Winston Groom who wrote Forrest Gump grew up in Mobile, Alabama. His mother Ruth Groom was a high school English teacher at my high school Murphy High School. Winston Groom however went to a private military academy called UMS(University Military School) in Mobile, Alabama.UMS Prep School:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UMS-Wright
Here is really good bio information about Winston Groom:
http://biography.jrank.org/pages/4380/Groom-Winston.html
Memorable Quotes From Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump: Will you marry me? [Jenny turns and looks at him] Forrest Gump: I'd make a good husband, Jenny. Jenny Curran: You would, Forrest. Forrest Gump: ...But you won't marry me. Jenny Curran: [sadly] ... You don't wanna marry me. Forrest Gump: Why don't you love me, Jenny? [Jenny says nothing] Forrest Gump: I'm not a smart man... but I know what love is.
[young Jenny's father is chasing her through the fields to beat her when she stops and hides] Young Jenny Curran: Dear God, make me a bird. So I could fly far. Far far away from here.
[repeated line] Forrest Gump: My momma always said, "Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."
Mrs. Gump: You have to do the best with what God gave you.
Drill Sergeant: Gump! What's your sole purpose in this army? Forrest Gump: To do whatever you tell me, drill sergeant! Drill Sergeant: God damn it, Gump! You're a god damn genius! This is the most outstanding answer I have ever heard. You must have a goddamn I.Q. of 160. You are goddamn gifted, Private Gump. Listen up, people... Forrest Gump: [narrates] Now for some reason I fit in the army like one of them round pegs. It's not really hard. You just make your bed real neat and remember to stand up straight and always answer every question with "Yes, drill sergeant." Drill Sergeant: ...Is that clear? Forrest Gump: Yes, drill sergeant!
Forrest Gump: Mama always said, dying was a part of life.
Forrest Gump: You died on a Saturday morning. And I had you placed here under our tree. And I had that house of your father's bulldozed to the ground. Momma always said dyin' was a part of life. I sure wish it wasn't. Little Forrest, he's doing just fine. About to start school again soon. I make his breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. I make sure he combs his hair and brushes his teeth every day. Teaching him how to play ping-pong. He's really good. We fish a lot. And every night, we read a book. He's so smart, Jenny. You'd be so proud of him. I am. He, uh, wrote a letter, and he says I can't read it. I'm not supposed to, so I'll just leave it here for you. Jenny, I don't know if Momma was right or if, if it's Lieutenant Dan. I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it's both. Maybe both is happening at the same time. I miss you, Jenny. If there's anything you need, I won't be far away.
Forrest Gump: He should not be hitting you, Jenny.
Forrest Gump: Lieutenant Dan. Ice cream.
Forrest Gump: And cause I was a gazillionaire, and I liked doin it so much, I cut that grass for free.
Forrest Gump: I gotta find Bubba!
Forrest Gump: Her dream had come true. She was a folk singer.
Forrest Gump: When I was in China on the All-American Ping Pong team, I just loved playing ping-pong with my Flexolite ping pong paddle.
Forrest Gump: Mama says they was magic shoes. They could take me anywhere.
Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: Have you found Jesus yet, Gump? Forrest Gump: I didn't know I was supposed to be looking for him, sir.
Forrest Gump: Lieutenant Dan, what are you doing here? Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: I'm here to try out my sea legs. Forrest Gump: But you ain't got no legs, Lieutenant Dan. Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: [mildly irritated, but understanding] Yes... yes, I know that. You wrote me a letter, you idiot!
Jenny Curran: Do you think I could fly off this bridge, Forrest? Forrest Gump: What do you mean, Jenny? Jenny Curran: Nothing.
[Forrest has finished assembling his rifle] Forrest Gump: DONE, DRILL SERGEANT! Drill Sergeant: GUUUUUUMP! Why did you put that weapon together so quickly, Gump? Forrest Gump: [confused] You told me to, Drill Sergeant? Drill Sergeant: Jesus H. Christ! [looks at stopwatch] Drill Sergeant: This is a new company record! If it wouldn't be such a waste of a damn-fine enlisted man I'd recommend you for OCS! You are gonna be a general someday, Gump, now disassemble your weapon and continue!
Bubba: Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it.
