Larry and Andy Wachowski: "Fairness, justice and freedom..."

"Fairness, justice and freedom are more than words — they are perspectives." [Full speech]

—Larry and Andy Wachowski, V in "V for Vendetta"

Larry and Andy Wachowski: "The building is a..."

"The building is a symbol, as is the act of destroying it. Symbols are given power by people. Alone a symbol is meaningless, but with enough people blowing up a building can change the world." [Full speech]

—Larry and Andy Wachowski, V in "V for Vendetta"

Larry and Andy Wachowski: "You really think blowing..."

EVEY: You really think blowing up Parliament's going to make this country a better place?
V: There's no certainty, only opportunity.
EVEY: I think you can be pretty certain that if anyone does show up, Creedy will black bag every one of them.
V: People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.
EVEY: And you're going to make that happen by blowing up a building?
V: The building is a symbol, as is the act of destroying it. Symbols are given power by people. Alone a symbol is meaningless, but with enough people blowing up a building can change the world.

—Larry and Andy Wachowski, V and Evey in "V for Vendetta"

Larry and Andy Wachowski: "There is something terribly..."

"There is something terribly wrong with this country, isn't there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object — to think and speak as you saw fit — you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity.

How did this happen? Who's to blame? Certainly there are those who are more responsible than others. And they will be held accountable. But again, truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror.

I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn't be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you. And in your panic, you turned to the now High Chancellor Adam Sutler. He promised you order, he promised you peace. And all he demanded in return was your silent, obedient consent." [Full speech]

—Larry and Andy Wachowski, V in "V for Vendetta"

Larry and Andy Wachowski: "While the truncheon may..."

"While the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning and, for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth." [Full speech]

—Larry and Andy Wachowski, V in "V for Vendetta"

Larry and Andy Wachowski: "Allow me first to..."

"Allow me first to apologize. I do, like many of you, appreciate the comforts of everyday routines; the security of the familiar; the tranquility of repetition. I enjoy them as much as any bloke. But in the spirit of commemoration — whereby those important events of the past, usually associated with someone's death or an end of an awful, bloody struggle, are celebrated with a nice holiday — I thought we could mark this November the 5th, a day that is sadly no longer remembered, by taking some time out of our daily lives to sit down and have a little chat.

There are of course those who do not want us to speak. I suspect even now, orders are being shouted into telephones and men with guns will soon be on their way. Why? Because while the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning and, for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn't there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object — to think and speak as you saw fit — you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity.

How did this happen? Who's to blame? Certainly there are those who are more responsible than others. And they will be held accountable. But again, truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror.

I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn't be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you. And in your panic, you turned to the now High Chancellor Adam Sutler. He promised you order, he promised you peace. And all he demanded in return was your silent, obedient consent.

Last night, I sought to end that silence. Last night, I destroyed the Old Bailey to remind this country of what it has forgotten. More than 400 years ago, a great citizen wished to embed the 5th of November forever in our memory. His hope was to remind the world that fairness, justice and freedom are more than words — they are perspectives.

So if you've seen nothing. If the crimes of this government remain unknown to you, then I would suggest that you allow the 5th of November to pass unmarked. But if you see what I see, if you feel as I feel, and if you would seek as I seek, then I ask you to stand beside me one year from tonight outside the gates of Parliament. And together, we shall give them a 5th of November that shall never, ever be forgot."

—Larry and Andy Wachowski, V in "V for Vendetta"

Larry and Andy Wachowski: "We are told to..."

"We are told to remember the idea, not the man. A man can fail. He can be caught. He can be killed and forgotten. But 400 years later, an idea can still change the world.

I've witnessed first hand the power of ideas. I've seen people kill in the name of them. And die defending them. But you cannot kiss an idea. Cannot touch it. Or hold it. Ideas do not bleed. They do not feel pain. They do not love. And it is not an idea that I miss — it is a man."

—Larry and Andy Wachowski, Evey in "V for Vendetta"

Larry and Andy Wachowski: "People should not be..."

"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people." [Full speech]

—Larry and Andy Wachowski, V in "V for Vendetta"

Larry and Andy Wachowski: "Artists use lies to..."

"Artists use lies to tell the truth, while politicians use them to cover the truth up."

—Larry and Andy Wachowski, Evey in "V for Vendetta"

Larry and Andy Wachowski: "You cannot kill me..."

"You cannot kill me. There is no flesh and blood within this cloak to kill. There is only an idea. And ideas are bulletproof."

—Larry and Andy Wachowski, V in "V for Vendetta"