Breaking Away Quotes

Cyril: Hey! Are you really gonna shave your legs?

Dave: Certo! All the Italians do it.

Mike: Ah. Some country. The women don't shave theirs.

Moocher: Hey, come on in, Dave.

Dave: Nah, I read where this Italian coach said its no good to go swimmin' right after a race.

Mike: Who's swimmin'? I'm takin' a leak.

Dad: God-damned see-thru coffee!

Mom: He was very sickly until he started riding around on that bicycle.

Dad: Yeah... well... now his body's fine, but his mind is gone.

Dad: He's never tired. He's never miserable.

Mom: He's young.

Dad: When I was young I was tired and miserable.

Dave: Buon giorno, papa!

Dad: I'm not "papa." I'm your god-damned father.

Mom: What's the matter?

Dad: He's shavin'.

Mom: Well... so what?

Dad: ...his legs.

Dad: What are we gonna do about him?

Mom: I don't know dear. We could always strangle him while he's asleep.

Dad: What is this?

Mom: It's sauteed zucchini.

Dad: It's I-ty food. I don't want no I-ty food.

Mom: It's not. I got it at the A&P. It's like... squash.

Dad: I know I-ty food when I hear it! It's all them "eenie" foods... zucchini... and linguine... and fettuccine. I want some American food, dammit! I want French Fries!

Mom: [to the cat] Oh, get off the table, Fellini!

Dad: Hey, that's *my* cat! His name's Jake, not Fellini! I won't have any "eenie" in this house!

[to the cat]

Dad: Your name's Jake, you understand?

Mike: That's the place to be right there, Wyoming! Nothin' but prairies and mountains and nobody around. All you need is your bed roll and a good horse.

Cyril: Don't forget your toothbrush! You're still in your cavity-prone years.

Mike: You want to tell me who did it?

Cyril: It was dark... All I can tell your for sure is that they all wore Brut after-shave and reeked of Lavoris.

Dave: Moocher, you're Catholic, right?

Moocher: Yeah.

Dave: Did you ever go to confession?

Moocher: Twice.

Dave: Did it make you feel better?

Moocher: Once.

[as they go for a marriage license:]

Moocher: I wonder if I have to have a job to qualify.

Nancy: I don't think so. I think it's mostly blood and relatives that they're interested in.

Moocher: Blood and relatives... well, that's great. I got both of them.

Dave: Pop, can I have this Saturday off?

Dad: Hell no!

Dave: Eh, just this once, Pop. The Italians are coming Saturday.

Dad: I don't care if the second coming's coming!

Dad: You guys still go swimmin' in the quarries?

Dave: Sure.

Dad: So, the only thing you got to show for my 20 years of work is the holes we left behind?

Dad: If you eat so much, Moocher, how come you're so damned small?

Moocher: Oh... It's my metabolism. I eat 3 times a day and my metabolism eats 5 times a day.

Dave: You mean we might be a father?

Dad: No. I might be a father. And your mom might be a mother. And YOU might be a brother. See, that way I keep it all in the family.

Moocher: Wow! Hey, I didn't think people your age still...

Dad: [Immediately cuts him off] The next word may be your last, kid!

[Dave crosses himself on learning of Team Cinzano's imminent arrival]

Mom: Oh, Dave, try not to become Catholic on us.

Mike's Brother: How are you fellas doing?

Cyril: Well, we're a little disturbed by developments in the Middle East, but...

Dave: Everybody cheats. I just didn't know.

Dad: Well, now you know.

Moocher: [looking at Dave's beat up bike] Doesn't look that bad to me...

Dave: That's cause you don't have to ride it!

Moocher: Well, you know, you don't have to ride it either, Dave. We're not gonna beg you.

Cyril: We may plead, but we would never beg!

Mike: [after discovering that the college kids beat Cyril up] They want a fight, we'll give 'em a fight.

Cyril: We rednecks are few... college paleface students are many. I counsel peace.

Nancy: You know what?

Moocher: No, what?

Nancy: I'm leaving home, that's what.

Moocher: What? Where are you going?

Nancy: About 5 blocks south.

Moocher: [laughs] Yeah?

Nancy: I found this little place, it's so cute I could scream.

Moocher: [watching the college kids on campus] Sure looks like they've got it made.

Mike: That's because they're rich.

Dave: Italians are poor, but they're happy.

Mike: Yeah? Maybe in Italy.

Dave: You hear from your folks, Mooch?

Moocher: Yeah, my dad called. He wanted to know if the house was sold. He could use the money something fierce.

