Paul Varjak: I love you.
Holly Golightly: So what.
Paul Varjak: So what? So plenty! I love you, you belong to me!
Holly Golightly: [tearfully] No. People don't belong to people.
Paul Varjak: Of course they do!
Holly Golightly: I'll never let ANYBODY put me in a cage.
Paul Varjak: I don't want to put you in a cage, I want to love you!
Paul Varjak: You know what's wrong with you, Miss Whoever-you-are? You're chicken, you've got no guts. You're afraid to stick out your chin and say, "Okay, life's a fact, people do fall in love, people do belong to each other, because that's the only chance anybody's got for real happiness." You call yourself a free spirit, a "wild thing," and you're terrified somebody's gonna stick you in a cage. Well baby, you're already in that cage. You built it yourself. And it's not bounded in the west by Tulip, Texas, or in the east by Somali-land. It's wherever you go. Because no matter where you run, you just end up running into yourself.
[takes out the ring and throws it in Holly's lap]
Paul Varjak: Here. I've been carrying this thing around for months. I don't want it anymore.

Quicksand

A fair Scandinavian girl in love with life, with love, with passion, dreaming, and risking all in one blind surrender. A cruel sacrifice. In forgetting all but love she had forgotten, or had perhaps never known, that somethings the world never forgives. Nella Larsen

Tonight I ran at sundown, mid-run I stopped to walk awhile. The shoots of pink spreading down the sky. I thought to myself how beautiful life was, and a tear moved down my cheek. I saw an airplane glide into the wide expanse of sky that will be experienced for the first time and I felt, for a change, that I would not desire for all the world to be on it. I was exactly where I wanted to be.

Free Bird

If I leave here tomorrow
Would you still remember me?
For I must be travelling on, now,
'Cause there's too many places I've got to see.
But, if I stayed here with you, girl,
Things just couldn't be the same.
'Cause I'm as free as a bird now,
And this bird you can not change.
Lord knows, I can't change.

Bye, bye, its been a sweet love.
Though this feeling I can't change.
But please don't take it badly,
'Cause Lord knows I'm to blame.
But, if I stayed here with you girl,
Things just couldn't be the same.
Cause I'm as free as a bird now,
And this bird you'll never change.
And this bird you can not change.
Lord knows, I can't change.
Lord help me, I can't change.

Dear Brian

I am sorry. I was wrong. I realized something tonight as I listened in irritation to a man who found it impossible to enunciate. Do I really want the world to all enunciate? The irritation in me eagerly declared "Dear God yes!" but do I? It's just one, rather large step, toward conformity. Why not let people just be? I have never desired for every person to be uniform, and yet here I was irritated by difference. If you love this girl, as much as you claim you do, I think you should tell her. But it doesn't make you wrong not to. You're giving her up because you truly believe her life will be better for it, and I insinuated it was cowardly. Your truly beautiful. I dearly hope, if I ever found myself in that position, I could be as honorable as you.

Inspiration for "Brian"

Harry: I've been doing a lot of thinking. And the thing is, I love you.
Sally: What?
Harry: I love you.
Sally: How do you expect me to respond to this?
Harry: How about you love me too?
Sally: How about I'm leaving.
Harry: Doesn't what I said mean anything to you?
Sally: I'm sorry Harry, I know it's New Years Eve, I know you're feeling lonely, but you just can't show up here, tell me you love me and expect thatto make everything alright. It doesn't work this way.
Harry: Well how does it work?
Sally: I don't know but not this way.
Harry: Well how about this way. I love that you get cold when it's seventyone degrees out, I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order asandwich, I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you'relooking at me like I'm nuts, I love that after I spend a day with you I canstill smell your perfume on my clothes and I love that you are the last personI want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'mlonely, and it's not because it's New Years Eve. I came here tonight becausewhen you realise you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, youwant the rest of the life to start as soon as possible.
Sally: You see, that is just like you Harry. You say things like that and youmake it impossible for me to hate you. And I hate you Harry... I really hateyou. I hate you.

brian's story

Recently I heard a story that made my heart melt, and subsequently break. This isn't very eloquently put, but it's very late/early and I'm using this to avoid a paper, and try and relinquish my thoughts on it so I can focus.

My friend I haven't talked to in awhile, described a girl that he has liked for a year or so to me saying (these are my words not his, but the meaning is the same):
I can't even describe her. She's my dream girl (a term I mocked him endlessly for). She makes me feel... alive. Every time she enters the room, it's like I can feel it. I hear her laugh or her voice and my entire body responds. When we talk my heart feels light, and when she looks me in the eyes I can't remember a word I was saying. I even stammer sometimes, and when she laughs at it I melt. But she's just so cool too, she's the type of person that knows exactly what to say or do. We have so much in common, she loves hockey and shitty japanese films. I feel drawn to her, but it hurts to have her there because it feels so... hopeless. She's way out of my league; I'm not half the person that she is, but when I'm with her, she makes me feel as though I'm a better person than I even thought I was. And she loves people, truly. She's like no one I've ever met before.