Bubba: Have you ever been on a real shrimp boat? Forrest Gump: No, but I've been on a real big boat.
Forrest Gump: Now you wouldn't believe me if I told you, but I could run like the wind blows. From that day on, if I was ever going somewhere, I was running!
[repeated line] Forrest Gump: Stupid is as stupid does.
Pvt. Dallas from Phoenix: [Forrest is watching "Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C."] Gump, how can you watch that stupid shit? Turn it off.
Forrest Gump: You know it's funny what a young man recollects? 'Cause I don't remember bein' born. I don't recall what I got for my first Christmas and I don't know when I went on my first outdoor picnic. But I do remember the first time I heard the sweetest voice in the wide world.
Mrs. Gump: Life's a box of chocolates, Forrest. You never know what you're gonna get.
Forrest Gump: Sometimes, I guess there just aren't enough rocks.
Fat Man at Bench: It was a bullet, wasn't it? Forrest Gump: A bullet? Fat Man at Bench: That jumped up and bit you. Forrest Gump: Oh, yes sir. Bit me right in the buttocks. They said it was a million dollar wound, but the army must keep that money 'cause I still haven't seen a nickel of that million dollars.
Forrest Gump: I'm sorry I had to fight in the middle of your Black Panther party.
Bubba: My given name is Benjamin Buford Blue, but people call me Bubba. Just like one of them ol' redneck boys. Can you believe that? Forrest Gump: My name's Forrest Gump. People call me Forrest Gump.
[first lines] Forrest Gump: Hello. My name's Forrest, Forrest Gump. You want a chocolate?
Forrest Gump: I'm sorry I ruined your New Year's Eve party, Lieutenant Dan. She tasted like cigarettes.
Jenny Curran: His name's Forrest. Forrest Gump: Like me. Jenny Curran: I named him after his daddy. Forrest Gump: He got a daddy named Forrest, too? Jenny Curran: You're his daddy, Forrest.
Forrest Gump: When I got tired, I slept. When I got hungry, I ate. When I had to go, you know, I went. Elderly Southern Woman on Park Bench: And so, you just ran? Forrest Gump: Yeah.
Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: Where are you boys from in the world? Forrest Gump, Bubba: Alabama, sir! Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: You twins? Forrest Gump: No, we are not relations, sir.
Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: That's what all these cripples down at the VA talk about: Jesus this and Jesus that. They even had a priest come and talk to me. He said God is listening and if I found Jesus, I'd get to walk beside him in the kingdom of Heaven. Did you hear what I said? WALK beside him in the kingdom of Heaven! Well kiss my crippled ass. God is listening? What a crock of shit.
[repeated line] Forrest Gump: That's all I have to say about that.
Forrest Gump: Hello. I'm Forrest, Forrest Gump. Recruit Officer: Nobody gives a hunky shit who you are, pus ball. You're not even a low-life, scum-sucking maggot. Get your ass on the bus, you're in the army now!
Jenny Curran: Have you ever been with a girl, Forrest? Forrest Gump: [nervously] I sit next to them in my Home Economics class...
John F. Kennedy: Congratulations, how do you feel? Forrest Gump: I gotta pee. John F. Kennedy: [turning to camera] I believe he said he had to go pee. Heh heh.
Lyndon B. Johnson: [Putting medal on Forrest] America owes you a debt of gratitude, son. Now I understand you were wounded. Where were you hit? Forrest Gump: In the buttocks. Lyndon B. Johnson: Oh that must be a sight. [Whispering to Forrest] Lyndon B. Johnson: I'd like to see that. [Forrest shows him; Johnson walks away embarrassed] Lyndon B. Johnson: God damn, son.
Abbie Hoffman: Tell us a little bit about the war, man. Forrest Gump: The war in Vietnam? Abbie Hoffman: [to audience] War in Viet-Fucking-Nam! [Audience cheers]
Richard M. Nixon: Therefore, I shall resign the presidency effective at noon tomorrow. Vice president Ford will be sworn into office at that hour in this office.
Forrest Gump: [in the Watergate hotel; on phone with security] Yeah, sir, you might want to send a maintenance man over to that office across the way. The lights are off, and they must be looking for a fuse box, 'cause them flashlights, they keep me awake.