Dave: Well, you can come and live with me when it's sold. In Italy, everybody lives together.

Moocher: [laughs] Since you won that Italian bike, man, you've been acting weird. You're really getting to think you're Italian, aren't you?

Cyril: I wouldn't mind thinking I was somebody myself.

Cyril: You know what I'd like to be? A cartoon of some kind. You know, like when they get hit in the head with a frying pan or something, and their head looks like the frying pan, with the handle and everything? They they just go *booiing*

[shakes head]

Cyril: and their head comes back to normal? Wouldn't that be great?

Mike: How'd you get to be so stupid, Cyril?

Cyril: I don't know... I have a dumb heredity, I guess. What's your excuse, Michael?

Dave: Have a nice trip.

Katherine: You too.

Dave: But I'm not going anywhere.

Katherine: I don't know about that.

Cyril: When you're 16 they call it Sweet 16 and when you're 18 you get to drink and and vote and see dirty movies. What the hell do you get to do when you're 19?

Mike: You leave home.

Cyril: My Dad said that Jesus never went further than 50 miles from his home.

Mike: Well, look what happened to him.

Dave: Italianos - like the nightingales they sing. Like the eagles they fly!

Dad: Speakin' of flies, eh, you brought a helluva lot of flies in with you.

Dave: Did you know that fly in Italian is 'mosca'?

Dad: Did you know in English it's 'pest'?

Cyril: You know what I'd like to be?

Mike: Smart.

Cyril: Going to college must do somethin' to girls' tits, I swear. Just look at 'em.

[Yelling out the car]

Cyril: Hi there! What's your major?

Dave: Well, I'm supposed to take this college entrance exam.

Cyril: Are you gonna go to college?

Dave: Hell no. I just want to see if I can pass.

Rod: You haven't pledged any sorority yet?

Blonde College Girl: No.

Rod: You should. Most frat guys won't go out with dormies. I'm the exception.

Blonde College Girl: Say, you're on the swimming team, huh?

Rod: Yep. Breaststroke.

Moocher: Mike, the time comes when we just all have to go our own ways, you know.

Mike: Oh, you're a real adult, aren't ya. B-town boy grows up.

Mike: The only thing I'm afraid of is wastin' the rest of my life with you guys!

Cyril: I thought that was the whole plan. That we were going to waste the rest of our lives together.

Mom: Well, you could use some help. What if you gave him a job?

Dad: I don't want him sellin' used cars!

Mom: Why not? It's good enough for you.

Dad: Who says its good enough for me?

Mom: You do.

Dad: Damn right, it's good enough for me. But, I don't need any help. And he'd ruin me if I hired him. A weirdo kid like that. Jeez.

Dad: How you feelin'?

Dave: Tired, Pop.

Dad: Exhausted.

Dave: Yeah.

Dad: Good. Get used to it. From now on its gonna be more of the same. Let's go home.

Mom: So, you see, I think you really should go. I think you should come home, singing, with a trophy. I think you should do all those things while you can.

Dave: I win this one for you Mama.

Dave: Hell, I don't want to go to college Dad. To hell with them. I'm proud of being a cutter.

Dad: You're not a cutter. I'm a cutter.

Dad: [after Dave has taken his college entrance exam] What? Are you afraid?

Dave: Yeah, a little bit. And then there's the rest of the guys.

Dad: Well, you took the exam. Did all right, didn't you?

Dave: Yes.

Dad: Well, that's - that's good.

Dave: I was thinking of taking French, but, it's my first year. Have you ever seen la Tour de France?

French Girl: No.

Dave: No? Mon Dieu! The French riders - they're the best!

Dad: [Last lines] Hi ya, big shot!

Dave: Bon jour, Papa!

Owner of Car Wash: [in a cranky tone of voice] You're a little late - but I guess you won't let *that* happen again.

Moocher: [meekly] Sorry.

Owner of Car Wash: Here's your sponge and here's your rag and there's your place...

Owner of Car Wash: [sarcastically] ... and don't forget to punch the clock, "Shorty."

Moocher: [Moocher goes over and punches and breaks the time clock with his fist, then walks off the job]

Dave: Hi, Kathy.

Katherine: [not realizing that Dave's not really the Italian guy he made himself out to be] Oh, God, what did you do to yourself?

Dave: I just, uh...

Katherine: Oh, I liked you better before. Oh, what happened to your cornicello?

Katherine: [Dave remains silent] Now you look like everybody else.

Dave: I *am* everybody else.