The Shawshank Redemption Sin Quotes

Has anyone seen the kettle? The pot over here has something he'd like to pass along…

Hey, warden? How about before you start the name-calling, we take a look inside our own cold, cruel heart, eh? It takes some gall for this creep to start laying into all the Shawshank newbies, considering all the vile business he's gotten himself into. That's kinda what makes him even more disgusting. Not only does he commit crimes like they're going out of style, but he's totally hypocritical about it, too. His mother must be so proud.

Here's a general guideline for life: when someone says something to you while suppressing a laugh, dollars to donuts they aren't being completely honest.

Not that Red's actually trying to fool Andy when he tells him this. Basically, he's just saying that every inmate pretends to maintain his innocence, but it's more a joke than anything else. They're all guilty, and they know it. Which is why everyone has a hard time believing Andy's story, until Tommy ponies up the witness testimony.

This line comes near the end of the film, when Andy asks Red to be straight with him, and tell him if he really committed a crime way back in the day, or whether he was wrongly accused, as Andy was.

Red doesn't pull any punches. He did it, and he's not shying away from that fact. It's important that he confesses his guilt to Andy, too, because it demonstrates regret. Not the kind he often puts on to try to fool the parole board, but real, genuine remorse. When he's finally set free, then, we're not left wondering if he's going to go on an impromptu knifing spree.