Nomadland Best Movie Quotes

Fern: Can I tell you something, Swankie?
Swankie: What?
Fern: Been thinking a lot about my husband Bo. When it got really bad at the end, they had him in the hospital on morphine drip, and I would sit there at night, in the hospital. And I’d want to put my thumb down on that morphine drip just a little bit longer, so I could let him go. Maybe I should have tried harder so he could have gone sooner without all that pain.
Swankie: Well, maybe he wouldn’t have wanted that. Maybe he was trying to stay with you as long as he could. I’m sure you took good care of him, Fern.
Fern: I did.

Linda: Where do you go and find scenery like this?
Fern: Right here is where you go.
Linda: Yeah.
Fern: The Badlands.
Linda: The Badlands.
Fern: We be the b**ches of the Badlands.

Fern: Welcome to Badlands Spa. Can I please have a volunteer from the audience?
Linda: Pick me.
Fern: Okay.
[puts a face mask on Linda’s face]
Fern: Oh, doesn’t that feel wonderful?

Linda: This is my land in Arizona. I’m going to build an earthship that’s a totally self‐contained house, built out of tires, and bottles, and cans. So it has no waste. It in no way harms the land, this house. Self-sufficient. It looks like a living piece of art that you’ve made with your own two hands. It’s something that I can leave to my grandchildren. This house would be there for generations. Outlive us all.

Linda: When you get old, you get personality.

Dave: I was at the gas station, and I think it’s better if you don’t drive through the park when it’s dark for your cigarettes. So I got you these.
Fern: What are they?
Dave: Licorice sticks.
Fern: I can’t smoke licorice sticks, Dave.
Dave: I know, but you can chew on these. And, you know, they help curb the urge.
Fern: I’m not going to quit smoking, Dave.
Dave: Yeah, I know. But you should try these. They’re good for the digestion too.
Fern: Fine. Thanks.

Dave: What’s going on?
Fern: Ants. I’ve got ants.
Dave: Oh, ants. They’re okay.
Fern: No, they’re not. They’re in my food, Dave!

Carol: You are one of those lucky people that is from the United States.
Fern: Of the US of A. Yes, I am.
Carol: And you can travel anywhere.
Fern: Yes, ma’am. I know.
Carol: And they sometimes call you “nomads”, or people who don’t have a home.

Carol: I see that you have this ring. Are you married?
Fern: I am, but my husband died.
Carol: And so…
Fern: I’m not going to take that off.
Carol: That ring is a circle. And it never ends. And that means that your love never ends. And you may not be able to take it off if you tried.
Fern: I don’t think I could.
Carol: No.

George: That’s the star, Vega. But it’s twenty-four light years away. So what that means is the light that you’re looking at left Vega in 1987.

George: Jupiter is the largest planet in our entire solar system. Stars blow up, and they shoot plasma and atoms out into space. Sometimes land on Earth. Nourish the soil. They become part of you. So hold out your right hand and look at a star. Because there are atoms from stars that blew up eons ago that landed on this planet, and now they’re in your hand.

James: This place, man. I don’t know why anybody would want to live here.
Fern: Well, I can think of worse places.

James: You want to know a good way to get to know a place?
Fern: What?
James: AA meetings.
Fern: Really?
James: I mean, for me. Back when I was with the band, and I was traveling around, I used to go to AA meetings everywhere. It was a great way to get to know people and to get to know a place.

Dave: [referring to his son] He’s on his way home now. Asked me to come with him.
Fern: You should go.
Dave: He didn’t like it very much, that I wasn’t around when he was young. I tried to be around when he was older, but he was into his thing, and I was into mine, and I guess, I just forgot how to be a dad. Anyway, I wasn’t very good at it.
Fern: Don’t think about it too much, Dave. Just go. Be a grandfather.
Dave: You want to come with me?
Fern: Maybe I can visit sometime.
Dave: Great.

[after her van breaks down and she can’t afford the repairs]
Fern: I live in there. It’s my home.

Fern: I introduced you to George, but I knew George before. So I took her out, and I said, “Listen, George is a really good friend of mine. I don’t want you to mess this up. If you’re not serious about him, don’t mess with him.”
Dolly: And I didn’t mess it up.
Fern: And you said, “What are you talking about?” And so, how many years have you been together?
Dolly: Thirty plus.
Jim: Worked out pretty good.
Dolly: It worked out pretty good. I was able to take care of it on my own, actually, after that introduction.
Fern: You’re welcome.

