Jake La Motta Quotes in Raging Bull (1980)

[first lines]

Jake La Motta: I remember those cheers / They still ring in my ears / After years, they remain in my thoughts. / Go to one night / I took off my robe, and what'd I do? I forgot to wear shorts. / I recall every fall / Every hook, every jab / The worst way a guy can get rid of his flab. / As you know, my life wasn't drab. / Though I'd much... Though I'd rather hear you cheer / When you delve... Though I'd rather hear you cheer / When I delve into Shakespeare / "A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse", I haven't had a winner in six months.

[he lights a cigar]

Jake La Motta: Though I'm no Olivier / I would much rather... And though I'm no Olivier / If he fought Sugar Ray / He would say / That the thing ain't the ring, it's the play. / So give me a... stage / Where this bull here can rage / And though I could fight / I'd much rather recite /... that's entertainment.

[Sugar Ray Robinson has just battered Jake La Motta half to death, but Jake has stayed on his feet]

Jake La Motta: You didn't get me down, Ray.

[last lines]

Jake La Motta: Go get 'em, champ.

[he begins shadowboxing]

Jake La Motta: I'm da boss, I'm da boss, I'm da boss, I'm da boss, I'm da boss... I'm da boss, I'm da boss, I'm da boss, I'm da boss, I'm da boss, I'm da boss.

Vicki LaMotta: I sucked your brother's cock.

Jake La Motta: You sucked my brother's cock?

Vicki LaMotta: Yeah, I sucked his cock. I sucked all their cocks - what do you want me to tell you?

[as Jake starts moving to leave the house and confront Joey]

Vicki LaMotta: His fucking cock is bigger than yours.

Jake La Motta: Did you fuck my wife?

Joey LaMotta: What?

Jake La Motta: Did you fuck my wife?

Joey LaMotta: [pauses] How do you ask me that? I'm your brother and you ask me that? Where do you get you're balls big enough to ask me that?

Jake La Motta: You're very smart, Joey. You're giving me a lot of answers, but you ain't giving me the right answer. I'm gonna ask you again: did you or did you not?

Joey LaMotta: I'm not gonna answer that. It's stupid. It's a sick question and you're a sick fuck and I'm not that sick that I'm gonna answer it. I'm leaving, If Nora calls tell her I went home. I'm not staying in this nuthouse with you. You're a sick bastard, I feel sorry for you, I really do. You know what you should do? Try a little more fucking and a little less eating, so you won't have problems upstairs in the bedroom and you pick on me and everybody else. You understand me, you fucking wacko? You're cracking up! Fucking screw ball ya!

Jake La Motta: Don't give me that look, Joey. I gotta accept your answer, you know? But If I hear anything, I swear on our mother I'm gonna kill somebody. I'm gonna kill somebody, Joey.

Joey LaMotta: [angrily] Well go ahead and kill if you're a tough guy, go kill people! Kill Vicki, kill Salvy, kill Tommy Como, kill me while you're at it, what do I care? You kill yourself, the way you eat! Ya fat fuck, look at you!

Jake La Motta: What do you mean - I don't understand, kill you?

Joey LaMotta: Me! Kill me, start here! Do me a fuckin' favour! Cause you're driving me crazy! You're a killer, you're a big shot, just kill. You're a killer.

Jake La Motta: Come on, hit me. Harder. Harder.

Joey LaMotta: What the fuck do you want? That's hard. What are you trying to prove?

Jake La Motta: Did Salvy fuck Vickie?

Joey LaMotta: What?

Jake La Motta: Did Salvy fuck Vickie?

Joey LaMotta: Jack. Jack, don't start your shit. I mean it, don't start.

Joey LaMotta: Hey Jack, I just explained the whole thing to you didn't I. It was between me and Salvy. If it had anything to do with Vicki I would've told you about it.

Jake La Motta: That's not what I heard Joey.

Joey LaMotta: What do you mean that's not what you heard?

Jake La Motta: That's not what I heard.

Joey LaMotta: What did you hear?

Jake La Motta: I heard some things.

Joey LaMotta: You heard about me and Salvy.

Jake La Motta: I heard things Joey.

Joey LaMotta: Yeah you heard that I cracked Salvy all around. What did you hear?

Jake La Motta: I heard things Joey. I heard things.

Joey LaMotta: What things you heard?

Jake La Motta: I heard some things.

Joey LaMotta: She ain't the kind of girl you just fuck and forget about, this girl.

