Quotes in Gattaca

Vincent
1. “The most unremarkable of events, Jerome Morrow, Navigator 1 st Class, is about to embark
on a one year manned mission to Titan, the fourteenth moon of Saturn”
2. “I am not Jerome Morrow”
3. “They used to say that a child conceived in love has a greater chance of happiness, they don’t
say that anymore”.
4. “The exact time of my death was already known”
5. “99% probability of heart disorder”
6. “Early fatal potential life expectancy:30.2 years”
7. “From an early age, I came to think of myself as others thought of me; chronically ill”
8. “ A son my father considered worth of his name”. This shows how Anton is seen as more
superior than Vincent. Vincent rubs his name off as he does not want to feel inferior to his
brother anymore.
9. “I would need an awful more than a drop to get anywhere”. This is a foreshadow.
10. “Anton was by far the stronger swimmer and had no excuse to fail”
11. “…for as long as I remember I dreamt of going into space”
12. “my real resume is in my cells” shows how genetics is everything in the society within
Gattaca.
13. “Until finally the impossible happened”
14. “It was the one moment in our lives that my brother was not as strong as he believed and I
was not as weak”
15. “It was the moment that made everything possible” links back to the murky ethics of
eugenics. Murky water, tough waves represent the tough and long journey that Vincent still
has ahead of him.
16. “We now have a discrimination down to a science”. The staircase and Vincent’s relative
position at the bottom of the staircase implies his “underclass” social status.
17. “I was never certain of how far away I was from my goal then when I was standing right
beside it”
18. “If the glass is clean, it’ll be easier for you to see me when I’m on the other side”
19. “For all my brave talk, I knew it was just that” highlights Vincent’s hopelessness.
20. “No matter how hard I trained or how much I studied, the best test score in the world wasn’t
gonna matter unless I had the blood test to go with it” shows how the elite within Gattaca
claim that their society favours the most capable. This quote illustrates this.
21. “For the genetically superior success is easier to attain, but is by no means guaranteed”. This
shows that having genetically superior genes does not mean success or perfection. This quote
is used to criticise eugenics.
22. “After all, there is no gene for fate and when for one reason or another a member of the elite
falls on hard times their genetic identity becomes a valued commodity for the unscrupulous”
23. “One man’s loss is another man’s gain”
24. “…when I eventually did stand up I’d be exactly two inches closer to the stars”
25. “To limit how much of my invalid self I would leave in the valid world”
26. “utero, faith birth, invalid” along with “valid, vitro and a made man” shows that in this world
there are a lot of labels.
27. “It’s got a cloud so thick, no one can tell what it is underneath” This is a metaphor and it si a
concept that all people see is their social status, invalid and valid.
28. “I’m going up” This has a double meaning as Vincent is going up into space but is also
moving up the social status.
29. “Well if there is anything wrong with you, I can’t see it from where I’m standing”
30. “ Maybe I’m not leaving, maybe I’m going home”
31. “For someone who was never meant for this world, I must confess, I have a hard time leaving
it, of course they say every atom in our bodies was once part of a star”. This shows how his
optimism outweigh his fear. Vincent has achieved his goal and all the obstacles which he has
overtaken. This highlights the director’s approval and that our body was part of nature. It is
seen as something beautiful. It also shows Vincent’s security.
32. “I’ll never understand what possess my mother to put her faith in God’s hands, rather than her
local geneticist”. This is used to show that the cross stands as a reminder of the individual’s
genetic inferiority and weakness. The religious sign is used to depict invalids’ low social
status. This illustrates the lack of humanity in the futuristic world. It is ironic to put faith in
science rather than God, echoing the focus of science and genetic superiority in Gattaca.
33. “Eugene suffered under a different burden- the of perfection”. This quote illustrates the
dystopian nature of the society in Gattaca. Even those who are guaranteed success inevitably
suffer. The juxtaposition between the idealistic connotations of “perfection” and the repetition
of burden illustrates that no one really benefits where self-worth is measured by one’s genes.
This highlights Jerome’s unhappiness. Perfection is a blessing and a curse; something that
everyone aspires to and that once achieved kills the desire that feeds aspiration.
34. “This is how I did it, Anton: I never saved anything for the swim back”. This statement
explains how Vincent was able to beat Anton. It is a testament to human power, willpower,
determination and human spirit. It is at this moment when Vincent becomes aware of his
untapped potential and decides to follow his dream. This is used to celebrate humanity’s
ability to strive for greatness.
