The Kite Runner (2008) - Quotes

A Tense Exchange Over Sohrab's Fate

Assef: You want my advice? Run away. That's what you do best.

Amir: Not without Sohrab.

Assef: [shoves Sohrab at him; hits Amir] You want him? Take him. Of course, I did not say you could have him for free.

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Nostalgia for the Scent of Kabob

Amir: Do you remember what these streets smelled like in the old days?

Farid: Kabob.

Amir: Lamb kabob.

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A Vision of the Future

Soraya: What do you see?

Amir: The rest of my life.

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A Call to Return Home

Rahim Khan: You should come home.

Amir: Home? I don't think now's such a good time.

Rahim Khan: It is a very bad time, but you should come. There is a way to be good again, Amir agha.

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A Father's Pride in His Son's Education

Baba: My son, the college graduate.

Amir: It's just community college.

Baba: It's college. And someday, Dr. Amir!

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Cultural Background and Personal Identity Discussion

Baba: Where are you from?

Dr. Starobin: I grew up in Michigan. Came out here for medical school. Once you get used to that California sunshine...

Baba: But your family?

Dr. Starobin: My family? We're originally from Russia.

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A Birthday Surprise Between Friends

Baba: Are you ready for your birthday present?

Hassan: Is it a drawing book?

Baba: Better!

Hassan: A toy gun?

Baba: Better!

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Loyalty and Tradition in Family Relationships

Amir: Baba, have you ever thought about getting new servants?

Baba: Why would I ever want to do that?

Amir: [already regretting it] I guess you wouldn't. It was just a question.

Baba: I grew up with Ali. My father took him in, he loved Ali like his own son. 40 years Ali's been with my family. 40 goddamn years. And you think I'm just going to throw him out? I've never laid a hand on you, Amir, but you ever say that again... You bring me shame. And Hassan... Hassan's not going anywhere. Do you understand? I SAID, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!

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A Conversation About Charles Bronson's Heritage

Hassan: I like Charles Bronson. Maybe someday we'll go to Iran.

Amir: Why?

Hassan: Maybe we'd see him somewhere. I could get his autograph.

Amir: Charles Bronson's not Iranian.

Hassan: He's not? So why does he speak Farsi with an Iranian accent?

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A Conversation About Choices and Consequences

Hassan: [Talking about a story Amir wrote] Why did he kill his wife?

Amir: Because he would cry and his tears would turn into pearls.

Hassan: But why didn't he smell an onion?

Amir: Would you eat dirt if I asked you to do that?

Hassan: If you would ask it I would.

Hassan: But you would not ask that, would you?

Amir: Of course not.

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A Path to Redemption Awaits

Rahim Khan: There is a way to be good again.

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God's Will Amidst Optimism

Rahim Khan: I see America has infused you with her optimism. But there is such a thing as God's will.

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The Complexity of Parenting and Individuality

Rahim Khan: Children aren't coloring books. You don't get to fill them with your favorite colors.

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The Perils of Birth and Parenthood

Rahim Khan: It's a dangerous thing, being born. Dangerous for the mother, dangerous for the child. Your father would die for you.

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Embracing a Moment Without Pain

Baba: There is no pain today.

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A Father's Disappointment in His Son's Choices

Baba: Instead of being a doctor and saving lives, my son wants to make up stories.

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Baba's Defiance Against Hypocrisy

Baba: [about the mullahs] I piss on the beards of those self-righteous monkeys.

A Father's Reflection on Loss and Happiness

Baba: I wish Hassan had been with us today. That would make him happy.

Defiance Against Foreign Influence

Baba: Fuck the Russia!

Reflections on Sin and Thirst

Baba: All this talk of sinning is making me thirsty.

Decency Required Even Amidst War

Baba: War doesn't negate decency. It demands it, even more than in times of peace.

The Nature of Sin and Theft

Baba: There is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft....When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal his wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness.

The Quiet Process of Forgiveness

Amir: I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.

Identity in a Complicated World

Amir: Who are we in this complicated world?

The Transformation of Kabul's Citizens

Amir: The citizens of Kabul were skeletons now. Skeletons selling naswar in the night market, skeletons drinking cups of strong tea, skeletons playing cards in the moonlight. They greeted me as I passed, teeth clacking together in their jaws. "Salaam, brother," they said. "Welcome home.

A Family's Hidden Truth Revealed

Amir: You see, General Sahib, my father slept with his servant's wife, and she bore him a son named Hassan. Hassan is dead now. That boy sleeping in the other room is Hassan's son. He's my nephew. That's what you tell people when they ask. And one more thing, General Sahib: you will never again refer to him as "a Hazara boy" in my presence. He has a name, and it's Sohrab.

Dreams of a Better Future

Hassan: I dream that my son will grow up to be a good person, a free person. I dream that someday you will return to revisit the land of our childhood. I dream that flowers will bloom in the streets again and kites will fly in the skies.