The Sixth Sense Language and Communication Quotes

How we cite our quotes: All quotes are from The Sixth Sense.

Quote #4

COLE: I don't tell her things.

MALCOLM: Why not?

COLE: Because she doesn't look at me like everybody else, and I don't want her to. I don't want her to know.

MALCOLM: Know what?

COLE: That I'm a freak.

Now we're getting to the heart of Cole's issues. He doesn't want to be honest with his mom because he's afraid that she'll think he's crazy. We as the audience know that's probably not likely—Lynn seems like a stand-up lady and a loving mom—but it's understandable that Cole would want to shield her from something like that. Hard enough telling your mom that you lost your retainer.

Quote #5

COLE: You're Stuttering Stanley!

MR. CUNNINGHAM: Excuse me?

COLE: You talked funny when you went to school here. You talked funny all the way to high school.

Here, Cole actually does finally communicate honestly by getting the truth of his teacher's past out in the open. But his timing and delivery aren't the greatest because he's hurt and angry. He reveals that the teacher used to have a stutter, which of course brings the stutter back.

Quote #6

MALCOLM: Hey, big guy How's it going?

COLE: I don't want to talk about anything right now.

MALCOLM: Okay. You like magic?

Malcolm is really good at tricking Cole into talking and getting him to engage even when he doesn't feel like it. Here, he catches Cole's interest with a coin trick. Cole is probably dying to open up and connect with someone willing to listen, but the whole situation is complicated by the fact that Malcolm is just another ghost he has to deal with. He's scared of him, and he sure isn't about to tell Malcolm that he's dead. That's a real conversation-killer right there.