One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Book · 6 characters · 622 quotes · 1962

Quotes from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

C
"The medication turns you into something that ain't quite human anymore."
Cheswick Health
R
"Gambling, drinking, women—that's living, not this zombie existence."
Randle McMurphy Adventure
C
"You think you're the first one to try fighting back? There's been plenty before you."
Chief Bromden History
R
"Real freedom ain't just walking out the door, it's what you carry in your head."
Randle McMurphy Freedom
C
"The nurse, she's like a machine, all cold and precise."
Chief Bromden Technology
C
"I grew six inches since I been here."
Chief Bromden Change
R
"You gotta have a little fun, or what's the point of living?"
Randle McMurphy Happiness
C
"Once you let them break your spirit, you ain't never the same."
Chief Bromden Hope
R
"Fighting back is what makes a man, not giving up."
Randle McMurphy Perseverance
R
"I'd rather be a live dog than a dead lion any day of the week."
Randle McMurphy Life
C
"The Combine don't like nothing that don't fit into their little boxes."
Chief Bromden
R
"Everybody's crazy. It just depends on what cage you're in."
Randle McMurphy Philosophy
R
"You can't really be strong and afraid at the same time."
Randle McMurphy Strength
C
"I been silent so long now it's gonna roar out of me like a dam busted wide open."
Chief Bromden Freedom
C
"She don't give a damn about what we want. She just wants control."
Cheswick Justice
R
"Man, when you lose your laugh you lose your footing."
Randle McMurphy Humor
C
"The world outside don't matter much when you're in here."
Chief Bromden Solitude
R
"You're thinking of it wrong. It ain't about being sane or insane. It's about who's running the show."
Randle McMurphy Power
R
"I'm not saying I'm not crazy, I'm just saying I ain't let it stop me none."
Randle McMurphy Courage
R
"I'd rather be a gambling fool than the kind of fool this place makes you"
Randle McMurphy Freedom
N
"This is the real world now"
Nurse Ratched Truth
C
"They've been working on me for years and they've never gotten me to cry"
Chief Bromden Perseverance
R
"I'm a gambling man"
Randle McMurphy Adventure
C
"The Combine is real. It's out there"
Chief Bromden Fear
R
"A man's got to have the guts to be what he wants to be"
Randle McMurphy Strength
C
"That's the way this place works - they got you where they want you"
Chief Bromden Power
N
"You're feeling better than you ever felt in your life"
Nurse Ratched
R
"I'm not saying I'm not gonna have to pay a price for this, but I'm just not gonna let that stop me from doing what's right"
Randle McMurphy Courage
R
"A man's got to do what a man's got to do."
Randle McMurphy Courage
N
"Control is just another illusion."
Nurse Ratched Power