Considered by many as one of the best movies of all time, the best The Shawshank Redemption Quotes have stayed with audiences over the years. Adapted from a Stephen King story and directed by Frank Darabont, The Shawshank Redemption Follows Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) who is imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit and tries to hold on to hope within the prison walls while forming an alliance with fellow inmate Red (Morgan Freeman). The movie was a box office flop, but his lasting legacy included the best The Shawshank Redemption quoted, made it a classic.
Although The Shawshank Redemption Takes place in a brutal and corrupt prison, it is a surprisingly inspiring story and the most memorable quotes speak to this. From Morgan Freeman’s iconic story as Red to Andy’s ability to hold on to hope In an unlikely place to the touching friendship at the center of the movie, these are the best The Shawshank Redemption Quotes that have stood the test of time.
25
“I believe in two things: discipline and the Bible. Here you will get both.”
Warden Norton (Bob Gunton)
Abuse of religious power is a fascinating theme that is often found in Stephen King’s stories. From the moment he introduces himself, Warden Norton makes his hypocrisy and cruelty clear. He preaches the importance of religion and learning to trust and obey the higher powers of religion. At the same time, the guard wants the prisoners Treat him like he is equal to the higher powers of religion.
If the prisoners do something that the guard does not like, he will punish them. He does not see them as human and sees them as property, with which he will do as he pleases. Religion is just a tool he uses for his cruelty and selfish agenda. He imagines that these are the two things he values ​​above all else, but it becomes clear that he doesn’t really care about either of them.
24
“The first night in the joint, Andy DuFrance cost me two packs of cigarettes. He never made a sound.”
Red (Morgan Freeman)
When a new group of inmates arrives, Red and his fellow inmates make bets on who will be the first to break down during their first night. Red thinks that Andy is weak and that he “It looked like a stiff breeze was going to blow over him.” Although Red is usually a good judge of character, he soon realizes that he was mistakenAs Red loses the bet and loses the cigarettes he was waiting for.
After countless inmates come and go at Shawshank over the years, Andy stands out to him as a surprising person whom he cannot fully defend.
Andy doesn’t make a sound all night, Prove that he is more than the weak individual Red thought. After countless inmates come and go at Shawshank over the years, Andy stands out to him as a surprising person whom he cannot fully defend. This is the first hint of the bond these two men will share and a sign of the different kind of strength Andy has that will serve him well in prison.
23
“…how he had on an invisible cloak that would protect him from this place.”
Red (Morgan Freeman)
Many of the inmates thought Andy had an air of superiority about him. When Andy asks Red for a rock hammer, and they have a conversation, Red begins to understand who Andy is and why he acts the way he does. Red sees that Andy is not a stubborn individual Trying to be removed. Andy is a more reserved and thoughtful individual with a quiet, strong strength about him.
Although Andy enters Shawshank as a young man, he comes to the prison holding a piece of the outside and the hope that he will make it beyond the walls. The reason he seems like such an unusual creature to Red and the other inmates is that “hope” is not something they often see in Shawshank.. Whether it’s due to his innocence in the crime he’s been sentenced for, or simply because he’s gained a new outlook on life, Andy refuses to let prison take away his humanity.
22
“Yeah, I think it would be fair to say I liked Andy from the start.”
Red (Morgan Freeman)
Although Red is confused by Andy’s strange demeanor when he arrives at Shawshank, it doesn’t take long for him to warm to the new inmate. During their first conversation, it’s clear that Red is still sizing Andy up, keeping him at a distance, challenging him in a way cons have to do, and admitting that he has yet to decide what kind of person Andy is.
The friendship between Red and Andy is one of the most beautiful and heartwarming in movie history.
When the conversation is over, Red admits that he immediately loved Andy. The friendship between Red and Andy is one of the most beautiful and heartwarming in movie history. The fact that in the harsh and hostile environment of prison, Red is able to see something in Andy is admitted to the charm. It speaks to the connection that two people have as outliers in prison. In a place where guilty people profess their innocence, Andy is a man who is actually innocent while Red is a man who admits his guilt.
