John Rooney Quotes

A man of honor always pays his debts... and keeps his word.

What men do after work is what made us rich. No need to screw them at work as well.

I'm glad it's you.

No matter where he is, I thought you should know what kind of man your father really was.

I have HBO.

...but maybe he didn't have anything left in his heart. I just hope he found someplace where he could find a little peace. A place set in the cedars and oak trees. Somewhere between nowhere and goodbye. But that's probably wishful thinking.

See the way she did that? Sugar Ray could do that. The girl's got Sugar!

She made her return trip by ambulance.

Seems there are Irish people everywhere, or people who want to be.

She grew up knowing one thing: she was trash.

Only ever met one man I wouldn't wanna fight. When I met him he was already the best cut man in the business. Started training and managing in the sixties, but never lost his gift.

Anybody can lose one fight, anybody can lose once, you'll come back from this you'll be champion of the world.

Boxing is an unnatural act. Cos everything in it is backwards. You wanna move to the left, you don't step left, you push on the right toe. To move right, you use your left toe. Instead of running from the pain - like a sane person would do, you step into it.

"Maggie always did like taking 'em out in the first round."

There is magic in fighting battles beyond endurance

All fighters are pig-headed some way or another: some part of them always thinks they know better than you about something. Truth is: even if they're wrong, even if that one thing is going to be the ruin of them, if you can beat that last bit out of them... they ain't fighters at all.

To make a fighter you gotta strip them down to bare wood: you can't just tell 'em to forget everything you know if you gotta make 'em forget even their bones... make 'em so tired they only listen to you, only hear your voice, only do what you say and nothing else... show 'em how to keep their balance and take it away from the other guy... how to generate momentum off their right toe and how to flex your knees when you fire a jab... how to fight backin' up so that the other guy doesn't want to come after you. Then you gotta show 'em all over again. Over and over and over... till they think they're born that way.

110. Get a job, punk.

Boxing is about respect. Getting it for yourself, and taking it away from the other guy.

Some people say the most important thing a fighter can have is heart. Frankie'd say: show me a fighter who was nothing but heart and I'll show you a man waiting for a beating.

The body knows what fighters don't: how to protect itself. A neck can only twist so far. Twist it just a hair more and the body says, "Hey, I'll take it from here because you obviously don't know what you're doing... Lie down now, rest, and we'll talk about this when you regain your senses." It's called the knockout mechanism.

Frankie Dunn: You got big holes in your socks.
Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris: Oh, they're not that big.
Frankie Dunn: Didn't I give you money for some new ones?
Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris: These are my sleeping socks. My feet like a little air at night.
Frankie Dunn: How come you're wearing them in the daytime, then?
Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris: 'Cause my daytime socks got too many holes in them.

If there's magic in boxing, it's the magic of fighting battles beyond endurance, beyond cracked ribs, ruptured kidneys and detached retinas. It's the magic of risking everything for a dream that nobody sees but you.

Frankie Dunn: It wasn't fault. I was wrong to say that.
Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris: You damn right. I found you a fighter. You made her the best fighter she could be.
Frankie Dunn: I killed her.
Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris: Don't say that. Maggie walked through that door with nothing buts guts. No chance in the world of being what she needed to be. It was because of you that she was fighting the championship of the world. You did that. People die everyday, Frankie - mopping floors, washing dishes and you know what their last thought is? I never got my shot. Because of you Maggie got her shot. If she dies today you know what her last thought would be? I think I did all right.

You would like to apologize? Try again.

Natural law. Sons are put on this earth to trouble their fathers.

I curse... the fucking... day... you were born. I curse it!

May you get to Heaven an hour before the Devil knows you're dead