Thirteen Days (2000) quotes
Director
Roger Donaldson.
Cast
Kevin Costner.
Bruce Greenwood.
Shawn Driscoll.
In October 1962, the Kennedy administration struggles to contain the Cuban Missile Crisis.
If the sun comes up tomorrow, it is only because of men of good will. And that’s – that’s all there is between us and the devil.
– Kenny O’Donnell
Well, who the hell authorized this missile test?
– President Kennedy
Who do you think? God knows what this is gonna communicate to the Soviets!
– Robert Kennedy
Communicate with the Soviets? We can’t communicate with the Pentagon – and it’s just across the goddamn river!
– Kenny O’Donnell
That’s going to be tough – you know how these guys are about their chains of command.
– Kenny O’Donnell
Listen, you tell ’em those chains of command end at one place: *me*.
– President Kennedy
You’re a good man; your brother is a good man. I assure you there are other good men. Let us hope the will of good men is enough to counter the terrible strength of this thing that was put in motion.
– Dobrynin
The sun came up. Every day the sun comes up says something about us.
– Kenny O’Donnell
Call me Irish, but I don’t believe in cooler heads prevailing.
– Kenny O’Donnell
This is not a blockade. This is language. A new vocabulary, the likes of which the world has never seen! This is President Kennedy communicating with Secretary Khrushchev!
– Robert McNamara
We gave up so much to get here… I don’t know; sometimes I think, “What the hell did we do it for?”
– Robert Kennedy
Well, I don’t know about you, but… I’m in it for the money.
– Kenny O’Donnell
We’re heading out to the backyard to take a look for that ‘big Red dog’!
– Robert McNamara
Bobby, you gotta go in there and you gotta make them understand… that we have to have an answer tomorrow… because Monday, we go to war.
– President Kennedy
Those goddamn Kennedys are gonna destroy this country if we don’t do something about this!
– General Curtis LeMay
Sleep is for the weak Mr. President.
– Robert McNamara
A blockade is technically an act of war; therefore we recommend calling the action a quarantine.
– Robert McNamara
Let’s hope that translates into Russian the way we want it to.
– Kenny O’Donnell
By the way, China invaded India today.
– Robert Kennedy
You’re kidding, aren’t you?
– Kenny O’Donnell
Yeah, I wish I were. Galbraith is handling it in New Delhi. Makes you wonder what’s coming next.
– Robert Kennedy
Geez. What is it about the free world that pisses the rest of the world off?
– Kenny O’Donnell
I don’t know. We have Tupperware parties.
– Robert Kennedy
You are in the courtroom of world opinion and you can answer yes or no.
– Adlai Stevenson
You know, I – I hate being called the brilliant one, the ruthless one, the guy everybody’s afraid of. I hate it. I’m not so smart, you know? I’m not so ruthless.
– Robert F. Kennedy
Well you’re right… about the smart part.
– Kenny O’Donnell
They look warlike? Jesus Christ, we’re lighting off nuclear weapons like its our own private Fourth of July!
– Kenny O’Donnell
Well, things can’t get much worse.
– President Kennedy
Oh, I don’t know; we could have to go down to Lyndon’s ranch again, dressed up as cowboys, shoot deer out of the back of his convertible.
– Kenny O’Donnell
That *was* a bad day… Hell, I thought there’d be… more good days.
– President Kennedy
I don’t care how crazy, inadequate or stupid it sounds. Give it to me.
– Robert Kennedy
They want a war, Jack, and they’re arranging things to get one.
– Kenny O’Donnell
Jesus, I… I feel like we caught the Jap carrier steaming for Pearl Harbor.
– Kenny O’Donnell
We’ve got a bunch of smart guys. We lock ’em in a room and kick ’em in the ass until they come up with some solutions… I’ll do it.
– Robert F. Kennedy
Let’s hope appeasement doesn’t run in families. I fear weakness does.
– Dean Acheson
We’d look pretty bad shooting up a freighter full of baby food.
– Robert McNamara
We sure as shit would.
– Kenny O’Donnell
Adlai can handle Zorin. He knows the inning; he knows the score.
– Kenny O’Donnell
He better, because nobody believes he’s up to this – nobody.
– Robert Kennedy