One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Rules and Order Quotes

How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Quote #4

Nurse Ratched: Well, anyway, this is no way to proceed about this.

Nurse Ratched isn't willing to let McMurphy change the patients' schedule. And besides, she wouldn't listen to him even if he had a good point. After all, he needs to understand that she's boss around the hospital and that he can't bully her just by raising his voice.

Quote #5

Nurse Ratched: How would it be if we had a vote and let the majority rule?

Clever, don't you think? Nurse Ratched decides to put the issue of watching the World Series to rest by putting the question to a vote. That's because she knows that the other patients will vote the way she wants them to. She can give the patients the illusion of freedom, while really she never has to relinquish control.

Quote #6

Nurse Ratched: Everyone in favor of changing the schedule, please raise your hand.

When Nurse Ratched finally lets the issue of watching the World Series go to a vote, the other patients vote against it because they have no clue what the World Series is. It's clear that her knowledge of the hospital put her at an advantage over McMurphy, who has to find another way to get under the nurse's skin.