Little Manhattan Quotes

A 10-year-old and an 11-year-old find love in New York City.

Gabe: Love is an ugly, terrible business practiced by fools. It'll trample your heart and leave you bleeding on the floor. And what does it really get you in the end? Nothing but a few incredible memories that you can't ever shake. The truth is, there's gonna be other girls out there. I mean, I hope. But I'm never gonna get another first love. That one is always gonna be her.

Gabe: Suddenly, I knew what I had to do. Love isn't about ridiculous little words. Love is about grand gestures. Love is about airplanes pulling banners over stadiums, proposals on jumbo-trons, giant words in sky writing. Love is about going that extra mile even if it hurts, letting it all hang out there. Love is about finding courage inside of you that you didn't even know was there.

Gabe: Dad, what's the deal with girls? I mean, why are they the way they are?
Adam: You're talking to the wrong man.
Gabe: Well, how come all love has to end?
Adam: Let me tell you something about me and your mom. Once upon a time, we really loved each other, but as time went by, there just got to be all these things, little things, stupid things, that were left unsaid. And all these things that were left unsaid piled up, like the clutter in our storage room. And after awhile, there was so much that was left unsaid, that we barely said anything at all.
Gabe: Well, why didn't you just say them then, dad?
Adam: I don't know, Gabe. I kind of wish I had.

Gabe: The truth is, you come into this world alone and leave it the exact same way.

Gabe: [thinking] Geez it was easier scheduling Arab-Israeli peace talks than making a date with this girl!

Gabe: [watching Rosemary looking at herself in the mirror in her flower girl dress] Okay, what's going on here? What the heck is this? Oh my God. What's this feeling in the pit of my stomach? Who is this - this amazing creature before me? I looked at Rosemary and just felt so, um, confused. She's a girl. I'm supposed to despise girls, not feel nervous talking to one, not feel tongue-tied. I mean this was Rosemary Telesco, I knew her since Kindergarten!

Leslie: Maybe not everything is supposed to last forever. Certain things are like... like... skywriting. Like, like, like a really beautiful thing that lasts for a couple moments and then... You know?
Gabe: [cries] Mommy!
Leslie: I know, honey. Love sucks.
Gabe: Yeah.

Gabe: But it wasn't that easy. I guess love never is.

Gabe: Never had I been so keenly aware of the ability of palm to manufacture sweat, but I was determined to hold that girl's hand for every single second.

Gabe: It was the pain that had no name.
[talking about love]

Gabe: Somewhere a million miles away, the girl I once loved was going down her road, and I was stuck back on mine.

Rosemary: But I thought you hate me.
Gabe: I don't. I lied.
Gabe: [thinking] I wasn't gonna be like my father. I wasn't gonna let all these things left unsaid smother me.
Gabe: Rosemary, I love you.
Rosemary: You what?
Gabe: I do. I'm sorry, but I love you more than anyone's ever loved. I love you, I love you, I love you.
Gabe: [thinking] How's that for letting it all hang out there? And hang, and hang, and hang.
Gabe: You think you might wanna love me, too?
Rosemary: I don't know what I think, Gabe, I'm only 11. I don't think I'm ready to be in love.
Gabe: I'm not ready and I'm doing it!
Rosemary: Maybe I was wrong, maybe girls don't mature faster.
Gabe: No they do, they do, you know they do. You even said so at the park. We at least mature at the same rate.
Rosemary: I don't know what mature is anymore, but I'm really happy you came. Do you want to dance, Gabe?
Gabe: Sure, what the hell.

Gabe: It's amazing how quickly time moves. Just yesterday, I thought I loved her, but now, I don't even care about her at all.

Gabe: As I held onto Rosemary Telesco for dear life, we both knew the truth. She was going off to camp and eventually, private school. We were on different roads, she and me. Two ships that passed in Sheep Meadow.

Adam: I just cleared some old stuff out of the storage room.

Gabe: ...I'm never gonna get another first love. That one is always gonna be her.

Gabe: Look at me. I can bounce back. I don't need some girl in my life for me to happy.

Gabe: What choice did I have but to return to my old, miserable life? Wait a minute. You were happy. Oh, please! I was miserable. I just didn't know how miserable I was.

Gabe: This much I know firsthand - love hurts.

Gabe: With that girl's arms around me... there was nothing I couldn't do.

Gabe: There are very few things more painful than watching the woman you love grapple with another man. Actually, I take that back. There are no things more painful.

Gabe: [practicing in the mirror] Hey Rosemary. Hey there, pretty lady. How's it goin, girl? Hey, Rosemary Telesco.