This is written in a voice of mine recalling his, and I realize it may sound a little confused. My first attempt was to emulate his, trust me much worse. Honestly, though, even the more sentimental comments were really his own just differently phrased. After he left, naturally I felt very light-hearted and excited, giddy, similar feeling as every time I watch When Harry Met Sally. But I soon realized something that broke my heart. He is never going to tell her. There will be no finale scene on New Years, when he realizes that he wants to spend the rest of his life with her. He knows. Now. And nothing. What will be the actual outcome? He will likely meet some other girl. I'm sure she will be very nice. And that will be that. And most people would shrug, and move on. Because our concept of love isn't what our heart most ardently desires or yearns for. But what will come naturally, easily. We settle. It sounds cruel, and I'm sure that many are contentedly happy settling. Contentendly happy isn't comparable to lightening striking, just a great deal safer... "but eh? what are you gonna do?" My heart breaks.

protection

Her eyes slowly reopened and drew to him. He loved stronger than any she had ever known. She wanted to touch him. She needed to reach over, encourage his body to turn with the slightest tug, whether half-awake or entirely asleep his arms would unfailingly open and she would nestle inside. Her face would move instinctively to the nook between his neck and chin; she would deeply inhale him, as his arms would enclose tightly and protectively around her. She didn’t need him to understand her obscurity; she needed his innocence to pull her from them. Her arms drew tighter around her body, restraining her passions to allow him as long as an escape from the pain tonight promised as was in her power.

On my jog, I paused at a busy intersection. An old man looked at me and told me I couldn't always run from my problems. I replied, "With all due respect sir, you underestimate my stamina." and ran on.

the beautiful words of William Parish

Love is passion, obsession, someone you can't live without. I say, fall head over heels. Find someone you can love like crazy and who will love you the same way back. How do you find him? Well, you forget your head, and you listen to your heart. And I'm not hearing any heart. Cause the truth is, honey, there's no sense living your life without this. To make the journey and not fall deeply in love, well, you haven't lived a life at all. But you have to try, cause if you haven't tried, you haven't lived.

I thought I was going to sneak away tonight. What a glorious night. Every face I see is a memory. It may not be a perfectly perfect memory. Sometimes we had our ups and downs. But we're all together, and you're mine for a night. And I'm going to break precedent and tell you my one candle wish: that you would have a life as lucky as mine, where you can wake up one morning and say, "I don't want anything more." Sixty-five years. Don't they go by in a blink?

I loved Susan from the moment she was born, and I love her now and every minute in between. And what I dream of is a man who will discover her, and that she will discover a man who will love her, who is worthy of her, who is of this world, this time and has the grace, compassion, and fortitude to walk beside her as she makes her way through this beautiful thing called life.

-Meet Joe Black-

Scent of a Woman

Slade: But not a snitch.

Trask: Excuse me?

Slade: No, I don't think I will.

Trask: Mr. Slade.

Slade: This is such a crock of shit.

Trask: Please watch your language, Mr. Slade. You are in the Baird School not a barracks. Mr. Sims, I will give you one final opportunity to speak up.

Slade: Mr. Sims doesn't want it. He doesn't need to labeled: "Still worthy of being a 'Baird Man.'" What the hell is that? What is your motto here? "Boys, inform on your classmates, save your hide" -- anything short of that we're gonna burn you at the stake? Well, gentlemen, when the shit hits the fan some guys run and some guys stay. Here's Charlie facing the fire; and there's George hidin' in big Daddy's pocket. And what are you doin'? You're gonna reward George and destroy Charlie.

Trask: Are you finished, Mr. Slade?

Slade: No, I'm just gettin' warmed up. I don't know who went to this place, William Howard Taft, William Jennings Bryan, William Tell -- whoever. Their spirit is dead -- if they ever had one -- it's gone. You're building a rat ship here. A vessel for sea goin' snitches. And if you think your preparing these minnows for manhood you better think again. Because I say you are killing the very spirit this institution proclaims it instills! What a sham. What kind of a show are you guys puttin' on here today. I mean, the only class in this act is sittin' next to me. And I'm here to tell ya this boy's soul is intact. It's non-negotiable. You know how I know? Someone here -- and I'm not gonna say who -- offered to buy it. Only Charlie here wasn't sellin'.

Trask: Sir, you are out of order!

Slade: Outta order? I'll show you outta order! You don't know what outta order is, Mr. Trask! I'd show you but I'm too old; I'm too tired; I'm too fuckin' blind. If I were the man I was five years ago I'd take a FLAME-THROWER to this place! Outta order. Who the hell you think you're talkin' to? I've been around, you know? There was a time I could see. And I have seen boys like these, younger than these, their arms torn out, their legs ripped off. But there isn't nothin' like the sight of an amputated spirit; there is no prosthetic for that. You think you're merely sendin' this splendid foot-soldier back home to Oregon with his tail between his legs, but I say you are executin' his SOUL!! And why?! Because he's not a Baird man! Baird men, ya hurt this boy, you're going to be Baird Bums, the lot of ya. And Harry, Jimmy, Trent, wherever you are out there, FUCK YOU, too!

Mr. Trask: Stand down, Mr. Slade!

Slade: I'm not finished! As I came in here, I heard those words, "cradle of leadership." Well, when the bow breaks, the cradle will fall. And it has fallen here; it has fallen. Makers of men; creators of leaders; be careful what kind of leaders you're producin' here. I don't know if Charlie's silence here today is right or wrong.

I'm not a judge or jury. But I can tell you this: he won't sell anybody out to buy his future!! And that, my friends, is called integrity! That's called courage! Now that's the stuff leaders should be made of. Now I have come to the crossroads in my life. I always knew what the right path was. Without exception, I knew. But I never took it. You know why? It was too damn hard. Now here's Charlie. He's come to the crossroads. He has chosen a path. It's the right path. It's a path made of principle -- that leads to character. Let him continue on his journey.

You hold this boy's future in your hands, committee. It's a valuable future. Believe me. Don't destroy it! Protect it. Embrace it. It's gonna make ya proud one day -- I promise you.

Al Pacino

all one could ever desire

One lovely morning in April a small girl rests mid-run on a bench alongside the Mississippi. As the wood ducks and canadian geese court one another, she sheds her winter chill and embraces all of the world into her heart, falling madly in love with every inch of it.