Requiem for a Dream

14 Excerpts From 'Requiem For A Dream' To Read When You Need To Curl Up In A Ball And Sob

Life was no longer something to endure, but to live.
Katie Mather
October 19, 2016
“I'm somebody now, Harry. Everybody likes me. Soon, millions of people will see me and they'll all like me. I'll tell them about you, and your father, how good he was to us. Remember? It's a reason to get up in the morning. It's a reason to lose weight, to fit in the red dress. It's a reason to smile. It makes tomorrow all right. What have I got Harry, hm? Why should I even make the bed, or wash the dishes? I do them, but why should I? I'm alone. Your father's gone, you're gone. I got no one to care for. What have I got, Harry? I'm lonely. I'm old.”
— Sara Goldfarb, Requiem for a Dream
Tagged: Somebody, Memories, Lonely, Reason
“Marion: 'I love you, Harry. You make me feel like a person. Like I'm me... and I'm beautiful.'

Harry: 'You are beautiful. You're the most beautiful girl in the world. You are my dream.'”
— Marion, Harry, Requiem for a Dream
Tagged: Relationships, Love, Dream, beauty
“Somebody like you can really make things all right for me.”
— Harry, Requiem for a Dream
Tagged: Somebody Like You
“Eventually we all have to accept full and total responsibility for our actions, everything we have done, and have not done.”
— Hubert Selby Jr., Requiem for a Dream: A Novel
Tagged: Responsibility, actions
“But you can't shut everyone out. I mean you have to have someone to love... Someone to hold on to...”
— Hubert Selby Jr., Requiem for a Dream
Tagged: Love, Hold On, Community
“I suspect there will never be a requiem for a dream, simply because it will destroy us before we have the opportunity to mourn it's passing.”
— Hubert Selby Jr., Requiem for a Dream: A Novel
Tagged: Dreams
“The voice so filled with nostalgia that you could almost see the memories floating through the blue smoke, memories not only of music and joy and youth, but perhaps, of dreams. They listened to the music, each hearing it in his own way, feeling relaxed and a part of the music, a part of each other, and almost a part of the world.”
— Hubert Selby Jr., Requiem for a Dream: A Novel
Tagged: Nostalgia, Memories
“There's a sorrow and pain in everyone's life, but every now and then there's a ray of light that melts the loneliness in your heart and brings comfort like hot soup and a soft bed.”
— Hubert Selby Jr., Requiem for a Dream: A Novel
Tagged: Sorrow, Pain, Loneliness, Comfort
“For weeks Tyrone thought he was going to die any minute, and there were also times when he was afraid he wasn't going to die.”
— Hubert Selby Jr., Requiem for a Dream: A Novel
Tagged: Death, Life
“Life was no longer something to endure, but to live.”
— Hubert Selby Jr., Requiem for a Dream: A Novel
Tagged: Life
“He didn't know what was defeating him, but he sensed it was something he could not cope with, something that was far beyond his power to control or even at this point in time comprehend.”
— Hubert Selby Jr., Requiem for a Dream: A Novel
Tagged: Defeat, Control, Understanding
“The summer sun continued to rise in the sky and propel shocks of heat down on the city and the heavy moisture moistened bodies and clothing, and people fanned and wiped at sweating faces trying to survive... as Harry and Marion peacefully passed the day sleeping in each others arms oblivious to the reality surrounding them.”
— Hubert Selby Jr., Requiem for a Dream: A Novel
Tagged: Reality
“It's hopeless. Thats why you cant be worried about the world. They'll just do you in anyway. You cant depend on them because sooner or later they'll turn on you or just disappear and leave you there alone.’”
— Hubert Selby Jr., Requiem for a Dream: A Novel
Tagged: Hopelessness, Dependence
“It seems to me that we all have a dream of our own, our own personal vision, our own individual way of giving, but for many reasons we are afraid to pursue it, or to even recognize and accept its existence. But to deny our vision is to sell our soul.”
— Hubert Selby Jr., Requiem for a Dream: A Novel
Tagged: Dreams, Giving, Pursuit, Visions, Denial