Freedom Writers (2007)

Erin Gruwell: Does anyone know Homer's the Odyssey?
Andre: I know Homer the Simpson.

Eva: So when's Anne Frank gonna smoke Hitler?

Eva: I don't even know how this war started. It's just two sides that tripped each other way back. Who cares about the history behind it? I am my father's daughter, and when they call me to testify, I will protect my own, no matter what.

Eva: My PO doesn't understand that schools are like the city and the city is just like a prison.

Erin Gruwell: An F? What, are ya trippin'?

Andre: My brother taught me what the life is for a young black man. Pimp, deal, whatever. Learn what colors to wear. gang banners. You can sell to one corner, but you can't sell another. Learn to be quiet. The wrong word can get you popped.

Miep Gies: But even an ordinary secretary or a housewife or a teenager can, within their own small ways, turn on a small light in a dark room.

Ben: Ms. G, we can fight this y'know, like the Freedom Riders.
Marcus: Yeh yeh, we all drive around on a bus, only this time they try and bust us up we bust a few of them board member's heads.
Brandy: Or we can go to the newspapers. Media...?
Tito: Or we can paint the administration building with the word assholes, in various colours.

Erin Gruwell: I love you.
Steve Gruwell: You love the idea of me.

Gloria: If you look in my eyes, you'll see a lonely girl. If you like at my smile, you'll see nothing wrong. If you pull up my shirt, you'll see the bruises. What did I do to make him so mad?

Miep Gies: You are the heroes. You are heroes every day.

Erin Gruwell: But to get respect you have to give it.
Andre: Bullshit.
Erin Gruwell: What?
Andre: Why should I give you my respect to you? Because you're a teacher? I don't know you. How do I know you're not a liar standing up there. How do I know you're not a bad person standing up there? I'm not just gonna give you my respect because you're called a teacher.
Eva: White people wanting their respect like its for free.

Erin Gruwell: Your bags are packed and you think the wine will give me a headache?

Margaret Campbell: You can't make someone want education.

Marcus: I've never had a hero before. But you are my hero.
Miep Gies: Oh, no. No, no, no, young man, no. I am not a hero. No. I did what I had to do, because it was the right thing to do. That is all.

Jamal: At sixteen, I've seen more bodies than a mortician. Every time I step out my door I face the risk of being shot. To the rest of the world it's just another dead body on a street corner. They don't know that he was my friend.

Brandy: Nobody ever listens to a teenager. Everybody thinks you should be happy just because you're young. They don't see the wars that we fight every single day. And one day, my war will end. And I won't die. And I will not tolerate abuse from anyone. I am strong.

Brandy: In every war, there is an enemy. I watched my mother being hlaf-beaten to death, and watched as bloodand tears streamed down her face. I felt useless and scared, and furious at the same time. I can still feel the sting of the belt on my back and my legs. One time he couldn't pay the rent. That night he stopped us on the street and pointed to the concrete. He said, "pick a spot."

Eva: In America, a girl can be crowned a princess for her beauty, and her grace. But an Aztec princess is chosen for her blood. To fight for her people as Papi and his father fought, against those who say we are less than they are, against those who say that we are not equal in beauty or blessings.

Sindy: During the war in Cambodia, the camps stripped away my father's dignity. He sometimes tries to hurt me and my mom. I feel like I have to protect my family.