How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from The Terminator.
Quote #1
PUNK 1: Hey, I think this guy is a couple cans short of a six-pack.
TERMINATOR: Your clothes. Give them to me. Now.
PUNK 1: F*ck you, *sshole.
[The punks draw switchblades. The Terminator disposes of them.]
Not that anybody's shedding a tear for skid-mark face guy—or whatever his name was—but the demise of the punks sets the deathly tone of the film. Death comes quickly, unexpectedly, and at the hands of a six-foot-tall Austrian bodybuilder.
Quote #2
REESE: Come with me if you want to live. Come on!
Reese is the Terminator's opposite. Whereas the Terminator doesn't care for the lives of people, Reese's mission is to preserve life. His main mission is to protect Sarah Connor, but you'll notice he doesn't kill anyone else, either. Even those cops at the beginning of the film get a pass.
Quote #3
REESE: Listen and understand. That Terminator is out there. It can't be bargained with, it can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity or remorse or fear, and it absolutely will not stop—ever!—until you are dead.
Well, that's one way to get her attention. Might we suggest next time starting with a compliment or a rendition of "Getting to Know You"? Still, Reese's assessment of the Terminator situates that machine as the perfect symbol of death. No amount of bargaining or reasoning will stop it.