Agnes of God (1985)

Anne Bancroft: Mother Miriam Ruth

Photos 

Quotes 

• Mother Miriam Ruth : My dear, I don't think a Communion wafer has the recommended daily allowance of anything.

  Sister Agnes : [whispers]  Of God...

• Doctor Martha Livingston : Suppose the saints would have smoked if tobacco'd been popular back then?

  Mother Miriam Ruth : Undoubtably. Not the ascetics, of course, but, well, St. Thomas More.

  Doctor Martha Livingston : Long, thin, and filtered!

  Mother Miriam Ruth : St. Ignatius would smoke cigars and then stub them out on the soles of his bare feet. And of course all of the apostles?

  Doctor Martha Livingston : Hand rolled.

  Mother Miriam Ruth : Even Christ would partake socially.

  Doctor Martha Livingston : St. Peter?

  Mother Miriam Ruth : Pipe!

  Doctor Martha Livingston : Right!

  Mother Miriam Ruth : Mary Magdalene?

  Doctor Martha Livingston : Ohhh! You've come a long way baby!

  Mother Miriam Ruth : And St. Joan would chew tobacco!

  Doctor Martha Livingston : All right! What do you suppose today's saints are smoking?

• Doctor Martha Livingston : Sister Mary Cletus, she used to call me Polka-Dot Livingston!

  Mother Miriam Ruth : So, you left the church because you had freckles?

  Doctor Martha Livingston : No... I... uh... YES! I left the church because I had freckles!

• Mother Miriam Ruth : [to Livingstone]  Is she totally bananas or just slightly off-center?

• Mother Miriam Ruth : [about Sister Agnes]  I am saying that you have a beautifully simple woman here.

  Doctor Martha Livingston : An unhappy woman.

  Mother Miriam Ruth : She's happy with us, and she could go on being happy if she were left alone.

  Doctor Martha Livingston : Then why did you call the police in the first place, Mother, huh? Why didn't you just throw the baby into the incinerator and be done with it?

  Mother Miriam Ruth : Because I am a moral person.

  Doctor Martha Livingston : Bullshit.

  Mother Miriam Ruth : Bullshit yourself.

  Doctor Martha Livingston : The Catholic Church doesn't have a corner on morality.

  Mother Miriam Ruth : Who said anything about the Catholic Church?

  Doctor Martha Livingston : You just did.

  Mother Miriam Ruth : What the hell does the Catholic Church got to do with you?

  Doctor Martha Livingston : Nothing.

  Mother Miriam Ruth : What have we done to hurt you? And don't deny it, I can smell an ex-Catholic a mile away. What did we do? Burn a few heretics, sell some indulgences? That was in the days when the Church was a ruling body, we let Governments do those things today. So what did we do to you, hey?...

• Mother Miriam Ruth : So, you have questions. Fire away!