"In this country, Mr. Bentley, the man who gives victory in battle is prized beyond every other man..."
Most scenes together: Feisal & Bentley (4), Lawrence & Bentley (2), Lawrence & Auda Abu Tayi (2)
Lawrence of Arabia quotes
Page 1 of 2Dine with Auda, English. Dine with him. (To Harith Envoy) It is my pleasure, that you should dine with me... in WADI RUM!
It is Auda of the Howitat who speaks.
It is Ali of the Harith who answers.
Harith! Ali... does your father still steal?
No. Does Auda take me for one of his own bastards?
No, there is no resemblance. Alas, you resemble your father.
Auda flatters me.
You're easily flattered. I knew your father well.
Did you know your own?
In ten days. You will cross Sinai?
Why not? Moses did.
And you will take the children?
Moses did.
Moses was a prophet and beloved of God.
I heard in Cairo that Major Lawrence has a horror of bloodshed.
That is exactly so. With Major Lawrence, mercy is a passion. With me, it is merely good manners. You may judge which motive is the more reliable.
It's very simple, sir. I'm looking for a hero...certain influential men back home believe that the time has come for America to lend her weight to the patriotic struggle against Germany, uh, and Turkey. Now I've been sent to find material which will show our people that this war is, uh...
Enjoyable?
Oh, hardly that, sir. But to show them its more adventurous aspects.
And you are looking for a figure who will draw your country towards war.
All right. Yes.
Lawrence is your man.
Watch out for Allenby. He's a slim customer.
Excuse me?
A clever man.
'Slim customer.' It's very good. I will certainly watch out for him. You are being very sympathetic, Mr. Bentley.
Your Highness. We Americans were once a colonial people, and we naturally feel sympathetic to any people anywhere who are struggling for their freedom.
Very gratifying.
Also, my interests are the same as yours. You want your story told. I badly want a story to tell.
What is it, Major Lawrence, that attracts you personally to the desert?
It's clean.
Well, now, that's a very illuminating answer.
What, in your opinion, do these people hope to gain from this war?
They hope to gain their freedom. Freedom.
They hope to gain their freedom. There's one born every minute.
They're gonna get it, Mr. Bentley. I'm going to give it to them.
Why not? It's usually best.
They do or he does?
Lawrence, only two kinds of creatures get fun in the desert: Bedouins and gods, and you're neither. Take it from me, for ordinary men, it's a burning, fiery furnace.
No, Dryden, it's going to be fun.
It is recognized that you have a funny sense of fun.
In the Arab city of Cordova, there were two miles of public lighting in the streets when London was a village...
Yes, you were great.
...nine centuries ago...
Time to be great again, my Lord.
...which is why my father made this war upon the Turks. My father, Mr. Lawrence, not the English. Now my father is old. And I, I long for the vanished gardens of Cordova. However, before the gardens must come fighting.
He is dead.
Yes... why?
This is my well. [mentioning the well Lawrence and Tafas are resting at]
I have drunk from it.
You are welcome.
He was my friend.
That? [mentioning Tafas]
Yes, that.
Yours?
No, his.
His? [mentioning the tin cup near the well]
Mine.
Then I will use it. [pulls some water out of well]
... your friend... was a Hazimi of the Beni Salem.
I know.
I am Ali ibn el Kharish.
I have heard of you.
So... What was a Hazimi doing here?
He was taking me to help Prince Feisal.
You've been sent from Cairo?
Yes.
I have been in Cairo for my schooling. I can both read and write... my Lord Feisal already has an Englishman.
Yes.
What is your name?
My name is for my friend. [Ali walks away] None of my friends is a murderer.
You are angry, English. [Ali climbs his camel] He was nothing. The well is everything... The Hazimi may not drink at our wells. He knew that... Salaam.
Since starting this campaign four months ago, we have lost 37 wounded, 156 dead. Do you remark at this proportion between our dead and wounded?
Yeah. Four times as many.
That's because those too badly wounded to bring away we ourselves kill. We leave no wounded for the Turks.
You mean...
I mean we leave no wounded for the Turks. In their eyes, we are not soldiers, but rebels. And rebels, wounded or whole, are not protected by the Geneva Code and are treated harshly.
How harshly?
More harshly than I hope you can imagine.
I killed two people, I mean two Arabs. One was a boy. That was yesterday. I led him into a quicksand. The other was a man. That was before Aqaba anyway. I had to execute him with my pistol. There was something about it I didn't like.
Well, naturally.
No, something else.
I see. Well that's all right. Let it be a warning.
No, something else.
What then?
I enjoyed it.