The 100+ Most Captivating Quotes From Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is not just a film; it is a profound exploration of the human psyche set against the chaotic backdrop of the Vietnam War. Since its release in 1979, this epic war drama has enthralled audiences with its compelling narrative, striking visuals, and remarkable performances. The film’s dialogue is particularly memorable, with many lines evolving into iconic Apocalypse Now Quotes that resonate deeply with viewers. From inspirational quotes that embody the resilience of the human spirit to thought-provoking reflections on the nature of warfare and morality, the film’s quotes continue to provoke thought and discussion, offering timeless insights into the complexities of conflict and human nature.
- Captain Willard: “Saigon… st. I’m still only in Saigon.”
- Captain Willard: “Everyone gets everything he wants. I wanted a mission, and for my sins, they gave me one.”
- Colonel Kilgore: “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.”
- Captain Willard: “There’s a conflict in every human heart between the rational and the irrational, between good and evil.”
- Colonel Kilgore: “Charlie don’t surf!”
- Colonel Kilgore: “Someday this war’s gonna end…”
- Captain Willard: “The horror… the horror.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “We train young men to drop fire on people, but their commanders won’t allow them to write ‘fk’ on their airplanes because it’s obscene!”
- Colonel Kurtz: “The horror has a face… and you must make a friend of horror.”
- Chef: “Never get out of the boat. Absolutely goddamn right. Unless you were going all the way.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “I watched a snail crawl along the edge of a straight razor. That’s my dream. It’s my nightmare.”
- Captain Willard: “I was going to the worst place in the world and I didn’t even know it yet.”
- Colonel Kilgore: “You can either surf, or you can fight!”
- Colonel Kurtz: “You’re an errand boy, sent by grocery clerks, to collect a bill.”
- Captain Willard: “Charging a man with murder in this place was like handing out speeding tickets at the Indy 500.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “We must kill them. We must incinerate them. Pig after pig, cow after cow, village after village, army after army.”
- Captain Willard: “It was a real choice mission, and when it was over, I’d never want another.”
- Captain Willard: “They told me that you had gone totally insane, and that your methods were unsound.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “Are my methods unsound?”
- Captain Willard: “I don’t see any method at all, sir.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “It’s impossible for words to describe what is necessary to those who do not know what horror means.”
- Captain Willard: “This is the end, beautiful friend.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “I worry that my son might not understand what I’ve tried to be.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “You have no right to call me a murderer.”
- Colonel Kilgore: “If I say it’s safe to surf this beach, it’s safe to surf this beach!”
- Lance: “Do you know that ‘if’ is the middle word in life?”
- Chef: “It was a rock and roll joint, man, with American beer.”
- Captain Willard: “They were gonna make me a major for this, and I wasn’t even in their fking army anymore.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “You’re neither. You’re an errand boy, sent by grocery clerks to collect a bill.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “You have to have men who are moral, and at the same time who are able to utilize their primordial instincts to kill without feeling, without passion, without judgment.”
- Captain Willard: “I wanted a mission, and for my sins, they gave me one.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “Horror and moral terror are your friends. If they are not, then they are enemies to be feared.”
- Captain Willard: “It was no accident that I got to be the caretaker of Colonel Walter E. Kurtz’s memory.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “I’ve seen horrors… horrors that you’ve seen.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “And then I realized they were stronger than we.”
- Colonel Kilgore: “Any man brave enough to fight with his guts strapped on him can drink from my canteen any day.”
- Captain Willard: “I couldn’t believe they wanted this man dead. Third generation West Point, top of his class, Airborne, Korea, about a thousand decorations.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “I remember when I was with Special Forces. Seems a thousand centuries ago. We went into a camp to inoculate the children. We left the camp after we had inoculated the children for polio, and this old man came running after us and he was crying.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “If I had ten divisions of those men, our troubles here would be over very quickly.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “I’ve seen the bodies of my comrades… rotting on the ground. I’ve seen children torn apart by bullets.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “It’s impossible for words to describe what is necessary to those who do not know what horror means.”
- Captain Willard: “It was a way we had over here of living with ourselves. We’d cut ’em in half with a machine gun and give ’em a Band-Aid. It was a lie. And the more I saw of them, the more I hated lies.”
- Colonel Kilgore: “What the hell do you know about surfing, Major? You’re from goddamned New Jersey!”
