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Felix Turner: Men do not naturally not love. They learn not to.
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Ned Weeks: [to the President's advisor] What exactly does your title mean in terms of our plague?
John Bruno: We prefer not to use negative terms. It only scares people.
Ned Weeks: Well, there's 3,339 cases so far and 1,122 dead. Sounds like a plague to me. I'm scared, aren't you?
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John Bruno: Do you really believe that anybody in a serious public office position in their heart of hearts or even in their most closeted meetings say to each other, "Hey guys, let's not get too upset about this?"
Ned Weeks: [to the President's advisor] Yes, your boss hasn't said the word AIDS out loud.
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Dr. Emma Brookner: I am taking care of more victims of this disease than anyone in the world. We have more frozen blood samples, more data of every kind, and much more experience.
Examining Doctor: Dr. Brookner, the Government's position is this: there are five million dollars in the pipeline, for which we have received over fifty-five million dollars worth of requests.
Dr. Emma Brookner: Five million doesn't seem quite right for some two thousand cases. The Government spent three million investigating seven deaths from Tylenol. We're entering the third year!
Examining Doctor: We've voted to reject your application for funding.
Dr. Emma Brookner: Oh. I'd like to hear your reasons.
Examining Doctor: The direction of the research you're suggesting is imprecise and unfocused.
Dr. Emma Brookner: Oh, it is, is it? You don't know what's going on anymore than I do. Could you tell me, precisely, why you're blocking my efforts?
Examining Doctor: Dr. Brookner, there are now other investigators. This is no longer only your disease, though you seem to think it is.
Dr. Emma Brookner: Oh, I do, do I? And you're here to take it away from me, is that it? Well, I'll let you in on a little secret, Doctor: you can have it. I didn't want it in the first place. You think it's a privilege to watch young men die? What am I arguing with you for? You do not know enough to study boiled water! HOW DARE YOU COME DOWN HERE AND JUDGE ME?
Examining Doctor: We're only serving on this peer review panel at the behest of Dr. Murry.
Dr. Emma Brookner: Another idiot. And, by the way, a closeted homosexual doing everything in his power to sweep this under the rug. And I vowed I'd never say anything like that in public... How does it always happen that all of the idiots are always on your team? How can you refuse to fund my research? Or not invite me to participate in yours? Your National Institutes of Health received my first request for money two years ago. It took you one year just to print up application forms! It's taking you three years from my first reported case just to show up here for a look. And the paltry amount of money you are forcing us to beg for, out of the FOUR BILLION DOLLARS you now receive each and every year to protect the health of the American people, won't come to anyone before only God knows when. A promising virus has been discovered in France. Why do you refuse to cooperate with the French? Why are we told not to cooperate with the French? Just so you can steal a Nobel Prize? While something is being passed around that causes death! Women have been discovered to have it in Africa, where it is clearly transmitted HETERO-SEXUALLY. It is only a question of time! We could ALL be dead before you do anything! You want my data? You want my ideas? You want my patients? TAKE THEM! JUST DO SOMETHING WITH THEM! You're fucking right! I am imprecise and unfocused and you are all idiots!
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Bruce Niles: You don't look THAT Jewish.
Ned Weeks: And you don't look gay, so I guess we can both pass for white people.
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Felix Turner: Ned, I have something to tell you.
Ned Weeks: You're finally pregnant!
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Felix Turner: You cannot force the goddamn sun to come out!
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Tommy Boatwright: Thank God for the lesbians.
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Felix Turner: Why does everybody who's gay think I run The New York Times? I can't help you.
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Sarabeth Clare: You're accusing the government of the United States of a conspiracy to murder all gay men?
Ned Weeks: [pauses] Yes... Yes, you can say that. Yes, I am!
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Ned Weeks: I am trying to understand why nobody gives a shit THAT WE'RE DYING!
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Ben Weeks: Agreeing that you were born just the same as I was born isn't gonna save your dying friends.
Ned Weeks: THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT IS GOING TO SAVE MY DYING FRIENDS!
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Ned Weeks: [to his brother Ben] I am FURIOUS with you! And every goddamn doctor who made me think I was sick to love a man!
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Tommy Boatwright: You know, I'm very interested in starting some sort of service for the patients. We've got to start talking about them. Also, there are a lot of very scared people out there, and they're desperate for information. I'd like to start a hotline.
Bruce Niles: [to the guy sitting on his left] Who's he?
Tommy Boatwright: Ew! He does not know who I am yet! HE is Tommy Boatwright. In real life, HE is a hospital administrator. He's here to help. And he's a southern bitch!
Bruce Niles: Bruce Niles.
Tommy Boatwright: Nice to meet you.
Bruce Niles: My pleasure.
Tommy Boatwright: You're very handsome.
Mickey Marcus: He knows.
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Ned Weeks: Ben, you mean more to me than anyone in the whole world. You always have. Ben, you've gotta say it!
Ben Weeks: Say what?
Ned Weeks: I am the same as you! Just say it! Say it!
Ben Weeks: [after a pause] No. You're not. I'm not gonna say it.
Ned Weeks: Every time I loose this fight it hurts more.
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Ben Weeks: We have a difference of opinion over theory.
Ned Weeks: But your theory turns me into a man from Mars. My theory doesn't do that to you.
Ben Weeks: Are you suggesting I did something wrong in sending you into therapy so young? I didn't know you were gonna stay there forever!
Ned Weeks: I didn't think that I had done anything wrong until you sent me there!
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Ned Weeks: Welcome to gay politics.
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Dr. Emma Brookner: Don't need everybody's love and approval.
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Ned Weeks: I belong to a culture that includes Marcel Proust, Walt Whitman, Tennessee Williams, Alexander the Great, so many popes and cardinals you wouldn't believe. Mr. Green Beret, did you know that it was an openly gay Englishman who's responsible for winning World War II? His name's Alan Turing and he cracked the Germans' Enigma code. After the war was over, he committed suicide because he was so hounded for being gay. Why didn't they teach any of that in schools? A gay man is responsible for winning World War II! If they did, maybe he wouldn't have killed himself and you wouldn't be so terrified of who you are. That's how I want to be remembered. As one of the men who won the war.
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Ned Weeks: Once upon a time, there was a little boy who wanted to love another little boy. One day finally found that love and it was wonderful. I'm supposed to use gloves. I'm supposed to do this. I'm supposed to do that. I'm supposed to not kiss him. I'm not supposed to be only 45 years old and taking care of 35-year-old young man, who's a 100 years old and dying. Emma calls it a seesaw. He's fine. He gets sick. He gets better. He gets sicker. He's afraid I'll leave him. I told him I wouldn't leave him, that I never, for one second would think of leaving him. But he doesn't believe me. It's hard to believe in much these days. But we must never stop believing in each other. I'm a mess. That's what I am. You cry and you cry until you think can't cry anymore. And then you cry some more. Not only for yourself and Felix, but for all the little boys who finally found their other little boys they've wanted all their lives now that we're men.
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Dr. Emma Brookner: Mr. Weeks, if having sex can kill you, doesn't anyone with half a brain stop fucking?
The Normal Heart Quotes
Extended Reading
