her maternal condition by an elephant, a wild elephant. Struck down!... on an uncharted African isle. The result is plain to see... Ladies and gentlemen... The terrible... Elephant... Man!