Notes on a Scandal (film)

"[voiceover] As my mother would have said, the boy done her like a kipper. She has nowhere to turn but trusty old Bar. She mopes and mourns for her pubescent paramour, but she knows my interventions have saved her life. And she is sweetly grateful. Her betrayal hurt me more than I dare show. But I will forgive her and heal myself in private. Shes worth it, this one. Shes the one Ive waited for. Shes beginning to understand that her dalliance with Master Connolly was a consequence of her dead marriage. Its a sham, fueled only by the memory of former glories. I mean, the wonderful thing about Polly- Whereas we are going through the fire forging our friendship with a stronger bond each day. In fact, we are now entering a delicate new phase. We are silently and stealthily negotiating the terms of a life lived together. Now more than ever we are bound by the secrets we share."

"[voiceover] People languish for years with partners who are clearly from another planet. We want so much to believe that weve found our other. It takes courage to recognise the real as opposed to the convenient. We want so much to believe that weve found our other. Takes courage to recognize the real as opposed to the convenient. When I was young I had such a vision of myself. I dreamed Id be someone to be reckoned with, you know, in the world. But one learns ones scale. Ive such a dread of ending my days alone. But recently, Ive allowed myself to think that I may not be. Am I wrong?"

"[voiceover] Judas had the grace to hang himself. But only according to Matthew the most sentimental of the Apostles. Is this the last night of her old life? I wonder how long my messenger will take. Thank you. People like Sheba think they know what it is to be lonely. But of the drip, drip of the long-haul, no-end-in-sight solitude, they know nothing. What its like to construct an entire weekend around a visit to the launderette. Or to be so chronically untouched that the accidental brush of a bus conductors hand sends a jolt of longing straight to your groin. Of this, Sheba and her like have no clue."

"[to Sheba] I knew who you were when we met. You were young. I knew it might get tough, but I was prepared. Youre a good mother, but at times youve been a fucking lousy wife. Why didnt you come to me? You could have told me how lonely you were. You never trusted me to help you. Im not saying I was so fucking fabulous, but I was here."

"[voiceover] When I was young I had such a vision of myself. I dreamed Id be someone to be reckoned with, you know, in the world. But one learns ones scale. Ive such a dread of ending my days alone. But recently, Ive allowed myself to think that I may not be. Am I wrong?"

"[voiceover, after Sheba has confessed her affair] And then I realised my fury had blinded me. There was a magnificent opportunity here. With stealth, I might secure the prize long-term, forever in my debt. I could gain everything by doing nothing."