Terrence Malick

I don't know everything. A man may do wrong, and he can't get out of it to make his life clear. Maybe he'd like to go back, but he can't. But I have this feeling inside me, that I can't do what I believe is wrong.

They seem to have more freedom, and to know more of peace and happiness, though they are only unreasoning animals, than we humans do. We who have the gift of understanding.

I thought that we could build our nest high up, in the trees. Fly away, like birds - to the mountains.

What comes next is seldom better.

If God gives us free will, we're responsible for what we do, what we fail to do, aren't we? If our leaders are not good, if they're evil, what does one do? I want to save my life, but not through lies.

When you give up the idea of surviving at any price, a new light floods in. Once, you were in a rush, always short of time. Now you have all you need. Once, you never forgave anyone. Judged people without mercy. Now you see your own weakness, so you can understand the weakness of others.

You - my shepherd. You make me lie down in green pastures, by the river of life. You - my strength. You show me the path. You - our light. Darkness is not dark to you. Bring us to your eternal light, to you - the true, the never-failing light.

Do you believe in what we're fighting for?

We wish to live inside the safety of the laws. We fear to choose. Jesus insists on choice. The one thing he condemns utterly is avoiding the choice. To choose is to commit yourself. And to commit yourself is to run the risk, is to run the risk of failure, the risk of sin, the risk of betrayal. But Jesus can deal with all of those. Forgiveness he never denies us. The man who makes a mistake can repent. But the man who hesitates, who does nothing, who buries his talent in the earth, with him he can do nothing.

There is love that is like a stream that can go dry when rain no longer feeds it. But there is a love that is like a spring coming up from the earth. The first is human love, the second is divine love and has its source above.

You shall love, whether you like it or not.

Flood our souls with your spirit and life so completely that our lives may only be a reflection of yours. Shine through us.

You have to struggle with yourself. You have to struggle with your own strength.

Where are you leading me? Teach us where to seek you. Christ, be with me. Christ before me. Christ behind me. Christ in me. Christ above me. Christ on my right. Christ on my left. Christ in the heart. Flood our souls with your spirit and life… so completely… that our lives may only be a reflection of yours. Shine through us. Show us how to seek you. We were made to seek you.

Mother, where do you live? In the sky? The clouds? The sea? Show me your face. Give me a sign. We rise… we rise. Afraid of myself. A god, he seems to me. What else is life but being near you? Do they suspect? Oh, to be given to you. You to me. I will be faithful to you. True. Two no more. One. One. I am… I am.

He is like a tree. He shelters me. I lie in his shade.

Come, spirit, help us sing the story of our land. You are our mother. We, your field of corn. We rise from out of the soul of you.

I will find joy in all I see.

What else is life but being near you!

He has killed the God within me,

No, all is perfect, let me be lost.

Why does the Earth have colors?

You flow through me, like a river.

Dear mother, you fill the land with your beauty. You reach to the end of the world. How shall I seek you? Show me your face. You, a great river that never runs dry.

Mother, why can I not feel as I should... must? Once false, I must not be again. Take out the thorn.

What else is life but being near you? Do they suspect? Oh, to be given to you; you to me. I will be faithful to you. True.

There's something I know when I'm with you that I forget when I'm away.

I thought it was dream… what we knew in the forest. It's the only truth.

All the children of the king were beautiful, but she, the youngest, was so exceedingly so that the sun himself - though he saw her often - was surprised whenever she came out into his presence. Her father had a dozen wives, a hundred children, but she was his favorite. She exceeded the rest not only in feature and proportion but in wit and spirit too. All loved her.

Love... shall we deny it when it visits us... shall we not take what we are given.

If only I could go down that river. To love her in the wild, forget the name of Smith. I should tell her. Tell her what? It was just a dream. I am now awake.

Who are you whom I so faintly hear? Who urge me ever on? What voice is this that speaks within me... guides me towards the best? We shall make a new start. A fresh beginning. Here the blessings of the earth are bestowed upon all. None need grow poor. Here there is good ground for all, and no cost but one's labor. We shall build a true common wealth, hard work and self reliance our virtues. We shall have no landlords to reack us with high rents or extort the fruit of our labor.

They are gentle, loving, faithful, lacking in all guile and trickery. The words denoting lying, deceit, greed, envy, slander, and forgiveness have never been heard. They have no jealousy, no sense of possesion. Real, what I thought a dream.

He that will not work shall not eat! The labors of honest and industrious men shall not be consumed to maintain the idleness of a few!

At the moment I was to die she threw herself upon me.

She's done enough for us. She risked a beating out of her own brains to save mine. Had she not fed us, you would have starved. She's been the instrument to preserve this colony from disaster. We shall not return her kindness by making her a captive! Come Argall, threaten me! Then I'd know I was gonna live for 1,000 years.

Return to your post. The penalty for disobeying an order of the president is hanging. You're breaking the laws. This is mutiny.

I let her love me. I made her love me.

How many lands behind me? How many seas?

There is only this - all else is unreal.

Listen to your parents and teachers. They got a line on most things, so don't treat em like enemies. There's always an outside chance you can learn something. Try to keep an open mind. Try to understand the viewpoints of others. Consider the minority opinion. But try to get along with the majority of opinion once it's accepted. Of course Holly and I have had fun, even if it has been rushed. And uh, so far a good sign, hadn't got caught. Excuse the grammar.

Boy, if I could sing a song like that. If I could sing a song about the way I feel right now… it'd be a hit.

Don't worry, now. I'm gonna' get you off these charges. There's a whole lot of other boys out there waitin' for you. And you're gonna' have a lot of fun... Boy, we rang the bell, didn't we? I'll say this, though. That guy with the deaf maid? He's just lucky he's not dead, too. Of course, uh, too bad about your dad...

We're gonna' have to sit down and talk about that sometime.

My girl Holly and I decided to kill ourselves. The same way I did her Daddy. Big decision, you know. Uh, the reasons are obvious. I don't have time to go into right now. But, one thing though, he was provoking me when I popped him. Well that's what it was like. Pop. I'm sorry. I mean, nobody's coming out of this thing happy. Especially not us. I can't deny we've had fun though.

I always wanted to be a criminal, I guess. Just not this big of a one.

We'll keep headin' for that mountain. Just remember I said it wasn't such a hot idea.

That guy must pay through the nose to keep this place up. Lawn, gas and electric. Bagworms. Plus the upkeep on the cars. You get a little money in your pocket and you think all your problems are solved. Well, let me tell you. They're not.