21
“Maybe it’s because I’m Irish.”
Red (Morgan Freeman)
The reason Morgan Freeman’s character is named Red In Shawshank Redemption is subtly revealed in the parole scenes with the character when his full name is revealed to be Ellis Boyd Redding. However, one of the funniest lines in the movie comes when Andy asks Red about the origin of his name, to what Red suggests his Irish heritage as the meaning.
It’s a funny moment because it seems unlikely, Red is Irish and the way he holds it seems like he never thought to ask it before. of course, It is also possible to read it as another moment of humanity lost behind the prison walls as Red forgot the man he was before he was sent to Shawshank. However, it is another bonding moment for the two men, as it becomes clear that few people have ever asked Red that question and he seems satisfied with it.
20
“We trust this will fill your needs. We now consider the matter closed. Please stop sending us letters.”
Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins)
For six years, Andy wrote a letter a week asking to donate books and other library materials to the prison. After six years, Andy finally received an answer, along with many books and other materials. Some of the reply letters are hilarious because the tone is formal and professional, but they are reinforced by the weekly letters that Andy sent. You can no longer ignore him, you give in and give what he asked, not out of blessing and compassion, but in order to Put the letters away.
Having the necessary resources to build a proper library – especially one in Brooks’ honor – is A wonderful thing that happened to Andy By its persistence and one of the highlights of the movie. It is another sign of the hope Andy clings to. While the other prisoners are resigned to their unchanged life in prison, Andy has ambitions within the walls and sets out to achieve them.
19
“Only guilty man in Shawshank.”
Red (Morgan Freeman)
When Andy first meets Red, he tells him that he is innocent of killing his wife, just for Talk to explain that every person in the prison is innocent. This is obviously a joke to show how the other prisoners will not confess to their crimes. However, when he finally gets to know Andy, Red calls himself the only guilty person in Shawshank.
Red fully confesses to the murder he committed as a young man and his guilt has stayed with him all these years. however, It is through his friendship with Andy that Red learns that he is being punished for his crime, But this does not mean that he has to punish himself for his life. Although Andy’s story often feels like the main one, it is Red who finds redemption in the end. He comes to terms with what he has done and also discovers that he deserves to find some peace in the world as well.
18
“I tell you the voices rose higher and further than anyone in a gray place dares to dream.”
Red (Morgan Freeman)
One of the most beautiful and meaningful scenes of the entire film comes when Andy gives his fellow inmates a brief respite from their caged lives. Andy was a model prisoner which meant he earned certain privileges that the others did not. While he was in the garden office, he locked the guards in the bathroom and played opera on the speakers in the prison for everyone to hear.
It made everything else disappear for the prisoners and gave them a moment of blissful freedom. It is another example of the strange and unfamiliar quality that Andy brought to the prison with his ideals That these prisoners allowed themselves to feel human even during his judgments. Similar to the moment Andy trades some beer for his fellow inmates, the music isn’t really for him but for all the other inmates who need a reminder of hope.
17
“That’s the beauty of music. They can’t get that from you.”
Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins)
After Andy’s moment of rebellion where he performed opera for the entire prison, He is, of course, punished for his wickedness. They send him to solitary confinement for a long time, but he leaves with a smile on his face as he admits that it was easy because he had the music in his head the whole time, something they could never take from him.
This quote is his answer, and he goes on to explain that it has everything to do with hope, which is a huge theme of the entire film. Andy’s hope cannot be taken away from him by the prison, Which is exactly what the music represents. Again, this speaks to Andy being an innocent person as he is being punished for something he did not do, and although he cannot prove his innocence, he is going to hold tight to any little freedom that he can.
16
“Hope can be a dangerous thing.”