- Chef: “Why do all you guys sit on your helmets?”
- Chief Phillips: “So you think you’ll just float down to your target and everyone will laugh and scratch.”
- Captain Willard: “The more they tried to make it just like home, the more they made everybody miss it.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “It’s judgment that defeats us.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “Have you ever considered any real freedoms? Freedoms from the opinion of others… even the opinions of yourself?”
- Lance: “The heads. You’re looking at the heads. Sometimes he goes too far.”
- Captain Willard: “Every minute I stay in this room, I get weaker. And every minute Charlie squats in the bush, he gets stronger.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “They train young men to drop fire on people. But their commanders won’t allow them to write ‘fuck’ on their airplanes because it’s obscene!”
- Colonel Kilgore: “Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “We went into a camp to inoculate the children. We left the camp after we had inoculated the children for polio, and this old man came running after us and he was crying.”
- Captain Willard: “No wonder Kurtz put a weed up Command’s ass. The man’s gone insane.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “The men who fought with me here… they love me.”
- Captain Willard: “When I was here, I wanted to be there. When I was there, all I could think of was getting back into the jungle.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “I was going to the worst place in the world and I didn’t even know it yet.”
- Captain Willard: “When it was over, I’d never want another.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “You’re neither. You’re an errand boy, sent by grocery clerks to collect a bill.”
- Captain Willard: “In a war, there are many moments for compassion and tender action. There are many moments for ruthless action.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “I remember when I was with Special Forces. Seems a thousand centuries ago.”
- Captain Willard: “I took the mission. What the hell else was I gonna do?”
- Colonel Kurtz: “What do you call it when the assassins accuse the assassin?”
- Captain Willard: “It was the air strikes. The napalm… all the horror.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “I worry that my son might not understand what I’ve tried to be.”
- Captain Willard: “The machine gun fire hit me. But it was just a dream.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “We must kill them. We must incinerate them.”
- Captain Willard: “They told me that you had gone totally insane, and that your methods were unsound.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “Horror and moral terror are your friends.”
- Captain Willard: “They were gonna make me a major for this, and I wasn’t even in their fking army anymore.”
- Captain Willard: “I was going to the worst place in the world and I didn’t even know it yet.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “Are my methods unsound?”
- Captain Willard: “I don’t see any method at all, sir.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “I’ve seen horrors… horrors that you’ve seen.”
- Captain Willard: “I wanted a mission, and for my sins, they gave me one.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “We must kill them. We must incinerate them. Pig after pig, cow after cow, village after village, army after army.”
- Captain Willard: “The horror… the horror.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “What do you call it when the assassins accuse the assassin?”
- Captain Willard: “The more they tried to make it just like home, the more they made everybody miss it.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “The men who fought with me here… they love me.”
- Captain Willard: “They told me that you had gone totally insane, and that your methods were unsound.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “I watched a snail crawl along the edge of a straight razor. That’s my dream. It’s my nightmare.”
- Captain Willard: “It was a real choice mission, and when it was over, I’d never want another.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “I’ve seen horrors… horrors that you’ve seen.”
- Captain Willard: “No wonder Kurtz put a weed up Command’s ass. The man’s gone insane.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “We must kill them. We must incinerate them.”
- Captain Willard: “I took the mission. What the hell else was I gonna do?”
- Colonel Kurtz: “Are my methods unsound?”
- Captain Willard: “I don’t see any method at all, sir.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “It’s impossible for words to describe what is necessary to those who do not know what horror means.”
- Captain Willard: “The horror… the horror.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “We must kill them. We must incinerate them. Pig after pig, cow after cow, village after village, army after army.”
- Captain Willard: “They were gonna make me a major for this, and I wasn’t even in their fking army anymore.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “I’ve seen horrors… horrors that you’ve seen.”
- Captain Willard: “The horror… the horror.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “The men who fought with me here… they love me.”
- Captain Willard: “I wanted a mission, and for my sins, they gave me one.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “We must kill them. We must incinerate them.”
- Captain Willard: “It was a real choice mission, and when it was over, I’d never want another.”
- Colonel Kurtz: “I’ve seen horrors… horrors that you’ve seen.”
These quotes encapsulate the intense and haunting atmosphere of Apocalypse Now, reflecting the profound and often disturbing thoughts of its characters as they navigate the complexities of war and the human experience.