Fern: It’s strange that you encourage people to invest their whole life savings, go into debt, just to buy a house they can’t afford.
George: Fern, that’s a rather limited look at what we do.
Fern: Is it limited, George?
George: I mean, we’re not all in a position to just chuck everything and hit the road.
Fern: Oh, you think that’s what I’ve done, George? I chucked everything to hit the road? Is that what I did?
George: Alright. I’m sorry.

Dolly: You know, I think that what the nomads are doing is not that different than what the pioneers did. I think Fern’s part of an American tradition. I think it’s great.

Dolly: Why don’t you move in with us?
Fern: I can’t live here. I can’t live in this room. I can’t sleep in this bed. Thank you, but I can’t.
Dolly: I know, we’re not as interesting as the people you meet out there.
Fern: That’s not what I’m talking about.
Dolly: No, that’s what it is. It’s always what’s out there that’s more interesting.

Dolly: You left home as soon as you could. You married Bo after just knowing him a few months. And then you moved to the middle of nowhere with him. And then, even after Bo passed away, you still stayed in Empire. I just didn’t get it. I mean, you could have left.
Fern: Yeah. See, that’s why I can’t come here.

Dolly: I never said this to you before, and maybe I should have. You know, when you were growing up, you were eccentric to other people. You maybe seemed weird. But it was just because you were braver, and more honest than everybody else. And you could see me when I was hiding from everybody. And sometimes you could see me before I saw myself. I needed that in my life. And you’re my sister. I would have loved having you around all these years. You left a big hole by leaving.
Fern: That one’s on me.

James: [as Fern visits Dave] How’s your drive?
Fern: It was great. Little hairy on the end. That’s a scary road.
Mike: In your van? I’ve heard about your van.
Fern: Yeah, yeah.
Mike: I’d like to see it.
Fern: I’ll introduce you at some point.

Fern: You had a flat tire on your van, Dave.
Dave: Oh, okay. I hadn’t noticed.
Fern: Because you’re staying?
Dave: Yeah.
Fern: Good.

Dave: Yeah, I never expected to. Never thought I’d spend another night under a roof, but.
Fern: Well, this is a really nice place, Dave.
Dave: Yeah, you can stay.
Fern: Oh, good, thanks. I need to do laundry.
Dave: You know, I meant stay longer, Fern. They do have a guest house. I’m serious.

Dave: [to Fern] I like you. You know, you’re a good person. You get along with people for the most part. You know, I like being around you. I like being around you.

Emily: [referring to Fern’s home in Empire] What was your house like there?
Fern: Nothing special. Just a company tract house. Actually, it was special. We were right on the edge of town. And our backyard looks out at this huge open space. It was just desert, desert, desert, all the way to the mountains. There was nothing in our way.
Emily: You know, I’m really glad you’re here. Dave really likes you.
Fern: Yeah?
Emily: Yeah. He talks about you a lot.

Fern: Bo never knew his parents, and we never had kids. If I didn’t stay, if I left, it would be like he never existed. I couldn’t pack up and move on. He loved Empire. He loved his work so much. He loved being there. Everybody loved him. So I stayed. Same town, same house. It’s like my dad used to say, “What’s remembered lives.” I maybe spent too much of my life just remembering, Bob.

Bob: I rarely ever talk about my son. But today would be his thirty-third birthday. And five years ago, he took his life. And I can still barely say that in a sentence. And for a long time, every day was, the question was, “How can I be alive on this Earth, when he’s not?” And I didn’t have an answer. And those were some hard, hard days. But I realized that I could honor him by helping people, and serving people. It gives me a reason to go through the day. Some days that’s all I’ve got. And out here, there’s a lot of people our age. And inevitably, there’s grief and loss. And a lot of them don’t get over it either. And that’s okay. That’s okay.

Bob: One of the things I love most about this life is that there’s no final goodbye. You know, I’ve met hundreds of people out here, and I don’t ever say a final goodbye. I always just say, “I’ll see you down the road.” And I do. And whether it’s a month, or a year, or sometimes years, I see them again. And I can look down the road, and I can be certain in my heart that I’ll see my son again. You’ll see Bo again. And you can remember your lives together then.

Man: [as Fern goes back to visit Empire] Are you sure you don’t need any of this stuff?
Fern: No, don’t need any of it. I’m good. I’m not going to miss one thing.
Man: Well, we’ll see you later.