Red (Morgan Freeman)
Although they share a strong friendship, Andy and Red are very different people in many ways. The key difference is in how they view their time in prison. From the moment Andy is inside, he is thinking about life on the outside and that he will one day be able to return to it. Red pushes back against this sentiment and even suggests that Hope is a dangerous thing, The more a person in Shawshank thinks about life from the outside, the more life from the inside becomes unbearable.
This creates a wonderful contrast between the two men and sets up the film’s rewarding ending. While Andy seems like he’s starting to lose hope in the third act, he just embraces it more. More importantly, Andy is the one who helps change Red’s mind and makes him dare to hope for a happy ending for himself.
15
“Salvation lies within.”
Warden Norton (Bob Gunton)
Warden Norton is one of the most despicable movie villains of all time, so to see him get the justice that was coming to him in the end only added to the Shawshank Redemptions satisfying final act. Before recruiting Andy to deal with his own money laundering schemes, Warden Norton takes the opportunity to understand Andy A little more by inspecting his cell. He is happy to see that Andy still has the Bible that Norton gave him on his first day.
This line initially seems like more of Norton’s hypocrisy, but because it is later revealed that the rock hammer that Andy uses to tunnel is hidden in the Bible.
When he hands it back to Andy, he says that “Salvation lies within.” This line initially seems like more of Norton’s hypocrisy but because it’s later revealed that the rock hammer that Andy uses to tunnel is hidden in the Bible, it’s also a brilliant bit of foreshadowing to The Shawshank RedemptionIt’s the end.
14
“How can you be so sad?”
Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins)
It is clear from the beginning that Warden Norton is a pompous and hypocritical man, but this is only the beginning of his villainy. When new information reveals that Andy is innocent of his crimes in The Shawshank RedemptionHe shares the story with the gardeners. Despite how much Andy has helped both the Garden and the prison, the Garden refuses to help Andy. Andy’s simple question “How can you be so desperate?“ reached the gardener, and he caused him to send Andy into solitary confinement for a month.
Most people would yell at the warden for being stupid and horrible in this situation, however Only Andy Dufresne would ask why the warden is fat. Andy is not only intelligent; He is brave, will stand up for himself, and will not verbally add to the tyranny of those who warn. The audience can feel the frustration in Andy at this moment, and it is the garden that displays a level of corruption that baffles Andy.
13
“I like to think the last thing that went through his head other than that bullet…”
Red (Morgan Freeman)
In a movie about convicted felons, Warden Norton makes for a truly despicable villain. However, the cruelty and corruption he inflicts on the inmates, and Andy in particular, makes it all the more satisfying when he gets his comeuppance. Not only did Andy’s escape make Norton look like a foolBut Andy continued to reveal his crimes. When the authorities come for him, Norton kills himself and Red’s story is happy about the villain’s death and satisfied that his last thoughts were of Andy defeating him.
It may be a gruesome line, but it feels like a fitting end for someone who has no moral code to speak of. Norton is a man who felt supreme confidence in his position of power over the inmates who could never challenge him. To see his seemingly unwavering position of power undone by one of the people he underestimated is a huge victory.
12
“This is what I want to live the rest of my life – a warm place without memory.”
Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins)
Most prisoners have a dream of what they will do or would do if they get out of prison one day. So, of course, Andy has a very specific dream of his own if this happens for him, and it has to do with the Pacific. He tells Red of the specific place he wants to escape to and the idea of ​​life by the ocean. Part of the peace it offers him is the opportunity to move on from the past and start anew.
Even though Andy is innocent of his crimesHe is a man full of guilt over the way he lived his life before. The fact that he is looking for a place “without memory” tells him that he wants to put his past behind him, including his time at Shawshank and the abuse he suffered. As it happens, that’s also what Red is after, even if he’s less willing to say it out loud.
11
“Every man has his breaking point.”
Red (Morgan Freeman)
Another aspect that makes the ending of The Shawshank Redemption So satisfying is the building tension that this place could really break Andy. Although he held on to his hope for years, it seems to be gradually stripped away. The shocking death of Tommy in The Shawshank Redemption is a turning point for Andy. Not only is his friend murdered, but it also signifies that Norton will go to Drastic lengths to ensure that Andy never leaves Shawshank.