Gabe: Never had I felt so alive! I had a date with Rosemary! Was there any better age to be in any better city in the world?

Gabe: Where's that Rosemary? The Rosemary I loved? Not this alien with her crazy weekends!

Birdie: You nearly gave me a heart attack! Where were you girl?

Gabe: [thinking] My first date. The big spender. Häagen-Dazs all the way, baby. So, how come I have nothing to say to her. Why isn't she looking at me? Am I that hideous? Do I Smell?
Gabe: You um come here often?
Rosemary: Central Park?
Gabe: Um, yeah.
Gabe: [thinking] What kind of question is that? I hate myself.

Gabe: Where's the whole wish you can come to the wedding? Where's that Rosemary? The Rosemary i loved? Not this alien with her crazy weekend. You're new sparing partner is he coming to the wedding?
Rosemary: What Tim?
Gabe: Oh is that what you call him? Are you calling him after you call me?
Rosemary: What are you talking about?
Gabe: I'm talking about you and Tim Staples sitting in a tree K.I.S.S.I.N.G first comes love then comes marriage then comes Tim Staples in a baby carriage.
Rosemary: You sound crazy you know that?
Gabe: Why don't you have time this weekend?
Rosemary: I'm sorry Gabe i haven't even started packing.
Gabe: You know what? I hate you!
Rosemary: What?
Gabe: I hate you! Why do you even care? I hate you!
Rosemary: Well i hate you too!
Gabe: I hate you more!
Rosemary: How can you say something so mean? I hate you!

Gabe: Does she like like me?

Gabe: Is there anything worse than dress shopping? I would rather have my toenails peeled off one by one with pliers than spend five minutes in the dress store.

Gabe: I was charming and suave. Everything you could hope to be on your first real date.

Old Man on the Street: I had a girlfriend once upon a time, too. She trampled my heart. Left me bleeding on the floor. Run.
Gabe: What?
Old Man on the Street: Run while you still can, brother. Take my advice. Make like the wind.

Gabe: [thinking while standing with Rosemary and Ronny] Is there anything more excruciating than you and your date and your mom's date all hanging out with absolutely nothing to say?
Ronny: Don't do anything I wouldn't do, okay kiddo?
Gabe: Okay, that's more excruciating.

Gabe: Look at them all. Rats in their cages, their lives destroyed by love. I'm done with it. I won't be like them. The fools.

Gabe: I had no idea what she was thinking she was this total mystery to me. Did I want to kiss Rosemary Telesco? Yes I guess I did. I wanted to more than anything on Earth.
Gabe: Do you want some Gatorade?
Gabe: Who was I kidding anyway? Was I really going to kiss her? I mean come on she's eleven, I'm ten well ten and three quarters actually. She's May, I'm September.

Leslie: I didn't know you were having a play date, or I wouldn't have made plans. Should I stay?
Gabe: It's not a play date, mom, it's practice.

Gabe: This is my level? David Betanahu? How could this happen? She's with Ashton Kutcher over there and i'm stuck with the sweatiest ten year old in Manhattan. The kid's even got a moustache since nursery school.

Gabe: See, this is just like I told you. Same thing I knew getting into this whole mess - love ends.

Gabe: [thinking] And the next morning, something kind of amazing happened. The sun came out again.

Gabe: I couldn't escape them, all the little things I left unsaid, I was drowning in them.

Karate Sensei: So we're going to switch sparring partners to make sure everyone's in their level. That means Tim you'll be with Rosemary.
Gabe: Could this be? My woman getting ripped from my hands like this? I can see where all this leads.
Paster: Do you Rosemary Telesco take Tim Staples to be you lovely wedded husband?
Gabe: No! Rosemary!

Karate Sensei: And Gabe, your new sparring partner will be David Betanahu.

Birdie: Oh look at that you see that? I knew your folks were going to keep them together didn't i say it?
Rosemary: Let's go practice in my room
Gabe: Okay.
Birdie: Oh come on! He's no good for you! Get back in the truck!

Gabe: I loathed myself for feeling like I did. I mean, this is crazy. She's a girl for God's sake, it's not like she's a New York Knick or something.

Gabe: This was no time for small talk. It was time to lay things on the table. To reach through the phone line and dig deep into that woman's soul.

Gabe: See, life is about so much more than Rosemary. I had my family, my health, my kicking career. I really had no room for a woman in my life.

Gabe: [after intense karate battle daydream] If only life were that simple.

Little Manhattan Quotes

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