Ray: Listen, what are you doing after vacuuming?
Marie: I reload the bag and go again.

Debra: Nobody would blame you for not wanting to take piano lessons from your mother. She gave me a knitting lesson once and by the end of it, I wanted to impale myself.
Ray: My mother is not why I quit.
Debra: Well, you know, I'm no shrink, but of course it is.

Marie: She won't finish her piano lessons.
Ally: I don't want any stupid lesson.
Ray: Hey. I'm trying to watch here.
Debra: Marie, what happened?
Marie: Well, I've never had a student like her. She just slams the piano lid down and runs out of the house. ls this how you raise your daughter?
Ray: When the game's on, it's her daughter.

Marie: Ally, if you don't take your lessons seriously you cannot play the piano.
Ally: Okay.
Marie: You have 20 minutes of arpeggios left today. Are you coming back across the street or not?
Ally: No.
Ray: Hey, Ally. Hey.
Debra: You know, Marie, maybe we should just let it go for today.
Marie: Let it go? Fine. We can let it all go. We'll let it all go. Music. Culture. Civilization. You know, without discipline, Mozart would have been one of those bang-ganging rapsters. [exits]
Ray: Snoop Motzy Mozart.

Robert: [enters holding flowers] Hey. I need a vase.
Debra: You need a vase?
Robert: I broke a vase. Mom's blue vase. I'm ironing, right? Okay. Let's go. Vase. Vase!
Ray: What is with you?
Robert: Mom's already upset about "the one who quit the lesson." I don't want to be "the one who broke the vase." I'm still "the one who broke the bidet."

Marie: What's that note?
Ray: C.
Marie: C? No, that's not a C, sweetie. Does it have a line running through it?
Ray: Yes.
Marie: Well then, how can that be a C? F-A-C-E, "face," are the ones in the spaces.
Ray: Right.
Marie: And E-G-B-D-F are the ones with the line running through it. You know that. What's E-G-B-D-F?
Ray: "Ellen Garvey's behind deserves framing."
Marie: I don't like that, Raymond.

Frank: Hey, Ray. The rat go home?
Ray: Rat?
Frank: Yeah, I heard your mother giving a lesson to one of her piano rats. I was hiding out.
Ray: Yeah, the rat went home.
Frank: Jeezaloo, I hate the sound of a kid on that thing. I'm going to chop it into kindling and put a big vibrating chair right there.
Ray: Yeah, that'll sound better. You bouncing around in a chair.

Ray: You always ragged me about practicing the piano and I think that's maybe why I quit.
Frank: Good.
Ray: Good? I don't think so, Dad.
Frank: What are you saying? Are you saying I didn't do my job by you? I did my job. I got you away from that thing. I got you outside. Who taught you how to hit, catch, throw? Who took you to Shea Stadium? And, hey, am I mistaken, or does somebody here make a decent living now as a sportswriter? No, I think what you meant to say was, "Thank you, Dad."
Ray: I could have done music and sports.
Frank: No, unless you want to play the organ at Shea. At least those songs are good. Hey, you sorry I didn't take you to ballet class? Hey, I think I did all right by you.

Ray: Listen, Ma, I'm sorry.
Marie: No, no, no, I'm the one who's sorry. I shouldn't have expected you to remember all those things. I overreacted. You know, I have that.
Ray: The overreaction thing?
Marie: For years. It's just that...
Ray: What?
Marie: Sports is so stupid. I mean, who would've ever dreamed that a child of mine would end up in sports?
Ray: I like sports.
Marie: I know, I know, and you're very good at it.
Ray: You know what the amazing thing is? That I can function at all.

Ray: No more piano, just like that? That's okay?
Debra: What? I mean, if she doesn't want to take piano lessons we're not going to force her to, are we?
Ray: Well, what if she's great at piano? You've got to stick to stuff. You don't quit after three lessons. Did I quit asking you to marry me after three rejections? No, no. You don't get anywhere if you quit. I don't want Ally to be like that.