[Forrest has just graduated from college] Recruit Officer: Have you given any thought to your future, son? Forrest Gump: "Thought"?
[Describing Vietnam] Forrest Gump: We was always taking long walks, and we was always looking for a guy named "Charlie".
Forrest Gump: The best thing about visiting the President is the food! Now, since it was all free, and I wasn't hungry but thirsty, I must've drank me fifteen Dr. Peppers.
Forrest Gump: [dejected] No shrimp. Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: Where the Hell is this God of yours? Forrest Gump: [narrating] It's funny Lieutenant Dan said that, 'cause right then, God showed up.
Forrest Gump: My Mama always said you've got to put the past behind you before you can move on.
[Forrest Gump referring to Apple Computer] Forrest Gump: Lieutenant Dan got me invested in some kind of fruit company. So then I got a call from him, saying we don't have to worry about money no more. And I said, that's good! One less thing.
Bumper Sticker Guy: [running after Forrest] Hey man! Hey listen, I was wondering if you might help me. 'Cause I'm in the bumper sticker business and I've been trying to think of a good slogan, and since you've been such a big inspiration to the people around here I thought you might be able to help me jump into - WOAH! Man, you just ran through a big pile of dog shit! Forrest Gump: It happens. Bumper Sticker guy: What, shit? Forrest Gump: Sometimes.
Forrest Gump: [running] I had run for 3 years, 2 months, 14 days, and 16 hours. [he stops and turns around] Young Man Running: Quiet, quiet! He's gonna say something! Forrest Gump: [pause] I'm pretty tired... I think I'll go home now.
Dorothy Harris: Are you coming along? Young Forrest Gump: Mama said not to be taking rides from strangers. Dorothy Harris: This is the bus to school. Young Forrest Gump: I'm Forrest, Forrest Gump. Dorothy Harris: I'm Dorothy Harris. Young Forrest Gump: Well, now we ain't strangers anymore.
[last lines] Dorothy Harris: You understand this is the bus to the school, now, don'tcha? Forrest Gump Jr.: Of course; you're Dorothy Harris, and I'm Forrest Gump.
Jenny Curran: Were you scared in Vietnam? Forrest Gump: Yes. Well, I-I don't know. Sometimes it would stop raining long enough for the stars to come out... and then it was nice. It was like just before the sun goes to bed down on the bayou. There was always a million sparkles on the water... like that mountain lake. It was so clear, Jenny, it looked like there were two skies one on top of the other. And then in the desert, when the sun comes up, I couldn't tell where heaven stopped and the earth began. It's so beautiful. Jenny Curran: I wish I could've been there with you. Forrest Gump: You were.
Old man in barbershop: That boy sure is a runnin' fool!
Forrest Gump: Mama always had a way of explaining things so I could understand them.
Forrest Gump: What's my destiny, Mama? Mrs. Gump: You're gonna have to figure that out for yourself.
Forrest Gump: That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd run to the end of town. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd just run across Greenbow County. And I figured, since I run this far, maybe I'd just run across the great state of Alabama. And that's what I did. I ran clear across Alabama. For no particular reason I just kept on going. I ran clear to the ocean. And when I got there, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well turn around, just keep on going. When I got to another ocean, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well just turn back, keep right on going.
Forrest Gump: In the land of China, people hardly got nothing at all. John Lennon: No possessions? Forrest Gump: And in China they never go to church. John Lennon: No religion too? Dick Cavett: Ah. Hard to imagine. John Lennon: Well it's easy if you try, Dick.
Coach Bryant: That kid may be the stupidest son of a bitch I've ever seen, but he sure is fast!
Mrs. Gump: Remember what I told you, Forrest. You're no different than anybody else is. Did you hear what I said, Forrest? You're the same as everybody else. You are no different. Principal: Your boy's... different, Miz Gump. His IQ's 75. Mrs. Gump: Well, we're all different, Mr. Hancock. There must be something that can be done? Principal: Is there a Mr. Gump, Miz Gump? Mrs. Gump: He's on vacation.
Young Forrest Gump: Mama. What's vacation? Mrs. Gump: Vacation's when you go somewhere... and you never come back.
Jenny Curran: Do you ever dream, Forrest, about who you're gonna be? Forrest Gump: Who I'm gonna be? Jenny Curran: Yeah. Forrest Gump: Aren't-aren't I going to be me?
