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Psycho - Movie Quotes
Memorable Quotes
A boy's best friend is his mother.
— Norman Bates
Context:
Norman says this to Marion Crane in the motel parlor during their dinner. Marion has just suggested that he should perhaps put his difficult mother in an institution, which Norman defensively rejects. The line serves as a stark warning about his priorities and the unbreakable (and unnatural) bond he shares with 'Mother'.
Meaning:
This iconic line, delivered with a chilling sincerity by Norman, encapsulates the core of his psychosis. On the surface, it sounds sweet and devoted, but in the context of the film, it reveals the deeply unhealthy, Oedipal nature of his relationship with his mother, which is the root of all the horror. It's a perfect example of Hitchcock's use of dialogue to create dramatic irony and foreshadow the terrifying truth.
We all go a little mad sometimes.
— Norman Bates
Context:
During his conversation with Marion in the parlor, Norman is explaining why he tolerates his mother's difficult behavior. He follows up his statement that his mother 'just goes a little mad sometimes' with this line, directly asking Marion 'Haven't you?', to which she agrees.
Meaning:
This quote serves as one of the central themes of the film. Norman says it to normalize his mother's strange behavior, but it also implicates Marion, who has just committed a desperate, 'mad' act of theft. The line brilliantly blurs the boundary between sanity and insanity, suggesting that the potential for madness exists within everyone, not just the overtly disturbed. It makes Norman's character more complex and unsettlingly relatable at that moment.
She wouldn't even harm a fly.
— Norman Bates (as 'Mother')
Context:
The line is heard in a voiceover as we see Norman Bates sitting in a cell at the police station, wrapped in a blanket. A fly lands on his hand, and he doesn't move. The monologue reveals 'Mother's' thoughts, blaming Norman and asserting her own innocence to the authorities she imagines are watching her.
Meaning:
This is the final line of the film, delivered as an internal monologue from the 'Mother' personality, which has now completely taken over Norman's mind. The phrase is dripping with dramatic irony, as the audience knows 'Mother' is a brutal murderer. It highlights the complete psychotic break and the chilling delusion of the character, ending the film on a deeply unsettling note by showcasing the 'Mother's' feigned innocence.
They'll see, and they'll know, and they'll say, 'Why, she wouldn't even harm a fly.'
— Norman Bates (as 'Mother')
Context:
This is part of the final internal monologue from the 'Mother' personality while Norman is in police custody. He is sitting placidly, and the voiceover reveals 'Mother's' intention to appear harmless to convince everyone of her innocence while implicating her son.
Meaning:
This quote, from the film's final moments, reveals the depth of Norman's psychosis. The 'Mother' persona has completely subsumed his own, and she is now performing innocence for an imagined audience. The line is chilling because it demonstrates a cunning awareness mixed with complete delusion. The fly on Norman's hand becomes a prop in this mental performance, a final, horrifying symbol of his transformed state.