If they ever try to trace any of those accounts, they're gonna end up chasing a figment of my imagination.
Andy Dufresne
- Director
- Frank Darabont
- Cast
- Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler, James Whitmore, Clancy Brown
- Year
- 1994
- Runtime
- 142 min
- Genres
- drama film, buddy film, prison film
- Country
- United States
Facts: Wikidata (CC0), as of 2026-07-09
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Adapted from a Stephen King novella, The Shawshank Redemption (1994) flopped in cinemas against Pulp Fiction and Forrest Gump, then became, by many measures, the best-loved film of its decade through video rental and endless cable rotation. 'Get busy living, or get busy dying' is the film's hinge -- spoken first by Andy as quiet resolve and repeated by Red as the lesson learned. Morgan Freeman's narration made the line so associated with him that it is often misattributed as his own philosophy.
It's my life. Don't you understand? It's my life!
Andy
That’s the beauty of music. They can’t take that away from you.
Andy
And it's Fat-ass by a nose!
Heywood
And that also is very convenient, isn't it, Mr. Dufresne?
Prosecutor
Andy Dufresne - who crawled through a river of shit and came out clean on the other side.
Red
Andy Dufresne - who crawled through a river of shit and came out cleen on the other side.
Red
Forty years I been asking permission to piss. I can't squeeze a drop without say-so.
Red
His first night in the joint, Andy Dufresne cost me two packs of cigarettes. He never made a sound.
Red
I mean, really, how often do you look at a man’s shoes?
Red
I must admit I didn't think much of Andy first time I laid eyes on him; looked like a stiff breeze would blow him over. That was my first impression of the man.
Red
Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.
Red
Prison life consists of routine, and then more routine.
Red
These walls are kind of funny. First you hate 'em, then you get used to 'em. Enough time passes, gets so you depend on them. That's institutionalized. They send you here for life, that's exactly what they take. The part that counts, anyways.
Red
You could argue he’d done it to curry favor with the guards. Or, maybe make a few friends among us cons. Me, I think he did it just to feel normal again, if only for a short while.
Red
You're gonna fit right in. Everyone in here is innocent. Heywood, what're you in here for?
Red
I believe in two things: discipline and the Bible. Here you'll receive both. Put your trust in the Lord; your ass belongs to me. Welcome to Shawshank.
Warden Samuel Norton