"...Everything You've Heard is True"
Amadeus - Movie Quotes
Memorable Quotes
Mediocrities everywhere... I absolve you.
— Antonio Salieri
Context:
Spoken in the asylum at the end of the film, as an elderly Salieri is wheeled through a corridor of other patients. He offers this "absolution" after concluding his confession to the young priest, cementing his descent into a madness defined by his lifelong struggle.
Meaning:
This is Salieri's final, haunting line. It represents his ultimate embrace of his own mediocrity and his twisted sense of vindication. By becoming the "patron saint" of the average, he finds a perverse form of immortality. He sees himself as a martyr who understands their plight, having been personally crushed by divine genius.
Forgive me, Majesty. I am a vulgar man! But I assure you, my music is not.
— Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Context:
Mozart says this during his first audience with Emperor Joseph II, after his awkward and overly familiar behavior has scandalized the court. It is both an apology and a defiant statement of his artistic integrity.
Meaning:
This quote perfectly encapsulates the film's central dichotomy of the artist versus his art. Mozart acknowledges his own boorish and immature nature but fiercely defends the purity and brilliance of his creations. It is his plea to be judged by his work, not his personality.
All I wanted was to sing to God. He gave me that longing... and then made me mute. Why?
— Antonio Salieri
Context:
Salieri says this in his confession to the priest, explaining the depth of his despair upon hearing Mozart's music for the first time. He cannot reconcile his devotion with God's apparent cruelty in making Mozart his instrument instead of him.
Meaning:
This quote expresses the core of Salieri's theological torment. He feels cursed by God, who implanted in him the desire and understanding for musical greatness but denied him the genius to achieve it. It is the heart of his perceived divine injustice.
Your work is ingenious. It's quality work. And there are simply too many notes, that's all. Just cut a few and it will be perfect.
— Emperor Joseph II
Context:
The Emperor delivers this verdict to Mozart after the premiere of his opera "The Abduction from the Seraglio." Mozart's incredulous response—"Which few did you have in mind, Majesty?"—highlights the absurdity of the comment.
Meaning:
This is the film's most famous comedic line, perfectly summarizing the establishment's inability to comprehend Mozart's revolutionary genius. The Emperor's critique is polite and well-meaning but demonstrates a complete lack of musical depth, treating a complex symphony as something that can be simplified.