How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Finding Nemo.
Quote #1
CORAL: Just think that in a couple of days, we're gonna be parents!
MARLIN: Yeah. What if they don't like me?
CORAL: Marlin.
MARLIN: No, really.
CORAL: There's over 400 eggs. Odds are, one of them is bound to like you.
Becoming a parent is an exciting time (kids, just ask your parents) and Marlin is no different from any other dad-to-be. He wants what's best for his little offspring… and is more than a little worried. Turns out, he's right to be nervous.
Quote #2
NEMO: I wanna go home. Does anyone know where my dad is?
PEACH: Honey, your father's probably back at the pet store.
NEMO: Pet store?
BLOAT: Yeah. Like, I'm from Bob's Fish Mart.
Poor Nemo. Not only is he missing his dad, but he's the only one in this new fish tank with family ties. What's a fish to do without a family? Make one of your own.
Quote #3
GILL: Okay, Sharkbait's one of us now, agreed?
BLOAT/BUBBLES/GURGLE: Agreed!
GILL: We can't send him off to his death. Darla's coming in five days, so what are we gonna do? I'll tell you what we're gonna do: we're gonna get him outta here. We're gonna help him escape.
Family Truth #14: family always watches your back. Nemo may have lost his dad, but he's also found a pretty great substitute family with these guys. The Tank Gang initiates Nemo into their club and then hatches a plan to try to stop him from becoming another one of Darla's victims.
Quote #4
MARLIN: I can't afford any more delays and you're one of those fish that causes delays. Sometimes it's a good thing. There's a whole group of fish. They're delay fish.
DORY: You mean...You mean you don't like me?
MARLIN: No, of course I like you. It's because I like you I don't want to be with you. It's a complicated emotion.
Meanwhile, Marlin has found his own makeshift family member in Dory. Except he's less thrilled about it. Dory might be trying to help, but she's also really slowing Marlin up. And honestly, who hasn't felt this way about a relative before? Sure, you like them…but you also can't stand to be around them. True story.
Quote #5
DORY: Hey, what's wrong?
MARLIN: What's wrong? While they're busy doing their little impressions, I'm miles from home with a fish who can't even remember her name.
DORY: Boy, I bet that's frustrating.
MARLIN: Meanwhile, my son is missing.
[…]
MARLIN: But it doesn't matter, because no one in this entire ocean is going to help me.
DORY: Well, I'm helping you.
Awww. Marlin's pretty down because he can't seem to reconnect with his son and no one is trying to help him. No one except Dory, that is. Marlin finally realizes why he shouldn't quite give up on Dory yet. He might just need her love and friendship on his way to finding Nemo.
Quote #6
NEMO: I'm sorry I couldn't stop the...
GILL: No, I'm the one who should be sorry. I was so ready to get out, so ready to taste that ocean, I was willing to put you in harm's way to get there. Nothing should be worth that.
Before this moment, we might have suspected Gill's motivations for helping Nemo were kind of selfish. But, this changes everything. Gill reaffirms his love for Nemo. He's part of the Tank Gang family now and nothing, not even escaping back to ocean, is worth hurting a family member.
Quote #7
CRUSH: Aw, it's awesome, Jellyman. Little dudes are just eggs, leave 'em on the beach to hatch, then coo-coo-ca-choo, they find their way back to the big 'ol blue.
MARLIN: All by themselves?
CRUSH: Yeah.
MARLIN: But dude, how do you know when they're ready?
CRUSH: Well, you never really know. But when they'll know, you'll know, you know?
Oh, man. This is what every parent's dilemma. Crush knows that loving your kids is a balance. They need your love and support, but they need to be able to swim with their own two fins, too. Meanwhile, Marlin's been trying to hold on so tight to his son, that he nearly smothered him.
Quote #8
DORY: No. No, you can't. Stop! Please don't go away. Please? No one's ever stuck with me for so long before. And if you leave... if you leave... I just… I remember things better with you. I do, look. P. Sherman, forty-two... forty-two... I remember it, I do. It's there. I know it is, because when I look at you, I can feel it. And I look at you, and I... and I'm home. Please... I don't want that to go away. I don't want to forget.
MARLIN: I'm sorry, Dory, but I do.
Okay, anytime Dory is sad, we're sad. Sure, she and Marlin made a great team, but Marlin just can't stay with her anymore. His new connection to Dory reminds him of everything he's lost—his son, the only family he has left in the world.