7th Heaven quotes

Annie

[to her kids] You know what's really unfair? What's really unfair is that your father and I have worked around the clock for 20 years to give our children a good home. To send our children to school. To buy them the clothes that they want to buy, and yet those children, the very same children that we sacrificed ourselves for over and over again think that they should decide who gets what and when they should get it.

Simon

No...

Annie

Don't speak. I will give your sister Mary anything I want to give her, anytime I want to give it to her, because I love her and I am happy that she is home. Mary needs us. She needs her father. She needs me. And she needs you. And I've got some news for all of you: we need her. We need to embrace each other and support each other because that's what families do. And until you're ready to do that, you know what? You can just live out here! (referring to the garage) You've got a change of clothes, one week's allowance and some school books. You're more or less on your own. Until you're allowed the privilege of telling me that just how much you regret you're total lack of respect for me and my decisions. And then at that time, if I like what you have to say, I just might let you back into the home that your father and I created. Until then, take care of the rebellious one known as Ruthie. You can come in and use the toilets, nothing else! Not the kitchen, not the laundry, not the shower, not the phone and not the TV. Enjoy.

Lucy

Joy? What kind of name is that.

Mary

A name for the look on Robbie's face.

Lucy

I am not jealous of my own sister. I'm just angry that you've shown up and expected to be treated like royalty or something!

Annie

Do you have a problem with my punishing the children without your approval?

Eric

While I don't want the garage apartment for my own, I can understand why they're upset about your giving it to Mary. We don't even know if she needs it.

Annie

So? They don't know if she doesn't. Maybe she and Wilson need it.

Eric

I got the feeling from Wilson that they broke up and he's just letting Mary tell us, and I gotta know why that is. Because it suggests the why, it won't be something we like.

Annie

What do you feel her problems are?

Eric

I feel her problems are that she's irresponsible, self-centered, and inconsiderate of other family members.

Annie

I think she wants to be responsible, and that's something. I think it's good for her to be self-centered right now. It's good for her to focus on herself and come to love herself, because that's the first step in loving others. And I don't think she's inconsiderate of other family members. On the contrary, I think other family members, including you, are inconsiderate of her and her needs at this time.

Eric

So we can agree to disagree about Mary and who she is and what her future holds, but I think that Matt and Lucy and Simon and Ruthie are in agreement.

Annie

With you, and you are wrong, just like you were wrong about Nixon.

Eric

(to the twins) He should have apologized.

Simon

I have to get out of here. I have to get out of here to survive. And once I do, unlike you and Mary, that's it for me. I'm never coming back.

Matt

Yeah, I remember 15. Let's go.

Mary

I am still crazy, irresponsible, bad Mary and after all this time I don't think I learned squat. What's it gonna take to get my life in order, huh, Luce?

Lucy

I don't know. But whatever it takes for us all to get our lives in order, I'm pretty sure we can get it right here at home.

Annie

I was wrong and you were right, but not in the way that you think.

Eric

Still, music to my ears.

Annie

Mary is not the prodigal son, and I made a mistake in treating her as if she were. She never left to go discover herself. She didn't go out into the world and get into trouble and hit rock bottom and then come crawling home for forgiveness. She never did that. She showed signs of getting in trouble, and we sent her to your parents before she had the chance to do something that she or we would regret. And you know what? It worked, Eric. And I don't think we've ever given ourselves credit for doing the right thing in saving her from hitting rock bottom. Now, maybe she didn't learn anything. But I think part of the reason why she claims that is that she's afraid that she did. She's afraid to make another mistake.

Eric

You know, for a guy who just got an apology, I'm feeling pretty lousy.

Annie

It's a lecture coughed with an apology. I think if we can just let Mary discover who she is and what wants to do, surrounded by our love, guided by our genius...then maybe she will learn something. Maybe she'll even contribute something to the world.

Eric

Let's just aim for Glen Oak.

