How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Skyfall.
Quote #4
M: I've just one more thing to say. My late husband was a great lover of poetry. And, um...I suppose some of it sunk in, despite my best intentions. And here today I remember this, I think from Tennyson: "We are not now that strength, which in old days moved earth and heaven. That which we are, we are. One equal temper of heroic hearts, made weak by time and fate, but strong in will. To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield."
In one of the boldest moments in the film, M delivers a patriotic and passionate speech about her country, using a quote from one of England's greatest poets. She admires England's bravery, and she plans on standing up for it. Within a few seconds, Silva breaks in with a gun, and M has to walk the walk after talking the rhyming talk. And she does it: she totally stares Silva down.
Quote #5
M: Too many people are dying because of me.
However patriotic and prideful M may be, she still feels a bit of personal guilt over her actions. She has realized that maybe she's been a little too ruthless in her quest to keep England a world power. It takes a lot for M to admit that perhaps she did something wrong.
Quote #6
BOND: You hurt?
M: Only my pride. I never was a good shot.
Marksmanship is often shown as a source of pride—sometimes injured pride—during Skyfall. Earlier in the film, Bond also has difficulty making a few key shots, and a key factor in his regaining of his own pride is becoming a sharper shot.