“I know that a mother can take a whip to the toughest boy in the...” – Father Flanagan, Boys Town ... Movie Quotes Database

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A scene from Boys Town 1938

Father Flanagan Spencer Tracy

I know that a mother can take a whip to the toughest boy in the world, and he forgets it because he knows that she loves him.

More from Boys Town

Father Flanagan There is no such thing as a bad boy. Freddie Fuller There's our baseball field... last year one of our players was drafted by the St. Louis Browns. Whitey Marsh Well, I like the Yankees. Freddie Fuller You would! Tony Ponessa If you're a Catholic or a Protestant, you can go right on being one. Whitey Marsh Well, I'm nothin'. Tony Ponessa Then, you can go right on being nothin', and nobody cares.