Red sees this moment as a breaking point for Andy, and in many ways it is. However, the moment takes an incredible twist with the discovery of Andy’s escape. While Red feared that Andy would lose hope, his breaking point was instead that he would have to ensure that he leaves the prison himself and goes through with his escape plan.
10
“They send you here for life, and that’s exactly what they take.”
Red (Morgan Freeman)
Watching The Shawshank Redemption, It is hard not to imagine that one should be put in a situation like life imprisonment. It is possibly one of the worst things that can happen to a person, knowing that they will never set foot outside the prison walls again. Although these are criminals, some of them guilty of terrible crimes, it is also not difficult to feel sorry for them and the lives they are forced to live.
It speaks directly to Brooks’s character The Shawshank Redemption As well as when he is released, he cannot escape. After a life behind bars, He does not know how to make a living from them. The movie takes a moment to step away from Andy and Red’s story to follow Brooks on the outside and it makes for one of the most heartbreaking moments in the movie.
9
“I tell you, the walls are strange.”
Red (Morgan Freeman)
Despite the horror and cruelty that the prisoners face, a large part of the story of the film is how the convicts in Shawshank is so used to the idea of ​​being in prison, That they really can’t remember life outside of it. Although it is a prison that keeps the inmates from the outside world, it is also a protection after a time. They are not at ease with the outside world and whether they belong in it anymore.
Life just became a routine of getting through one day and living to see the next.
At one point in the film, Red refers to the fact that prison life is all about routineAnd for the prisoners of Shawshank, life just became a routine of getting through one day and living to see another. This is what happens to Brooks, and despite Andy’s insistence that he could never feel that way about his life behind bars, there is a sense that his need to escape is also out of fear that Red’s words have some validity to them.
8
“Bad luck, I guess. It floats around.”
Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins)
There is something poetic and philosophical about this line that rings true. Andy reflects on the circumstances that put him behind bars in the first place and the forces that keep him there despite his innocence. Once again, while others would be overcome with rage, Andy has a philosophical outlook on things.
The line, like much of the film’s dialogue, is plucked almost directly from Stephen King’s original novel, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank RedemptionAnd it shows. This is exactly the kind of dialogue that King excels at. It is popular, but there is an air of darkness in it, A slow kind of melancholy about how, even though the events that put Andy in Shawshank were seemingly random, it still felt like he was destined, because all the bad luck was meant for him and him alone.
7
“The world went and got itself in a big damn hurry.”
Brooks (James Whitmore)
One of the most endearing characters in the entire film is Brooks, the kindly old librarian, who, when Andy arrives, has spent roughly 50 years behind Shawshank’s walls. He is the first character the audience sees as he is released back into the world, and for a man who left in the 1900s, the world looks very different.
Seeing Brooks’ life on the outside, coupled with the letters he sends to the guys still in prison, Gives the audience an idea of ​​the obstacles that still await One of them, even once they are free. This line perfectly sums up the way the world changes quickly, even if people don’t always think it does. To imagine stepping back into the world after being removed from society for most of a person’s life gives an idea of ​​how Brooks became so lost with his “freedom.”
6
“The funny thing is, on the outside, I was an honest person.”
Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins)
Andy Dufresne enters Shawshank as an honest and lawful man, even if the state doesn’t think he is, but it’s inside the walls where he really learns how to be a criminal. He takes on the task of laundering the guard’s dirty money, Make sure the government never has a clue. Andy explains the complicated methods he uses to hide the money and make sure he keeps the gardener happy, but considers the irony of the situation.
Part of why Andy is so amused by the thought of his crimes becomes clearer in the ending. Andy not only left the prison, but he also took all the money he had to hide from the warden. To make it even better, he pins the crimes on the Garden as well. While Andy technically broke the law, given what he came across as an innocent man, it’s easy to forgive him.