How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Kramer vs. Kramer.
Quote #1
TED: What about Billy?
JOANNA: I'm not taking him with me. I'm no good for him. I'm terrible with him. I have no patience. He's better off without me.
TED: Joanna, please.
JOANNA: And I don't love you anymore.
While Joanna feels unfit to be Billy's mom, she simply doesn't want to be Ted's wife anymore. Ouch.
Quote #2
TED: Hey, I see the Knicks finally won a game. What do you know?
BILLY: I don't care.
TED: What do you mean?
BILLY: I like Boston.
TED: Boston? Why do you like Boston?
BILLY: Because Mommy's from Boston.
After his traditional family structure breaks down, Billy chooses sides, even when it comes to the small stuff, like NBA hoops. The Celtics were terrible that season, BTW; they had the worst record of any Celtics team between 1950 and 1996. But that doesn't matter to Billy; he just wants Ted to know he's #TeamMommy.
Quote #3
DOCTOR: Now, this'll take about 15 minutes, so will you just step over here?
TED: No, if you're going to do something to him, I want to be in there with him.
DOCTOR: There's no reason for you to be in there.
TED: Yeah, there is. He's my son. If you're gonna do something to him, I'm going to be with him.
Nothing says "My kid is my priority" like watching him get his face stitched up rather than running out of the room shrieking.
Quote #4
TED: What's that say?
BILLY: It says "Kramer."
TED: Kramer. Who's that?
BILLY: That's us.
Aw. They're a family. Families don't need to have a mom, a dad, 2.5 kids, and a dog named Spike. (Hopefully that goes without saying, but, well, it's our job to say it.)
Quote #5
JOANNA: I know I left my son. I know that that's a terrible thing to do. Believe me, I have to live with that every day of my life. But in order to leave him, I had to believe that it was the only thing I could do, and that it was the best thing for him. I was incapable of functioning in that home, and I didn't know what the alternative was going to be, so I thought it was not best that I take him with me. However, I have since gotten some help, and I have worked very, very hard to become a whole human being, and I don't think I should be punished for that, and I don't think my little boy should be punished. Billy's only seven years-old. He needs me. I'm not saying he doesn't need his father, but I really believe he needs me more. I was his mommy for five-and-a-half years, and Ted took over that role for 18 months, but I don't know how anybody can possibly believe I have less of a stake in mothering that little boy than Mr. Kramer does. I'm his mother. I'm his mother.
Joanna's speech cuts right to the heart of the film. What roles do men and women play as parents? If you're the mom in a family, is that the only role you can or should play? Is the mom automatically the most important parent just because she's the mom? Ultimately, the court seems to think so; Ted disagrees (obvi).
Quote #6
MARGARET: Joanna, things are not the same now. Ted is not the same man. You don't know how hard he's tried. They're beautiful together, just beautiful…If you could see them together, Joanna—I mean, maybe you wouldn't be here now.
Margaret's woke. She's seen Ted be a father and a mother to Billy. She knows that the two of them are a complete family unit because she's experienced Ted Kramer 2.0 and the new Kramer family dynamic.
Quote #7
TED: My wife, my ex-wife, says that she loves Billy, and I believe she does, but I don't think that's the issue here. If I understand it correctly, what means the most here is what's best for our son, what's best for Billy.
Kramer vs. Kramer suggests that parenting changes you. Ted starts the film not knowing where his family keeps the bowls or what grade his own son is in. By the end, he has one focus: doing what's best for his family, which in this case, is his kid.
Quote #8
TED: You know, I've had a lot of time to think about what is it that makes somebody a good parent. You know, it has to do with constancy; it has to do with patience. It has to do with listening to him. It has to do with pretending to listen to him when you can't even listen anymore. It has to do with love, like she was saying, and I don't know where it's written that says that a woman has a corner on that market, that a man has any less of those emotions than a woman does.
Now it's Ted's turn to give a speech that sums up the main ideas and questions of the film.
Quote #9
TED: Billy has a home with me. I've made it the best I could. It's not perfect. I'm not a perfect parent. Sometimes, I don't have enough patience—I forget that he's a little kid—but I'm there. I get up in the morning, and then we eat breakfast, and he talks to me, and then we go to school. And then at night, we have dinner together, and we talk then, and I read to him. And we built a life together, and we love each other. If you destroy that, it may be irreparable. Joanna, don't do that, please. Don't do it twice to him.
Here's Ted with the film's message about parenting: You have to show up. Every day. Doesn't matter if you're sick or tired or bored; you show up because, ultimately, it's not about you.
Quote #10
TED: Well, the problem is that your mommy and I both want you to live with us, see? So that's why we decided to go see this man who, I told you, is the judge, and we let him decide because he's very wise and experienced about these things. See, we talked to him for a few days, and after that, we asked him what he thought. Know what he said? He agreed with Mommy, and he thought it'd be a terrific idea if you move in with her and live there from now on. And I'm really lucky because I get to have dinner with you once a week. And two times a month, we spend the weekends together.
After the court's ruling, the structure of the Kramer family, and everybody's roles within it, are set to change once again. We don't know about you, but we think that's a lot to ask from a little kid.
Quote #11
JOANNA: I woke up this morning. I kept thinking about Billy, and I was thinking about him waking up in his room with his little clouds over him that I painted, and I thought I should've painted clouds downtown because…
She trails off, sniffling.
JOANNA: And then he would think that he was waking up at home.
She sighs.
JOANNA: I came here to take my son home, and I realize he already is home.
The court may've sided with Joanna, but ultimately Joanna sides with Ted. Or, really, she sides with Billy, in that she recognizes that what's best for her kid is to stay with his dad. They've formed a tight two-man family in her absence. We can see that Joanna's therapy has given her some self-confidence; her self-worth won't be threatened by not being the primary caregiver.