How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from The Shawshank Redemption.
Quote #4
Red: I remember thinking it would take a man six hundred years to tunnel through the wall with it. Andy did it in less than twenty.
Following the big reveal (Andy's tunnel, in case you weren't sure), Red reflects on how little credit he gave Andy when he handed over the rock hammer twenty years earlier. He not only doubted that Andy could do it; he thought it was impossible. Yes, there's a little lesson in there. Even when a task seems to stretch the constraints of reality, there may just be a way to accomplish it after all.
Okay, your mother asked us to tell you that. To be fair, those dishes have been sitting in the sink since Wednesday.
Quote #5
Red: Geology is the study of pressure and time. That's all it takes, really. Pressure…and time.
A bit "on the nose" as metaphors go, but at least they're up front about it. The "pressure and time" bit could refer both to Andy's cell wall, which got worn away a few crumbs at a time over the course of two decades, or to Andy himself, who felt the weight of his accusation and subsequent imprisonment, but used that burden to spur him to action.
Thank goodness for that rock hammer. If Red had only been able to get him a toothpick, this movie would have taken forever.