35. “They’ve got you looking so hard for any flaw that after a while that’s all you see”. Vincent
urges Irene to see the big picture and does not want her to be defined by her genes. This quote
highlights how the society within Gattaca is full of imperfections.
36. “I’m sorry the wind caught it” signals Vincent’s deliberate refusal to participate in genetic
discrimination.
37. “I’m not Jerome Morrow, I’m a murder suspect” reveals Vincent’s identity crisis.
38. “Twelve fingers or one is how you play”
39. “you are the authority of what is not possible, aren’t you?” highlights Vincent’s refusal to
discriminate and make Irene feel as though living beyond her potential is possible.
40. “For whatever it’s worth, I’m here to tell you that it is possible” highlights Vincent’s belief in
wanting Irene to see the big picture and wanting her to live beyond her potential. This is also
used to emphasize irony as genes don’t define who we are.
41. “You work so hard, you do everything you can to get away from a place and when you finally
get your chance to leave, you find a reason to stay” emphasizes Vincent’s belonging in the
society of Gattaca with Irene.
42. “I use it all the time” emphasizes that Vincent is lying.
43. “Mine is already 10000 beats overdue” emphasizes his heart problem and his potential to go
beyond his expectations. This is ironic to Irene’s “What heart problem did you ever have?”
44. “Are we brothers?” questions the bond between Vincent and Anton.
45. “Is that the only way you can succeed, is to see me fail?” emphasizes how his brother does
not believe in him and telling him what he can or cannot do.
46. “In case you haven’t notice, I don’t need any rescuing, but you did once” highlights that
Vincent does not need help and this highlights Vincent’s independence.
Jerome
1. “I’ve never been more sober in my life” reveals how Eugene’s attempted suicide was a choice
as he did not want to live his life anymore.
2. “I was still second best” creates irony as Jerome was guaranteed success as he had the
genetics.
3. “I’m scared of heights” shows Eugene wouldn’t be perfect, wouldn’t perfectly fit, which
implies that success is more than just genetics.
4. “I’m getting off this ball of dirt” foreshadows Eugene’s death.
5. “You’re Jerome Morrow, navigator 1st class” shows how Vincent has a dual identity.
6. “When they look at you, they don’t see you anymore. They only see me”
7. “Jerome Morrow was never meant to be one step down from the podium” tells us that Jerome
has not lived up to his potential. This is used to emphasise how Jerome felt ‘cheated’ by the
societal system as he was genetically engineered to be an elite athlete and was guaranteed
athletic success but ended up coming second in a swimming competition.
8. “0f course you’ve got it”
9. “If at first you don’t succeed… try, try again” is ironic as this advice was given by Eugene.
After one failure, coming in second place, Jerome gave up all hope and attempted to commit
suicide. His permanent wheel chair state is a reminder of this. The irony is reiterated through
Jerome’s constant pessimistic mindset throughout the film and his alcoholism.
Irene
1. “Just some invalid” is an implication that it is not worth knowing the name of some invalid.
2. “Unacceptable likelihood of heart failure”. Irene’s genetics has defined her and she has
accepted it.
3. “ The only trip I’ll take in space is around the sun on this satellite, right here”. Irene uses a
blunt tone which implies that Irene has conceited defeat.
4. “your eyes are different” emphasizes the fact that Irene knows he is pretending to be a valid.
5. “What heart problem did you ever have” is ironic as Vincent has a bigger heart problem than
Irene has and that they are both more similar than she thinks they are.
6. “Don’t you understand, I can’t do that!”- Shh you just did” (first part Irene, second part
Vincent) emphasizes that Irene is capable of doing something beyond her reach and that
anything is possible.
7. “Did you just make that up or do you use it all the time?” implies that Irene knows that
Vincent is lying.
8. “You don’t look well, Jerome, why don’t you just go home” is used to emphasize the fact that
Irene is covering for Vincent.
9. “That night, crossing the street, you couldn’t see. You crossed anyway” highlights Irene’s
understanding.
10. “If you’re still interested, let me know” highlights Irene’s denial to accept the way someone is
seen because of their genetics. There is a close up of the hair and Vincent dropping it.
11. “Sorry the wind caught it” alludes to what Vincent said before.
