One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Quotes

Quote 1: "It's still hard for me to have a clear mind thinking on it. But it's the truth even if it didn't happen." Chapter 1, pg. 13

Quote 2: "Yes. This is what I know. The ward is a factory for the Combine. It's for fixing up mistakes made in the neighborhoods and in the schools and in the churches, the hospital is. When a completed product goes back out into society, all fixed up good as new, better than new sometimes, it brings joy to the Big Nurse's heart...." Chapter 4, pg. 40

Quote 3: "'I can't help it. I was born a miscarriage. I had so many insults I died. I was born dead. I can't help it.... I'm tired.'" Chapter 5, pg. 52

Quote 4: "But if they don't exist, how can a man see them?" Chapter 7, pg. 82

Quote 5: "I thought for a minute there I saw her whipped. Maybe I did. But I see now that it don't make any difference.... To beat her you don't have to whip her two out of three or three out of five, but every time you meet. As soon as you let down your guard, as soon as you lose once, she's won for good. And eventually we all got to lose. Nobody can help that." Chapter 9, pg. 101

Quote 6: "'But I tried though,' he says. 'Goddammit, I sure as hell did that much, now, didn't I?'" Chapter 11, pg. 111

Quote 7: "And later, hiding in the latrine from the black boys, I'd take a look at my own self in the mirror and wonder how it was possible that anybody could manage such an enormous thing as being what he was." Chapter 17, pg. 140

Quote 8: "But just as soon as we got to the pool he said he did wish something mighta been done, though, and dove into the water." Chapter 18, pg. 151

Quote 9: "'Well, screw you and "what do you think?" I've got worries of my own without getting hooked with yours. So just quit!' He glares around the library at the other patients. 'Alla you! Quit bugging me, goddammit!'" Chapter 21, pg. 160

Quote 10: "'You think I wuh-wuh-wuh-want to stay in here? You think I wouldn't like a con-con-vertible and a guh-guh-girl friend? But did you ever have people l-l-laughing at you? No, because you're so b-big and so tough! Well, I'm not big and tough.'" Chapter 22, pg. 168

Quote 11: "While McMurphy laughs. Rocking farther and farther backward against the cabin top, spreading his laugh out across the water- laughing at the girl, at the guys, at George, at me sucking my bleeding thumb, at the captain back at the pier... and the Big Nurse and all of it. Because he knows you have to laugh at the things that hurt you just to keep yourself in balance, just to keep the world from running you plumb crazy. He knows there's a painful side; he knows my thumb smarts and his girlfriend has a bruised breast and the doctor is losing his glasses, but he won't let the pain blot out the humor no more'n he'll let the humor blot out the pain." Chapter 25, pp. 211-12

Quote 12: "an expression that was allowed only because he figured it'd be too dark for anybody in the car to see, dreadfully tired and strained and frantic, like there wasn't enough time left for something he had to do...." Chapter 25, pg. 218

Quote 13: "And he'd swell up, aware that every one of those faces on Disturbed had turned toward him and was waiting, and he'd tell the nurse he regretted that he had but one life to give for his country and she could kiss his rosy red ass before he'd give up the goddam ship. Yeh!" Chapter 28, pg. 242

Quote 14: "'Yeah? Not that I'm admitting I'm down that road, but what is this something else?'"

"'It is us.' He swept his hand about him in a soft white circle and repeated, 'Us.'" Chapter 28, pg. 258

Quote 15: "'What worries me, Billy,' she said- I could hear the change in her voice- 'is how your mother is going to take this.'" Chapter 29, pg. 264

Quote 16: "'First Charles Cheswick and now William Bibbit! I hope you're finally satisfied. Playing with human lives- gambling with human lives- as if you thought yourself to be a God!'" Chapter 29, pg. 266

Quote 17: "A sound of cornered-animal fear and hate and surrender and defiance, that if you ever trailed coon or cougar or lynx is like the last sound the treed and shot and falling animal makes as the dogs get him, when he finally doesn't care any more about anything but himself and his dying." Chapter 29, pg. 267

Quote 18: "I been away a long time." Chapter 29, pg. 272