Jenny Curran: You can't keep trying to rescue me all the time. Forrest Gump: They was trying to grab you. Jenny Curran: A lot of people try to grab me.
Jenny Curran: Can I have a ride? Pickup-Truck Driver: Where are you going? Jenny Curran: I don't care.
Forrest Gump: He was from a long great military tradition. Somebody from his family had fought and died in every single American war. I guess you could say he had a lot to live up to.
Forrest Gump: Lieutenant Dan was always getting these funny feelings about a rock or a trail or the road, so he'd tell us to get down, shut up. Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: Get down! Shut up! Forrest Gump: So we did.
[Forrest Gump listing some of his comrades] Forrest Gump: There was Dallas, from Phoenix; Cleveland - he was from Detroit; and Tex... well, I don't remember where Tex come from.
[when the bullies from school were chasing him] Jenny Curran: Run, Forrest! Run!
[Forrest is waiting with Forrest Jr. for the school bus on little Forrest's first day of school in Greenbow. The bus arrives and little Forrest is about to board it] Forrest Gump: Forrest, don't... [pause, then] Forrest Gump: I just wanted to tell you I love you. Forrest Gump Jr.: [smiles] I love you too, Dad.
Jenny Curran: Why are you so good to me? Forrest Gump: You're my girl! Jenny Curran: [pause] I'll always be your girl.
Forrest Gump: [to Jenny] They're sendin' me to Vietnam... [Jenny is despondent] Forrest Gump: ...It's this whole 'nuther country.
[Jenny has told Forrest that she has an incurable disease, and the doctors don't know what to do] Forrest Gump: You could come home with me, to my house in Greenbow, Jenny. You and little Forrest. If you're sick, I'll take care of you. Jenny Curran: Will you marry me, Forrest? Forrest Gump: [long pause] Okay.
Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: I never thanked you for saving my life.
Young Jenny Curran: You can sit here if ya want.
Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: [while being ambushed] You guys get that pig unfucked and get it on the tree line!
Forrest Gump: So what are you doing in New York, Lt. Dan? Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: I am living off the government tit! Sucking it dry!
Forrest Gump: [Forrest narrating] Jenny taught me how to climb. And I taught her how to dangle.
Mrs. Gump: What's normal anyways?
Forrest Gump: She got the cancer and died on a Tuesday.
Principal: [after Mrs. Gump had been entertaining him] You're momma sure does care about your education, son. Principal: [Forrest remains quiet] You don't say much do you? Young Forrest Gump: [imitates the noises he has just heard] eh, eh, eh, eh, eh...
Forrest Gump: One day it started raining, and it didn't quit for four months. We been through every kind of rain there is. Little bitty stingin' rain... and big ol' fat rain. Rain that flew in sideways. And sometimes rain even seemed to come straight up from underneath.
Forrest Gump: Me and Jenny goes together like peas and carrots.
Jenny Curran: Forrest, I'm sick. Forrest Gump: Do you have a cough due to cold?
Jenny Curran: [hearing that Forrest is going to Vietnam] Listen, you promise me something, OK? Just if you're ever in trouble, don't be brave. You just run, OK? Just run away.
Richard M. Nixon: [awarding Forest U.S table tennis tournament medal in 1972] So how are you enjoying yourself in our nation's capital, son? Forrest Gump: Yes, sir. Richard M. Nixon: So where are you staying? Forrest Gump: Uh... it's called the hotel airbot. Richard M. Nixon: Oh, no, I know of this much nicer hotel that's very new. It's very modern. I'll have my people set you up and take care of it for you.
Forrest Gump: Those must be comfortable shoes, I bet you could walk all day in shoes like those and not feel a thing. Nurse at Park Bench: My feet hurt. Forrest Gump: My momma always said you can tell a lot about a person by their shoes, where the go, where they've been. I've worn lots of shoes, I bet if I think about it real hard I can remember my first pair of shoes.
Forrest Gump: Then, Bubba said something I won't ever forget. Bubba: I wanna go home. Forrest Gump: Bubba was my best good friend...
School Bus Boy: Ya can't sit heah!
Forrest Gump: Heck, it even rained at night...
