Lily: I read this quote from this writer whose name I forget. But it said something like... "Ten percent of the population is cruel. And, like, ten percent is merciful. And the other 80 percent can be swayed in either direction." I'm also pretty sure that that writer has never seen a WorldStar fight vid or 4chan or Twitter. Or had their best friend share their nudes with her boyfriend and in turn, the entire fucking school. But it is scary to think about. Because you don't know who's who or how easily they can be swayed. And at the end of the day, nothing unites us like a good tragedy. And the worse it gets, the more entertaining it is for you... this high school, this bullshit town and the rest of the world.
Lily: Who's the rapist with your mom?

Em: It's too depressing to talk about.

Lily: She's giving him a foot massage.

Sarah: I'm gonna throw up. Who's Sir Rapes-a-lot?

Bex: Okay. All the rape jokes are making me seriously uncomfortable.
Lily: But... you're a man. I don't expect you to understand.

Principal Turrell: Try me.

Lily: All you're looking at is the nudity. But this isn't about that. This isn't about the sex or the porn or even being naked. This is about everything that goes into it. The pressure. The endless mind-fuck, the 10,000 naked selfies you took before this one, trying to get it just right. Trying to make sure the light hides your left nipple because it's slightly inverted or it's smaller. Or maybe your labia's too big. But if you pull your pelvic bone up and bend to the left slightly in a lowlight setting, then you'll be beautiful. Hashtag flawless, body confident. But it's all one big lie. You can never be, because nobody is flawless, and all it takes is one fucking asshole to remind you of that. One guy to say, "LOL," or, "She's nasty." And you're right back at square one. So, OK, maybe it is explicit or extreme, but it sure as hell looks like life to me.
Rebecca Coulson: There are boundaries, Lily, between a father and a daughter. You may not believe that, but there are.

Lawrence: Absolutely. I was never comfortable seeing you naked after you were two.

Lily: Why?

Lawrence: You're my daughter. That a good enough reason?

Lily: But that's exactly what I mean. I'm your daughter. Why would you be weirded out?

Lawrence: Lily, that's enough.

Lily: All I'm trying to say is that nudity isn't inherently sexual. And it's the same thing with these photos. They're not sexual. It's you guys that are making them sexual. Just because a young girl is naked doesn't mean they're sexual or creepy or pervy and it doesn't make him a child molester.

Rebecca Coulson: Lily, give me a break.

Lily: Mom, there's a naked photo of me on the mantelpiece at two years old. Do you think that is child pornography?

Rebecca Coulson: Lily, I am not going to sit here and listen to you defend a child molester!

Lily: But that's my point! He's not a child molester. He is a victim in this, just like his daughter.

Lawrence: Lily, you like to debate, and I respect that. You wanna play devil's advocate, you're smart, but you don't know the first thing about this world, sweetheart. And you call us prudes, old-fashioned, but I'm gonna tell you something. I've been on this earth 45 years and if there's one thing I know, men will be men, girls will be girls, and until you can protect yourself, I'm gonna do that for you.
Donny: Did you guys ever see that video of the family on safari in Africa and they get mauled by, like, seven tigers?

Lawrence: No, Donny. I missed that.

Donny: It's pretty cool.
Em: Like, what's the motive behind 300-plus mass shootings every year? There is none. People just burn out, wanna take down their little universe.
Grace: I just had this really scary thought that, like, we're all characters on The Sims and none of us know it.
Boy: Porn taught me how to fuck.

Sarah: But that's the problem. You think it taught you how to fuck. It didn't. This is why every guy I meet on Tinder wants to choke me on our first date.

Boy: I learned how to eat pussy by watching porn.

Sarah: Just by looking in your eyes, I can tell that you don't know the first thing about eating pussy.

Boy: Whatever. I guess you'll never know.

Sarah: Tragic.
Em: OK, let me just break it down to you like this. Men who don't eat pussy in this day and age are straight-up sociopathic, OK?
Lily: Smile, open up, cross your legs, spread your pussy, speak softer, scream louder, be quiet, be confident, be interesting, don't be so difficult, be strong, don't fight back, be an angel, be a whore, be a princess, be anything you want to be, even the president of the United States of America. Just kidding. Fuck you.
Lily: You may kill me but you can't kill us all.
Lily: They tell you that if you're honest, and you say what you feel, then you'll get what you want. The truth is no one wants the real you. So you stop telling the truth. You lie to your friends. You lie to your family. You lie to everyone who says they love you for being you. Because guess what? They're lying too. They only want pieces and parts. They want to pick and choose. They want that laugh with that smile. That pic, with that confidence. That girl, with that willingness... but not her, not like that. And to be honest... he's perfect. He's sweet. He's gorgeous. And you're lucky. So be happy. Be grateful. Be hashtag "blessed." Because the whole world watching. And waiting. And it's only a matter of time before you fuck it all up.

Assassination Nation Quotes

Extended Reading

Assassination Nation short comments

Clay 2022-04-23 07:03:52

In the era of mobile phones, everyone is a self-media; information leaks force girls to pick up guns and shoot the scumbags
Tressie 2022-03-25 09:01:19

I wanted to play narrative, camera, gore, and visual, but I didn't play well. The messy and slow-paced one-hour "New Salem Witch Trials" ended with a double shot. If you don't have that ability, don't go too far, the director is not that material.