Ralph Bretner quotes from The Stand

Ralph Bretner

Name's Ralph Bretner.

Tom Cullen

I'm Tom Cullen. M-O-O-N, that spells "Tom Cullen". I don't know his name, 'cause I can't read it. Sure wish I did, though — laws, yes.

Ralph Bretner

Your friend's name here is "Nick Andros". M-O-O-N, I-I guess that spells "Nick". [laughs]

Ralph Bretner

Uh, Nick says that… he says he don't believe in God.

Mother Abagail

God bless ya, Nick! But it don't matter! He believes in you.

Glen Bateman

The plague took the people, but it couldn't take the gadgets, could it? No, they're all still out there. Everything from electric can openers to cobalt bombs, just waiting for someone to come along and pick 'em up. And the scavenger hunt… starts today.

Ralph Bretner

Ah, hell, Professor. What's wrong with puttin' the rocks back in people's scotch?

Glen Bateman

It's the old way. And the old way was a death trip.

Stu Redman

That's a little heavy, don'tcha think?

Glen Bateman

Do you? There's an old woman down there who might tell ya different, East Texas. If she'd talk about this end of it at all, that is.

Stu Redman

What's the problem?

Glen Bateman

I don't know if there is one. But I know I'm very concerned about the way things are going. She wants a mass meeting. Except she says it's really God who wants the meeting. We say, "Fine. You're fine, Mother. God's fine, too." And then we go right back to tinkering with the power station, trying to recreate the world that damn near choked the human race to death. What's wrong with this picture?

Ralph Bretner

Flagg is our business right now. And we'll have to trust Mother Abagail… to her God.

Glen Bateman

Our friend in the cowboy boots and jean jacket isn't gonna just sit over there on his side of the Rockies playing mumblety-peg, you know.

Glen Bateman

Yeah, there's a perfectly good reason for this little stroll, you know. And Mother Abagail knew it when she sent us out the way she did, with just the clothes on our backs. Our bellies are empty, and, more importantly, our heads are empty.

Hell — mine was pretty empty to begin with.

Glen Bateman

Yeah, well, I'm serious. We're out here in the middle of the Great American Nowhere, minus all the baggage we used to carry every place we went. She wanted us cleaned out. Empty. Ready to be filled up again by some new thing. Maybe a great thing. Almost certainly the last thing.

Larry Underwood

This is no game, Stu.

Glen Bateman

Stu's right, Larry. Mother Abagail said one of us would fall by the way.

Larry Underwood

W-what does that mean? Huh? What are you saying? You're a college professor, for god sakes!

Glen Bateman

Not anymore. In case you hadn't noticed, Larry, school is out.

Larry Underwood

Look, I thought he was your friend!

Glen Bateman

Of course he's my friend. But that doesn't matter now.

It's God's plan—

Larry Underwood

Shut up about God! I'm sick of hearing about God!

Stu Redman

This whole trip was based on the idea that Mother Abagail knew what she was talkin' about.

That's right.

Larry Underwood

It's not right. It's not right! This isn't God's will, or God's plan! It's a washout! And you got a broken leg, Stu, and I'm not gonna leave you here!

Stu Redman

When we came on this trip, we put our lives in the hands of Mother Abagail's God. Now, that hasn't changed. If he wants me to eat, he'll send food. If he wants me to drink… he'll send rain. It's his business. Yours… is to go against Flagg! Now, you've got to do that, and you've got to go without me!

Larry Underwood

[choking back tears] Man… do you know how crazy that sounds? Do you know how totally damn crazy that sounds?!

By virtue of the power vested in me, smartass, you're under arrest.

In whose name?

You know who I speak for.

Then why don't you say it?

Well, I'll say it for ya. Calls himself Randall Flagg, but who he really is, is an apostate of Hell. Now, you got that in your little clipboard there, Mr. Burlson?

I wonder if you men might give me your Social Security numbers?

Larry Underwood

Relax! You don't need those. That's why we came here. We got a message for your little tin god.

Tin god? Tin god. Man, that's funny. I spent 22 years on the Santa Monica P.D., and I know what happens when guys like you end up runnin' the show. We haven't got a single addict in Vegas. Can your people say the same?

Glen Bateman

Mr. Dorgan, even a man of your apparently limited intelligence should be able to see that your experiences with a few battered babies and drug abusers doesn't justify your embrace of a monster!

Larry Underwood

Oh, that's great. Very good! You get the Rodney King Humanitarian Award for the day, pal.

Glen Bateman

It's almost over for them now, Larry. Can you feel it?

Mother Abagail

[voiceover] The promise has been kept as God has willed it. Amen.

Larry! Do you see it?

Larry Underwood

The Hand of God!

Mother Abagail

[voiceover] You done good, boys. Come on home.