"It explodes in the no-man's land no picture ever dared cross before!"
Paths of Glory - Movie Quotes
Memorable Quotes
Gentlemen of the court, there are times when I'm ashamed to be a member of the human race, and this is one such occasion.
— Colonel Dax
Context:
Spoken during his passionate but futile closing statement at the court-martial, after the prosecutor has refused to let him present any meaningful evidence or witnesses to defend the three accused soldiers.
Meaning:
This line, from Dax's closing argument, encapsulates the film's profound disgust with the injustice on display. It elevates the sham trial from a mere military error to a crime against humanity itself, highlighting the moral bankruptcy of the proceedings.
I apologize... for not telling you sooner that you're a degenerate, sadistic old man. And you can go to hell before I apologize to you now or ever again.
— Colonel Dax
Context:
In their final confrontation, after the executions, Broulard offers Dax the disgraced General Mireau's command, assuming Dax's defense was a cynical career move. When Broulard demands an apology for Dax's insubordination, Dax delivers this scathing rebuke.
Meaning:
This is the climax of Dax's disillusionment. He finally casts off all military decorum and unleashes his righteous fury at General Broulard, revealing the depth of his contempt for the corrupt system Broulard represents. It is a moment of moral victory even in the face of absolute defeat.
See that cockroach? Tomorrow morning, we'll be dead and it'll be alive. It'll have more contact with my wife and child than I will. I'll be nothing, and it'll be alive.
— Corporal Paris
Context:
Said in the dark cell on the night before the execution, as the three condemned men await their fate. It's a quiet moment of despair shared between them.
Meaning:
This quote powerfully illustrates the sense of hopelessness and dehumanization felt by the condemned men. It's a moment of bleak philosophical clarity, where a man confronts the utter finality of his unjust death and his reduction to something less significant than an insect.
If those little sweethearts won't face German bullets, they'll face French ones!
— General Mireau
Context:
Shouted by General Mireau in the command post as he watches the suicidal attack fail and sees his troops refusing to advance from the trenches under withering fire.
Meaning:
This chilling line perfectly captures Mireau's tyrannical rage and his complete disregard for the lives of his men. It demonstrates that his true enemy is not the Germans, but any soldier who defies his ego-driven commands.