Original artwork, not a still
Listen, and understand. That terminator is out there. It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead.
— The Terminator · 1984
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Reese is not comforting her; he is reading out the specification of an enemy, and the list of what it cannot do is scarier than any monster description. The rhythm of three flat denials and an absolute has made it the template for the relentless-pursuer pitch. Fans quote it whenever something refuses to quit, from a deadline to a nagging bug.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The TerminatorShow the scene
On the run after the Tech Noir shootout, Resistance soldier Kyle Reese has bundled a terrified Sarah Connor into a car. She has just been told he is from the future, fights to escape and bites his hand. He answers coldly that cyborgs feel no pain and he does, then delivers this brief on the machine hunting her, a Skynet killer wrapped in living flesh. Sarah, shaken, asks if he can stop it, and he admits he does not know. The Terminator opened in the US on 26 October 1984; James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd wrote it.
Sources (2)
- Wikiquote: The TerminatorReese and Sarah in the car, 'Listen, and understand' exchangeReference checked
- Terminator Wiki: The Terminator (film)Plot summary and infoboxReference checked
Context reviewed
