Richard: What about you? How many wives do you have?

Anwar: [Smiles] I can only afford one.
Yussef: I killed the American, I was the only one who shot at you. They did nothing... nothing. Kill me, but save my brother, he did nothing... nothing. Save my brother... he did nothing.
Amelia: Help! Ayudame! HELP!
Richard: [to other tourists] You leave, I'll kill you. I'll kill you!
Richard: This is your fucked-up country, it's your responsibility!
[first lines]

Hassan: It's almost new. Three hundred cartridges. The guy who gave it to me said you can hit as far as three kilometers.
[last lines]

Japanese newscaster: Susan Jones, who was wounded in a terrorist attack in Morocco, was discharged from a Casablanca hospital this morning, local time. The American people finally have a happy ending, after five days of frantic phone calls and hand wringing. In other news...
[last title card]

Title card: To my children, Maria Eladia and Elisio... the brightest lights in the darkest night.
Mike Jones: My mom said Mexico is dangerous.

Santiago: [in Spanish] Yes, it's full of Mexicans.
Chieko: [signing] They look at us like we're monsters.
Chieko: [signing to ref] I'm deaf, not blind!
Richard: Susan, what's wrong? Honey, what happened?

Lady On The Bus: Oh, my God. She's been shot.

Richard: Stop the bus, stop, my wife's been hurt.
Richard: You understand? We gotta call nine-one-one.

Susan Jones: Don't leave me please.
Susan Jones: Richard, why did we come here?

Richard: What d'you mean why? I thought you would like it.

Susan Jones: Really: Why are we here?

Richard: To forget everything. To be alone.

Susan Jones: Alone.
Richard: Find me an ambulance! Do something!
Moroccan Police Officer: [to the boys as they walk through the primitive graveyard] Don't walk between the graves.

Babel Quotes

Extended Reading

Babel short comments

Germaine 2021-10-20 19:02:33

What is valuable is that the director captures the image qualities of different regions. Rinko Kikuchi's nude is more Japanese than the entire movie "Lost in Tokyo".
Wiley 2022-03-24 09:01:20

Non-linear narrative structure, the three scenes of Morocco, the United States/Mexico, and Japan are rotated. The accidents are linked together. Race issues, political issues, as well as personal spiritual pursuits and physical yearnings are all due to the different "language" caused by the Tower of Babel. "It is difficult to communicate, conflicts intensify, and conflicts escalate.