40+ Best Shawshank Redemption Quotes About Freedom And Hope
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The movie ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ is an adaptation of a Stephen King four-part novella called ‘Rita Hayworth And The Shawshank Redemption’.
The character of Red in 'The Shawshank Redemption' was played by the legendary Morgan Freeman. Even though the movie did not earn well at the box office initially, it ended up receiving multiple Oscar nominations (although it did not win any of these).
Though the film did not win any Oscars, it has become one of the classic dramas in cinematic history. Critics praised Morgan Freeman's portrayal of Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, and how effortlessly he brought perspective to the role.
The movie was well-appreciated by fans the world over, and continues to be one of the best films of its time. The movie contains some well-known quotes, such as the iconic line, “Get busy living or get busy dying”.
We have previously shared some great ['90s movies quotes] and Morgan Freeman quotes, and today we have some of the best quotes from 'The Shawshank Redemption' to inspire you. You can send some of these amazing quotes to your friends and get motivated to watch the iconic movie all over again.
We hope you like this list of quotes from 'Shawshank Redemption'!
Andy Dufresne Quotes
Andy is one of the main protagonists of the story, he is wrongfully accused of murder. In the story, it is shown that no matter how hard prison life is for Andy, he still remains honest.
He develops a wonderful friendship with another prisoner Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding. The two friends have different personalities but end up learning a lot from each other.
Andy ends up escaping from the prison through sheer will and faith. These are some of the best Andy quotes, including the notable line, “Get busy living or get busy dying”.
1. “That’s the beauty of music. They can’t take that away from you.”
- Andy Dufresne, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
2. “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”
- Andy Dufresne, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
3. “I don’t waste time on losers, Tommy.”
- Andy Dufresne, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
4. “Get busy living or get busy dying.”
- Andy Dufresne, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
5. “It's my life. Don't you understand? It's my life!”
- Andy Dufresne, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
6. “You need it so you don't forget. Forget that there are places in the world that aren't made out of stone. That there's a - there's a - there's something inside that's yours, that they can't touch.”
- Andy Dufresne, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
'The Shawshank Redemption' Hope Quotes from Red
Red’s character in the story is not only the narrator but also gives us important details about Andy’s personality. He is portrayed as a prison inmate who is a great smuggler.
Initially, Red has his misconceptions about Andy but later realizes how wonderful Andy is. Red is initially a hardened criminal, but he becomes a hopeful person because of Andy.
Andy’s friendship transforms Red in a positive way. These are some of the best 'Shawshank' quotes from Morgan Freeman’s character, Red, in 'Shawshank Redemption'. Look out for the character's most iconic words: “These walls are funny.
First you hate ’em. Then you get used to ’em” and “I have to remind myself that some birds aren't meant to be caged”.
7. “I have to remind myself that some birds aren't meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright. And when they fly away, the part of you that knows it was a sin to lock them up does rejoice. Still, the place you live in is that much more drab and empty that they're gone. ”
- Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
8. “I could see why some of the boys took him for snobby.
He had a quiet way about him, a walk and a talk that just wasn't normal around here. He strolled, like a man in a park without a care or a worry in the world, like he had on an invisible coat that would shield him from this place.”
- Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
9. “I must admit I didn’t think much of Andy first time I laid eyes on him; looked like a stiff breeze would blow him over. That was my first impression of the man.”
- Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
10. “I find I’m so excited I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it is the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. ”
- Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
11. “These walls are funny. First you hate ’em. Then you get used to ’em. Enough time passes, you get so you depend on them. That’s institutionalized.”
- Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
12. “Yes, sir. Absolutely. I've learned my lesson. I can honestly say I'm a changed man. I'm no longer a danger to society. That's the God's honest truth. No doubt about it.”
- Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
'The Shawshank Redemption' Quotes About Life
'The Shawshank Redemption' is all about being hopeful and never giving up. It also highlights the wonderful friendship between Red and Andy. Here are some quotes about redemption and life, including some of Brook’s famous words.
13. “I'd hate to deprive you of this. Salvation lies within.”
- Warden Samuel Norton, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
14. "Andy Dufresne: You know what the Mexicans say about the Pacific?
Red: No.
Andy Dufresne: They say it has no memory. That's where I want to live the rest of my life. A warm place with no memory."
-'Shawshank Redemption'.
15. “A whole life blown away in the blink of an eye. Nothing left but all the time in the world to think about it.”
- Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
16. “It goes back to what I said about Andy wearing his freedom like an invisibility coat, about how he never really developed a prison mentality. His eyes never got that dull look.”
- Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
17. “We sat and drank with the sun on our shoulders and felt like free men.”
- Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
18. “I was in the path of the tornado… I just didn’t expect the storm would last as long as it has.”
- Andy Dufresne, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
19. “Let me tell you something, my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.”
- Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
20. “The world went and got itself in a big damn hurry.”
- Brooks Hatlen, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
21. “What was right with him he’d only give you a little at a time. What was wrong with him he kept bottled up inside.”
- Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
22. "Andy: I understand you’re a man who knows how to get things.
Red: I’m known to locate certain things from time to time."
-'Shawshank Redemption'.
23. “Geology is the study of pressure and time. That’s all it takes, really. Pressure and time.”
- Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
24. “Fear can hold you, prisoner. Hope can set you free.”
- Andy Dufresne, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
25. “If you've come this far, maybe you're willing to come a little further.”