Anton
1. “ I bet I could be an astronaut if I wanted” shows Anton’s arrogance.
2. “You know you’re going to lose” shows Anton’s arrogance.
3. “I see a lot of dry eyes” shows highlights how the people within the society of Gattaca are
unemotional and distant people.
4. “You’ve gone as far as you can” conveys how even his brother does not even believe in him
and is discouraging him to go further.
5. “I have a right to be here, you don’t” highlights Anton’s arrogance and disbelief in his
brother.
6. “I’ll prove it to you!” emphasizes Anton’s anger.
7. “Where is the shore? We’re too far out!” is quite interesting, as Vincent is moving forward
without being able to see ahead, which is similar to crossing the street with Irene. The
 direction of swimming is reversed. This shows that Anton is trying to go back to the way
things were before the day he got beaten.
Others
1. “There is no gene for human spirit” (film’s tagline). This illustrates that success is not defined
by your genes but the willpower. It also encapsulates the man message of the film is that
human drive and passion is the most essential element of humanity.
2. “Consider the work of God: who can make straighten He has made crooked?”. This is the
biblical allusion that introduces vital ideas regarding man’s pace, The reader is encouraged to
critique the society in Gattaca when we see them altering a persons’ genes to create an
idealized society.
3. “Beautiful piece of equipment you’ve got there” (dr. Kumar)
4. “Have I ever told you about my son” (Dr. Kumar) this hints that Dr Kumar knew that
Vincent was pretending to be Jerome.
5. “What about you, Your Majesty? Dreaming of space?” which shows the improbability of his
dream occurring. The sarcastic tone from the janitor and the use of “your majesty” alludes to
the improbability of Vincent’s space dream.
6. “When you clean the glass, don’t clean it too well” (janitor) shows how Vincent desires to be
an astronaut but the cleaner is pulling him down to earth.
7. “Blood has no nationality”
8. “As long as it’s got what they’re looking for, it’s the only passport you’ll need”
9. “Jerome,Jerome the metronome “ (Dr. Lamar) Jerome is perfect and it foreshadows what he
later says “I knew it was you all along”
10. “If it did, it would simply mean we did not accurately gauge his potential in the first place”.
This is ironic as Vincent is living beyond his potential and this is reinforced by the camera
flipping to Vincent during Anton and the director’s conversation.
11. “I think only that we will tamper with Mother Nature, I think that Mother wants us to” alludes
to the criticism of eugenics. Overall, the introduction introduces debate surrounding the use of
eugenics.
12. “You keep your work station too clean” (Director Joseph) highlights Vincent’s cleanliness.
13. “It is next to godliness” links back to the quote at the beginning of the film about God.
Travelling to the moon links back to the god Titan and the god theme of the movie.
14. “It’s alright, you’re excused”. The writer reveals that Irene has a vulnerability as she has a
heart condition. It also emphasizes how this society does not challenge Irene and this implies
that your genes can have an effect of limiting you.
15. “you have to be realistic with a heart condition like yours” (Vincent’s mum) highlights that
his parents keep telling him he cannot achieve anything and tells him that he cannot live
beyond his potential.
16. “You could go anywhere with this guy’s DNA tucked under your arm” (Jermain) highlights
that the right genetics means opportunity
17. “Myopia is one of the most obvious signs of a disadvantaged birth” (Jermain) highlights
Vincent is short sighted and is seen as an invalid. Myopia is short sightedness. Vincent is
short sighted. This is ironic as Vincent sees his end goal. Vincent has myopia, this is ironic
given Vincent is nothing but short sighted with his dream as all his actions are deliberate and
calculated to achieve his dream of space.
18. “If he did, it would simply mean we did not accurately gauge his potential in the first place” is
ironic as Vincent is living beyond his potential and this is reinforced by the camera flipping to
Vincent during Anton and Vincent’s conversation.
19. “I don’t think he is there anymore, I think he is playing someone else’s hand” which shows
that suspicion is starting to arise within Gattaca.
20. “ You won’t find a violent bone in my body” (director joseph) is ironic as he was the one who
killed the mission director.
21. “Unfortunately, my son is not all that they promised” highlights the imperfection within the
society of Gattaca.
22. “Right handed men don’t hold it with their left” emphasizes that Dr Lamar knew that Vincent
was posing as a valid.