One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest quotes

View Quote They uh, was givin' me ten thousand watts a day, you know, and I'm hot to trot. The next woman who takes me out is gonna light up like a pinball machine, and pay off in silver dollars.

View Quote Jesus, I must be crazy to be in a loony-bin like this.

View Quote Chief Bromden: Mac, they said you escaped. I knew you wouldn't leave without me. I was waiting for you. Now we can make it, Mac; I feel big as a damn mountain. [he suddenly sees the lobotomy scars] Oh, no. [embracing McMurphy] I'm not goin' without you, Mac. I wouldn't leave you this way. You're coming with me. [laying him down] Let's go.

View Quote Taber: Play the game Harding, play the game.

View Quote Dr. Spivey: It said you've been belligerent, talked when unauthorized, been resentful in attitude toward work in general, that you're lazy.
McMurphy: Chewing gum in class. Ha-ha.
Dr. Spivey: Well, the real reason that you've been sent over here is because they wanted you to be evaluated, to determine whether or not you are mentally ill. This is the real reason.
McMurphy: Well, as near as I can figure out, it's 'cause I, uh, fight and **** too much.
Dr. Spivey: In prison?
McMurphy: No, no!
Dr. Spivey: Well, you've had five prior arrests for assault.
McMurphy: Five fights, huh? Rocky Marciano's got forty and he's a millionaire.

View Quote Young Psychiatrist: Have you ever heard of the old saying, "a rolling stone gathers no moss"?
McMurphy: Yeah.
Young Psychiatrist: Does that mean something to you?
McMurphy: Uh, it's the same as, don't wash your dirty underwear in public.
Young Psychiatrist: I'm not sure I understand what you mean.
McMurphy: [smiling] I'm smarter than him, ain't I? [laughs] Well, that sort of has always meant, is, uh it's hard for something to grow on something that's moving.

View Quote [The inmates are playing cards and betting with cigarettes]
Martini: [rips a cigarette in half] I bet a nickel.
McMurphy: Dime's the limit, Martini.
Martini: I bet a dime.
[Puts the two halves onto the table]]
McMurphy: This is not a dime, Martini. This is a dime.
[shows a whole cigarette]
McMurphy: If you break it in half, you don't get two nickels, you get shit. Try and smoke it. You understand?
Martini: Yes.
McMurphy: You don't understand.

View Quote Nurse Ratched: There are eighteen patients on this ward, Mr. McMurphy. And you have to have a majority to change ward policy. So you gentlemen can put your hands down now.
McMurphy: [turning and gesturing toward other men out of hearing range on the ward floor] You're trying to tell me that you're gonna count these, these poor son-of-bitches, they don't know what we're talking about?
Nurse Ratched: Well, I have to disagree with you, Mr. McMurphy. These men are members of the ward just as you are.

View Quote McMurphy: [When The Chief slowly raises his hand] The Chief voted. Now, will you please turn on the television set?
Nurse Ratched: [she opens the glass panel] Mr. McMurphy, the meeting was adjourned and the vote was closed.
McMurphy: But the vote was 10 to 8. The Chief, he's got his hand up! Look!
Nurse Ratched: No, Mr. McMurphy. When the meeting was adjourned, the vote was 9 to 9.
McMurphy: Aw come on, you're not gonna say that now. You're not gonna say that now. You're gonna pull that hen-house shit now when the vote...the Chief just voted - it was 10 to 8. Now I want that television set turned on, right now!
[Nurse Ratched slides the glass panel across the front of the Nurse's Station, shutting out his protest.]

View Quote McMurphy: [when asked about Nurse Ratched] Well, that ****ing Nurse, man. She, uh, she ain't honest.
Dr. Spivey: Oh now, look. Miss Ratched's one of the finest nurses we've got in this institution.
McMurphy: Ha! Well I don't wanna break up the meeting or nothing, but she's something of a ****, ain't she, Doc?
Dr. Spivey: How do you mean that?
McMurphy: She likes a rigged game, you know what I mean?

View Quote McMurphy: We're just having a little party.
Orderly Turkle: Party my ass! This ain't no nightclub!

View Quote Night Nurse: Mr. Turkle?
McMurphy: Where the **** is he, why doesn't he answer her?
Taber: He's jerking off somewhere.
Orderly Turkle: Ain't no one jerking off nowhere, mother****er!
McMurphy: Turkle what the **** are you doing in here? Go out and talk to her.
Orderly Turkle: I'm doing the same ****ing thing you're doing--hiding!

View Quote Dr. Spivey: The funny thing is that the person that he's the closest to is the one he dislikes the most...That's you, Mildred. [He gestures toward Nurse Ratched]
Nurse Ratched: Well gentlemen, my opinion, if we send him back to Pendleton or we send him up to 'Disturbed,' it's just one more way of passing on our problems to somebody else. You know, we don't like to do that. So I'd like to keep him on the ward. I think we can help him.

View Quote McMurphy: What do you think you are, for Christ's sake, crazy or something? Well, you're not! You're not! You're no crazier than the average asshole out walking around on the streets and that's it!
Nurse Ratched: Those are very challenging observations you made, Randall.

View Quote McMurphy: You fooled 'em, Chief! You fooled 'em. You fooled 'em all. God damn. What are we doing here Chief? Huh? What's us two guys doing in this ****ing place? Let's get out of here. Out!
Chief Bromden: Canada.
McMurphy: Canada. I'll be there before these son-of-bitches know what hit 'em. Listen to Randall on this one.