- Andy Dufresne, ‘Shawshank Redemption'.
Inspirational 'Shawshank Redemption' Quotes
The timeless classic is a great story of redemption and survival. The movie shows how Andy inspires Red by being optimistic, even in difficult situations. The movie has given us some amazing gems through the character dialogues and narration.
For example, the line,“Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies” has inspired many viewers. Here are some other 'Shawshank Redemption' quotes to inspire you. We hope you like them!
26. “I look back on the way I was then: a young, stupid kid who committed that terrible crime. I want to talk to him. I want to try and talk some sense to him, tell him the way things are. But I can’t.”
- Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
27. “The funny thing is, on the outside, I was an honest man. Straight as an arrow. I had to come to prison to be a crook.”
- Andy Dufresne, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
28. “I wish I could tell you Andy fought the good fight. I wish I could tell you that... But prison is no fairy tale world.”
- Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
29. “In prison, a man'll do most anything to keep his mind occupied.”
- Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
30. "Andy Dufresne: Thirty years. Jesus, when you say it like that...
Red: ...You wonder where it went."
-'Shawshank Redemption'.
31. “All I want is to be back where things make sense. Where I won't have to be afraid all the time. Only one thing stops me. A promise I made to Andy.”
- Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
32. “Bad luck, I guess. It floats around. It’s got to land on somebody. It was my turn, that’s all.”
- Andy Dufresne, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
33. "Red: Everybody's innocent in here.
Andy Dufresne: What about you?
Red: Only guilty man in Shawshank."
-'Shawshank Redemption'.
34. "Tommy Williams: I don't read so good.
Andy Dufresne: Well.
[pause]
Andy Dufresne: You don't read so well. Uh, we'll get to that."
-'Shawshank Redemption'.
35. “I believe in two things, discipline and the Bible… Here you’ll receive both.”
- Warden Samuel Norton, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
36. “They send you here for life, that’s exactly what they’re taking.”
- Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
37. “I like to think the last thing that went through his head other than that bullet, was how the hell that Andy Dufresne got the best of him.”
- Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
38. “The man likes to play chess; let’s get him some rocks.”
- Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
39. “You strike me as a particularly icy and remorseless man, Mr. Dufresne. It chills my blood just to look at you. By the power vested in me by the state of Maine, I hereby order you to serve two life sentences, back to back. One for each of your victims. So be it.”
- Judge, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
40. “Most new fish come close to madness the first night. Somebody always breaks down crying... The only question is, who’s it going to be? It’s as good a thing to bet on as any, I guess. I had my money on Andy Dufresne.”
- Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, ‘Shawshank Redemption’.
'Shawshank Redemption' Book Quotes
There isn’t a lot of difference between the original novel and the movie. However, the title of the story was altered for the movie and some character arcs were also modified. These are the best quotes from the 'Shawshank Redemption' short story written by Stephen King, titled ‘Rita Hayworth And Shawshank Redemption’. We're sure you'll like them too.
41. “How much work went into creating those two pieces? Hours and hours after lights out, I knew that first the chipping and shaping, and then the almost endless polishing and finishing with those rock-blankets.”
- Stephen King, ‘Rita Hayworth And Shawshank Redemption’.
42. “He always fought back, and as a result, he did his time in solitary. But don't think solitary was the hardship for Andy that it was for some men.”
- Stephen King, ‘Rita Hayworth And Shawshank Redemption’.
43. “I don't have to listen to rumors about a man when I can judge him for myself.”
- Stephen King, ‘Rita Hayworth And Shawshank Redemption’.
44. “Anyway, as the old barrelhouse song says, My God, how the money rolled in. Norton must have subscribed to the old Puritan notion that the best way to figure out which folks God favors is by checking their bank accounts.”
- Stephen King, ‘Rita Hayworth And Shawshank Redemption’.
45. “Writing about yourself seems to be a lot like sticking a branch into clear river-water and rolling up the muddy bottom.”
- Stephen King, ‘Rita Hayworth And Shawshank Redemption’.
46. “Andy was the part of me they could never lock up, the part of me that will rejoice when the gates finally open for me and I walk out in my cheap suit with my twenty dollars of mad-money in my pocket.
That part of me will rejoice no matter how old and broken and scared the rest of me is. ”
- Stephen King, ‘Rita Hayworth And Shawshank Redemption’.
47. "I have no idea to this day what those two Italian ladies were singing about. Truth is, I don’t want to know. Some things are better left unsaid. I’d like to think they were singing about something so beautiful, it can’t expressed in words, and it makes your heart ache because of it."
- Stephen King, ‘Rita Hayworth And Shawshank Redemption’.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lot of interesting family-friendly quotes for you to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 'The Shawshank Redemption' quotes about freedom and hope, then why not take a look at these '80s movie quotes and ['American Beauty' quotes] for more?
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Bachelor of Arts specializing in French with Film Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Year Abroad) specializing in Literature, History, Language, Media, and Art
Georgia StoneBachelor of Arts specializing in French with Film Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Year Abroad) specializing in Literature, History, Language, Media, and Art
Georgia is an experienced Content Manager with a degree in French and Film Studies from King's College London and Bachelors degree from Université Paris-Sorbonne. Her passion for exploring the world and experiencing different cultures was sparked during her childhood in Switzerland and her year abroad in Paris. In her spare time, Georgia enjoys using London's excellent travel connections to explore further afield.
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