How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from West Side Story.
Quote #1
BERNARDO: More gracious living. Every one of you hates every one of us, and we hate you right back.
Bernardo has his faults, but a lack of self-awareness isn't one of them. He sees that the Jets and the Sharks hate each other. He just doesn't think that dynamic can change, and frankly, he wouldn't much want to change even if he could.
Quote #2
JETS: The Jets are in gear,
Our cylinders are clickin'!
The Sharks'll steer clear
'Cause every Puerto Rican's
A lousy chicken!
From the very beginning, revenge for slights both real and imagined is in the air. The Jets are going to stick it to the Sharks because they feel the Sharks have been sticking it to them. Nothing else matters in their minds.
Quote #3
JETS: We're gonna rock it tonight,
We're gonna jazz it up and have us
A ball.SHARKS: They're gonna get it tonight;
The more they turn it on, the
Harder they'll fall!JETS: Well, they began it—
SHARKS: Well, they began it—
BOTH GANGS: And we're the ones to stop 'em
Once and for all.
Tonight!
This "stop 'em once and for all" thing is what keeps tripping the gangs up. It never ends. It just creates this cycle of revenge that leaves people on both sides dead and anger levels higher than ever. It even consumes Tony, who was smart enough to opt out of it a long time ago.