这是 Red 在出监狱之后按照 Andy 在监狱中跟他约定的承诺在乡下的乱石堆里找到的 Andy 写给 Red 的关于 hope 的一封信。建议我的学生们把这封信背下来。你看见了吗？那字里行间渗透的对希望的执著追求以及因此带给我们的深深的思考！

Dear Red:

If you’re reading this, you’ve gotten out and if you’ve come this far, maybe you’d come a bit further. You remember the name of the town, don’t you? Zihuatanjo. I could use a good man to help me get my project on wheels. I’ll keep an eye out for you, and the chessborad ready.

Remember, Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies. I will be hoping that this letter finds you and finds you well.

                                                                                        Your friend

                                                                                            Andy

“Get busy living or get busy dying.” That’s goddamn right. For the second time in my life, I’m guilty of committing a crime. Parole violation. Of course I doubt they’ll toss up any roadblocks for that. Not for an old crook like me...............

上面这段是 Red 在临走前说的一段话 “Get busy living or get busy dying.” ？？  这真的是个问题！

下面这段是摘在我的朋友　石头的ＢＬＯＧ．我觉得这段也很好，谢谢他的贡献．他的地址：http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/1211276952

这段话的背景是Red前两次被审查是否能获得 approved 从而走出监狱时虽然他都表示自己已经成为对社会无危害的人了，但都莫名奇妙的　rejected． 这是影片中第三次监狱的officer和Red的对话．