21 quotes
The Nature of Violence and Survival
Warden
You're as violent as they come. I know this, because I'm as violent as they come. If the constraints of society were lifted, and I was all that stood between you and a meal, you would crack my skull with a rock and eat my meaty parts. Wouldn't you?
The Divine Nature of Violence
Warden
Did you enjoy God's latest gift?
Teddy Daniels
What?
Warden
God's gift. Your violence.
Warden
When I came downstairs in my home, and I saw that tree in my living room, it reached out for me... a divine hand. God loves violence.
Teddy Daniels
I... I hadn't noticed.
Warden
Sure you have. Why else would there be so much of it? It's in us. It's what we are. We wage war, we burn sacrifices, and pillage and plunder and tear at the flesh of our brothers. And why? Because God gave us violence to wage in his honor.
Teddy Daniels
I thought God gave us moral order.
Warden
There's no moral order as pure as this storm. There's no moral order at all. There's just this: can my violence conquer yours?
Wounds and Monsters: A Psychological Reflection
Dr. Jeremiah Naehring
Did you know that the word trauma comes from the Greek for wound'? Hm? And what is the German word for dream'? Traum. Ein Traum. Wounds can create monsters, and you, you are wounded, Marshal. And wouldn't you agree, when you see a monster, you... you must stop it?
Teddy Daniels
Yeah... I agree.
The Dangers of Disregarding Mental Health Voices
Teddy Daniels
They're experimenting on people here.
Chuck Aule
I don't know, boss. How can you believe a crazy guy?
Teddy Daniels
That's the beauty of it. Mental Patients make the perfect subjects, if they talk nobody listens to them!
Confrontation and Resilience in Military Backgrounds
Dr. Jeremiah Naehring
You both served overseas, huh?
Chuck Aule
It's not much of a stretch, Doc. For all you know, we're both paper pushers over there.
Dr. Jeremiah Naehring
No, you are not. - Since the schoolyard, neither of you has ever walked away from a physical conflict. No, no, not because you enjoyed it, but because retreat isn't something you consider an option.
Chuck Aule
We weren't raised to run, Doc.
Dr. Jeremiah Naehring
Ah, yes. Raised. And who raised you, Marshal?
Teddy Daniels
Me? Wolves.
Dr. Jeremiah Naehring
Very impressive defense mechanisms.
Alcohol and Professional Expectations in Dialogue
Teddy Daniels
Soda and ice, please, thanks.
Dr. Jeremiah Naehring
Oh. You don't indulge in alcohol? I'm surprised. Isn't it common for men in your profession to imbibe?
Teddy Daniels
Common enough. And... in yours?
Dr. Jeremiah Naehring
Er... I'm sorry?
Teddy Daniels
Your profession, Doctor, psychiatry.
Dr. Jeremiah Naehring
Yes?
Teddy Daniels
I always heard it was overrun with boozers and drunks.
Dr. Jeremiah Naehring
Not that I noticed.
Teddy Daniels
What's that, ice tea in your glass there?
Dr. Jeremiah Naehring
Excellent, Marshal. You have outstanding defense mechanisms. You must be quite adept at interrogations.
[laughs, despite himself]
Haunting Memories of Lost Love and Regret
Teddy Daniels
After she tried to kill herself the first time, Dolores told me she... she had an insect living inside her brain. She could feel it clicking across her skull, just... pulling the wires, just for fun. She told me that. She told me that but I didn't listen. I loved her so much.
Professional Duty in Patient Care
Dr. John Cawley
It's my job to treat the patients, not their victims.
The Illusion of Control in a Manipulated Environment
George Noyce
This is a game. All of this is for you. You're not investigating anything. You're a fucking rat in a maze.
The Struggle to Let Go of Truth
George Noyce
You wanna uncover the truth? You gotta let her go.
Teddy Daniels
I can't.
George Noyce
You have to let her go!
Teddy Daniels
I can't! I can't!
George Noyce
Then you'll never leave this island.
Understanding Violence and Assumptions
Dr. Jeremiah Naehring
Men like you are my specialty, you know. Men of violence.
Chuck Aule
Now, that's a hell of an assumption to make.
Dr. Jeremiah Naehring
No assumption, no, not at all. You misunderstand me. I said, you are men of violence'. I'm not accusing you of being violent men. That's quite different.
Planning an Escape from the Island
Teddy Daniels
So, what's our next move?
Chuck Aule
You tell me.
Teddy Daniels
I gotta get off this rock, Chuck. Get back to the mainland. Whatever the hell's going on here, it's bad. Don't worry, partner, they're not gonna catch us.
[pause]
Chuck Aule
That's right, we're too smart for em.
Teddy Daniels
Yeah, we are, aren't we? You know, this place makes me wonder.
[pause]
Chuck Aule
Yeah, what's that, boss?
Teddy Daniels
Which would be worse - to live as a monster, or to die as a good man?
Chuck Aule
Teddy?
The Illusion of Friendship in Isolation
Teddy Daniels
I had a friend. I was with him yesterday, but we got separated. Have you seen him?
Rachel 2
Marshal... you have no friends.
Understanding Sanity and Its Limitations
Dr. John Cawley
Sanity's not a choice, Marshall. You can't just choose to get over it.
A Test of Resolve and Defiance
Warden
If I was to sink my teeth into your eye right now, would you be able to stop me before I blinded you?
Teddy Daniels
Give it a try.
Warden
That's the spirit.
Reflection on Historical Atrocities and Testing
Rachel 2
Fifty years from now, people will look back and say, "Here, at this place, is where it all began. The Nazis used the Jews, Soviets used prisoners in their own Gulags. And we - we tested patients on Shutter Island.
The Nature of Pain and Perception
Rachel 2
Do you know how pain enters the body, Marshal? Do you?
Teddy Daniels
Depends on where you're hurt?
Rachel 2
No, it has nothing to do with the flesh. The brain controls pain.
Defining the Nature of Unusual Events
Nurse Marino
She was in a group therapy session.
[Daniels has asked the staff about Rachel's activities before her disappearance]
Teddy Daniels
Anything unusual occur?
Nurse Marino
Define unusual'.
Teddy Daniels
Excuse me?
Nurse Marino
This is a mental institution, Marshal. For the criminally insane. Usual isn't a big part of our day.
Perception of Intelligence and Its Implications
Rachel 2
You're smarter than you look, Marshal. That's probably not a good thing.