Mary

[to her parents] I am really sorry that I let everyone down. And I am sorry that as part of this wonderful family, I didn't realize that doing all the things that led to my getting asked to leave would affect everyone, and not just me. I apologize. From the bottom of my heart, I apologize. And I want to thank you for letting me go live with the Colonel and Ruth, and I'm...not the greatest student of life, but I must have learned something, and I want to be here now. And I hope you'll give me a chance to do better, because I can do better.

Eric

And I want to apologize to you, too. I think I could have cut you some slack when you showed up here, but instead, I...

Mary

Don't cut me some slack. Stay tough. I need that. [leaves]

Eric

Okay. [to Annie] Wait. What did she mean by that?

Mary

[from the top of the stair] I mean I still need you.

Lucy

[to everyone in the living room, watching TV] Wait, is that Dad?

Robbie

Yep, that's your dad. If I were Simon, I'd drive that car to Canada!

Ruthie

Why don't you just admit that you were wrong and apologize for being so rude, when all I was trying to do was help you? (Lucy makes a face at her, Ruthie makes one back) Crash and burn. How it feel to be beaten by an 11-year-old?

Annie

I can't thank you enough for giving me this opportunity to work here, doing something important. It's been rewarding and interesting and fun...

But you don't want to do it anymore?

Annie

No sorry.

Well, the funny thing is, I was going to ask you to come on fulltime. With everything going on in the world, parents want the added security of a private school, and we've had so many requests that we're expanding. We need more teachers.

Annie

I appreciate the implied offer, but I can't. Thank you.

Lucy

If God didn't want me to have that ring, he wouldn't have had Jeremy give it to me.

Ruthie

You're actually going to invoke the name of God as the cause for your insanity?

Lucy

Doesn't everyone?

Eric

Did she tell you why she quit?

Simon

No. But it wouldn't be like me to ask my mom why she does anything. She's my mother, but she's your wife. Maybe you can ask her, or maybe not. I don't know how those things work.

Eric

Well, aren't we calm for everything that's gone on around here?

Annie

I feel very calm. I've been feeling very conflicted, but as of today, I feel very calm. And that's good because with all the tings going on out there in the world, it helps to stay calm in here. See, I had this dream for years to teach, and finally after all that time, I got my dream when Mrs. Mackoul asked me to join that staff at Ruthie's school. It was very much my dream come true.

Eric

And now you're giving up your dream come true?

Annie

It's no longer my dream. I love working with any one student, but I feel disconnected working with a group of students in the classroom. I want to do more than discuss questions of morality. I want to inspire each child to lead a moral life. I think I can find a better way to do that.

Eric

And you don't feel sad that you always had this dream to each and once you got it, it wasn't what you wanted?

Annie

No, it probably happens to a lot of people.

Eric

Yeah, it does, but...usually they just hang on to it because after all that dreaming it seems a shame to give it up or admit that it was a mistake.

Annie

Well, I feel good about it. For me, letting go of the past is freeing.

Eric

Hmmm, evidently that's a gene that wasn't inherited by Mary or Lucy. (they both laugh) We've got a lot of letting go to do over the next few years.

Annie

Yeah, we do. But we've got a lot of holding on, too. (they both look at the twins playing)

Ruthie

Yasmine was walking home from school when a couple of boys started following her. They were calling her names because she's Muslim and trying to scare her, and one of them even picked up a dirt clod and threw it at her.

That's when Ruhtie ran over and started yelling back at them, but they still kept on following us.

Eric

And this was happening right outside our house?

It's happening everywhere.

Eric

Did these boys ever physically hurt you?

No. Just my feelings.

Eric

Feelings are important, too. They matter a great deal, and you matter. We're not gonna let this continue.

Lucy

I just started thinking about Yasmine and how people can be so cruel, and how horrible I was to you which didn't make me much better than those boys... and how everyone in the world has the same capacity to be so mean and intolerant. It just makes me feel so sad.

Mary

You know how it makes me feel? Angry.