Jake La Motta: Joey, how many times I gotta tell ya? Why're you always cursin' when I'm talkin' to you? Don't do it around me. Do it around your friends.

Joey LaMotta: She's a, the kind of girl you bang and forget about - she's not like that. You gotta spend time with her, get involved, you know...

Jake La Motta: D'you bang her?

Joey LaMotta: No.

Jake La Motta: Tell me the truth.

Joey LaMotta: I just told you the truth. I tell you the truth the first time. You don't have to ask me again. I never do that. I always tell you the truth. If I did it, you would know. I took her out a couple of times.

Jake La Motta: You went out with her and you didn't try to fuck her?

Joey LaMotta: I try to fuck anything.

Jake La Motta: I got these small hands. I got a little girl's hands.

Jake La Motta: You punch like you take it up the ass.

Jake La Motta: She says he's pretty.

Joey LaMotta: Yeah, well, you make him ugly.

Jake La Motta: Who's an animal? Your mother's an animal, ya son of a bitch.

Jake La Motta: Is it done?

Irma: No, it's not done.

Jake La Motta: Don't overcook it. You overcook it, it's no good. It defeats its own purpose.

[Irma gives Jake a stern but nasty look]

Jake La Motta: What are you doin'? I just said don't overcook it. You're overcookin' it, bring it over.

Irma: You want your steak?

Jake La Motta: Bring it over. Bring it over! It's like a piece of charcoal! Bring it over here!

Irma: You want your steak?

Jake La Motta: YEAH, RIGHT NOW!

[Irma stabs the steak, exits the stove and slams the steak on his plate. She hastily pours carrots on the plate]

Irma: Okay. There's your stupid steak. Can't wait for it to be done?

Jake La Motta: No, I can't wait.

Irma: Good! Okay? Happy? Happy?

Jake La Motta: That's all I want. That's all I want!

Irma: That's... there! No, more! There!

[Jake routinely flips the table, spilling the contents all over the floor]

Jake La Motta: Bodder me abott a steak? Huh?

Irma: That's GREAT!

Jake La Motta: YOU BODDA ME ABOTT A STEAK?

Irma: YEAH!

Joey LaMotta: They only gave him that fuckin' decision because he's goin' in the Army next week. That's the only reason.

Jake La Motta: I knocked him down. I don't know what else I gotta do. I don't know what I gotta do...

Joey LaMotta: You won and they robbed ya! They're miserable because their mothers take it up the fuckin' ass! That's why.

Jake La Motta: I've done a lot of bad things, Joey. Maybe it's comin' back to me. Who knows? I'm a jinx maybe. Who the hell knows?

Jake La Motta: [talking about Janiro] Yeah, he's a nice kid, pretty kid, don't know whether to fuck him or fight him.

Jake La Motta: I get ya's both in the ring, I'll give ya both a fuckin' beatin', ya both can fuck each other.

Jake La Motta: I heard things.

Jake La Motta: Friends. They're in a huddle. Big business meeting. By the pool, they sit around and talk. Big deals. They make sure she can hear. Big Man. Get the fuck outta here. Big shot. Get 'em all in a back room, smack 'em around, no more big shot, without his gun. They're tough guys. They're all tough guys.

Jake La Motta: [talks about Janiro] I'm gonna open his hole like this. Please excuse my French. I'm gonna make him suffer. I'm gonna make his mother wish she never had him - make him into dog meat... He's a nice, a nice kid. He's a pretty kid, too. I mean I don't know, I gotta problem if I should fuck him or fight him.

Tommy Como: [laughs] You're crazy. Fuck him or fight him.

Salvy Batts: If you're really in love with that fucker, just watch out.

Jake La Motta: By who?

Salvy Batts: Janiro.

Jake La Motta: You mean, you want me to get him to fuck you?

Salvy Batts: Me?

Jake La Motta: Yeah.

Salvy Batts: No, I don't want him to fuck me.

Jake La Motta: I could do that easily.

Salvy Batts: How ya gonna do that?

Jake La Motta: Because I'll get youse both in a ring, I'll give youse both a fuckin' beatin', ya both can fuck each other.

Salvy Batts: I get all full of blood.

Jake La Motta: You're used to that.

[to Joey]

Jake La Motta: Shut up. You just shut up. I'll fucking take care of you later.

Jake La Motta: Look at that. Look how they make me look. Like a bum, like a mammalucco.

Joey LaMotta: A what?

Jake La Motta: Like the mammalucco of the year.

Jake La Motta: Larry!