Atonement quotes

View Quote Briony: It was Robbie, wasn't it? [Silence] Robbie.
Lola: You saw him.
Briony: Like you said, he's a sex maniac. And you don't even know what happened before dinner. I caught him attacking my sister in the library. I don't know what he'd have done, if I hadn't come in...
Lola: You actually saw him.
Briony: Of course I did. Plain as day.
Lola: He came up behind me. He pushed me to the ground and then he put his hand over my eyes. I couldn't actually, I never actually...
Lola: Briony Listen, 've known him all my life. And I saw him.
Lola: Because I couldn't say for sure.
Briony: Well, I can. And I will.

View Quote Briony: Lola, can I tell you something? Something really terrible?
Lola: Yes please.
Briony: What's the worst word you can possibly imagine?

View Quote Cecelia: :[after reading Robbie's letter] I suppose he's what you might call eligible.
Leon: Rather!
Cecelia: He certainly seems to think he's the cat's pyjamas. Which is odd, considering he has pubic hair growing out of his ears.

View Quote Cecilia: [crying] I don't know how I could've been so ignorant about myself... so... so stupid. And you know what I'm talking about, don't you? You knew before I did.
'Robbie: Why're you crying?
Cecilia: Don't you know?
Robbie: Yes, I know exactly. [kisses her]

View Quote Cecilia: My brother and I found the two of them down by the lake. Small Text
Police Inspector: You didn't see anyone else?
Cecilia: I wouldn't necessarily believe everything Briony tells you. She's rather fanciful.

View Quote Cecilia: There isn't much time. Robbie has to report for duty at six and he's got a train to catch. So sit down. There are some things you're going to do for us.
[Briony and Cecilia sit in the kitchen. Robbie leans on the table, looming over them]
Robbie: You'll go to your parents as soon as you can and tell them everything they need to know to be convinced that your evidence was false. You'll go and see a solicitor and make a statement and have it signed and witnessed and send copies to us. Is that clear?
Cecilia : Yes.
Robbie: Then you'll write a detailed letter to me, explaining everything that led up to you saying you saw me by the lake.
Cecilia: Try and include whatever you can remember of what Danny Hardman was doing that night.
Briony: Hardman?
Robbie: Yes!
Briony: It wasn't Danny Hardman. It was Leon's friend, Marshall.
[Cecilia and Robbie look at her, astonished]
:Cecilia: I don't believe you.
Briony: He's married Lola; I've just come from their wedding.
[Silence. Finally, Robbie exhales the breath he's been holding, Cecilia looks across at him]
Cecilia: Lola won't be able to testify against him now. He's immune.
[Robbie straightens up and turns away, grappling with a riot of emotions; silence; finally, Briony stands up and speaks, very formal]
Briony: I'm very, very sorry for the terrible distress that I have caused. I'm very, very sorry.
Robbie: Just do as I have asked of you. Write it all down. Just the truth. No rhymes, no embellishments, no adjectives. And then leave us be.
Briony: I will. I promise.

View Quote Fiona: It says in the paper the army are making strategic withdrawals.
Briony: I saw that. It's a euphemism for retreat.

View Quote Frenchman: Ah, c'est vrai, l'arm?e anglaise se retire. (Subtitled: So it's true, the English are retreating.)
Robbie: On va disparaitre, avant qu'il fait jour. (Subtitled: We'll be gone at first light.)
Frenchman: On s'est battu toutes ces ann?es, tant de gens sont morts. Maintenant les Allemands sont de nouveau en France. (Subtitled: We fought all those years, lost all those dead. Now the Germans are back in France.)
Robbie: On va revenir. On va les chasser. C'est promis. (Subtitled: We'll come back. We'll throw them out. I promise you.)
Frenchman: Bonne chance! (Subtitled: Good luck!)

View Quote Jackson:: When can we go home?
Lola:: Soon.
Pierrot: We can't go home: it's a divorce!
Lola: How dare you say that?
Pierrot: Well, it's true.
[Lola grabs Peirrot by the shoulders and shakes him.]
Lola: You will never ever use that word again. Do you understand?

View Quote Leon: Guess who we met on the way in?
Cecilia: Robbie.
Leon: I told him to join us tonight.
Cecelia: Leon! You didn't!

View Quote Paul Marshall:Bite it. You have to bite it.

View Quote Pierrot: It's boring how everything ends in O. Polo and Aero.
Jackson: And Oxo and Brillo.

View Quote Robbie: Come on, pal. You should be getting dressed.
Briony: If I fell in the river, would you save me?
Robbie: Of course.
[Briony jumps into the water and Robbie dives after her; eventually, he pulls her out of the water and drops her near the bank]
Briony: Thank you, thank you, thank you...
Robbie: That was an incredibly bloody stupid thing to do.
Briony: I wanted you to save me.
Robbie: Don't you know how easily you could have drowned?
Briony: You saved me.
Robbie: You stupid child! You could have killed us both! Is that your idea of a joke?
[she looks at him for a moment, shocked by his tone, but defiant nonetheless]
Briony: I want to thank you for saving my life. I'll be eternally grateful to you.
[he strides away angrily, into the woods, leaving Briony disconsolate amidst the cow parsley]

View Quote Robbie: Have you been in touch with your family?
Cecilia: No I told you I wouldn't. Leon waited outside the hospital last week. I just pushed past him.
Robbie: Cee, you don't owe me anything.
Cecilia: Robbie didn't you read my letters? Had I been allowed to visit you? Had they let me, every day, I would have been there every day.
Robbie: Yes but, if all we have rests on a few moments in a library three and a half years ago then I am not sure, I don't know...
Cecilia: Robbie, look at me, come back, come back to me.

View Quote Tommy Nettle: No one speaks the ****ing lingo out here. You can't say 'pass the biscuit' or 'where's me hand grenade?', they just shrug. Cause they hate us too. I mean, that's the point. We fight in France and the French ****ing hate us. Make me Home Secretary and I'll sort this out in a ****ing minute. We got India and Africa, right? Jerry can have France and Belgium and whatever else they want. Who's ****ing ever been to Poland? It's all about room, Empire. They want more empire, give 'em this shithole, we keep ours and it's Bob's your uncle and Fanny's your ****ing aunt! Think about it.
Tommy Nettle: ...so I says to him: "you can sit round here twiddling your thumbs, waiting to get your head blown off if you want to, 'm off out of it"...