"In 1941, on the eve of the United States' entry into the Second World War, York consented to having his diary adapted to film, personally selecting Gary Cooper to portray him as a condition for the filming. The film would be universally acclaimed as one of the best film biographies of all time, earning an Oscar for Best Actor for Cooper and an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. It was a straightforward adaptation of the diary with very little Hollywood embellishment; the only embellishment which York acknowledged was that the film showed his born-again Christianity as due to being struck by lightning on his way to a confrontation with a rival, whereas it was actually simply his meeting his future wife and falling in love."

"Sgt. Early: [at the target range] Remember, guys, you're usin' real live ammunition! A bullet hasn't got any brains! It'll hit whatever you're aimin' at, so don't start murdering each other!"

"Ike Botkin: Ain't nobody ever cut 5 centers, lessen' it were Dan'l Boone."

"Folks say you're no good, 'ceptin' for fighting and hell-raising."

"The Lord sure do move in mysterious ways."

"What we done in France, we had to do. And some as done it, didn't come back, and that kind of thing ain't for buying and selling."

"[quoting the Bible, in resolving to remain in the U.S. Army, and to fight in the Great War]: Therefore, render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's."

"I ain't a-goin' to war. War's killin', and the book's agin' killin! So war is agin' the book!"

"I have done my best, and the rest can go to hell. When a man's done his best, what more is there?"

"Alana Blanchard as Herself (archive footage)"

"Bethany Hamilton as Herself (archive footage)"

"Kristen Steiner as Kaila Kahani"

"Leilani Gryde as Zoe Madsen"

"Bailey Nagy as Olivia Jenner"

"Dutch Hofstetter, Jr. as Brandon"

"Tiffany Hofstetter as Rosemary"

"Nadeen Ayman as Jenny"

"Arlene Newman-Van Asperen as Cydney Blanchard"

"Branscombe Richmond as Ben"

"Cody Gomes as Keoki"

"Craig T. Nelson as Dr. David Rovinsky"

"Sonia Balmores Chung as Malina Birch"

"Jeremy Sumpter as Byron Blanchard"

"Lorraine Nicholson as Alana Blanchard"

"Chris Brochu as Timmy Hamilton"

"Ross Thomas as Noah Hamilton"

"Kevin Sorbo as Holt Blanchard"

"Carrie Underwood as Sarah Hill"

"Dennis Quaid as Tom Hamilton"

"Helen Hunt as Cheri Hamilton"

"AnnaSophia Robb as Bethany Hamilton"

"I don't need easy, I just need possible."

"Surfing isn't the most important thing in life. Love is. I've had the chance to embrace more people with one arm than I ever"

"Every Second Counts."

"Kate Burton - Donna Ralston"

"Treat Williams - Larry Ralston"

"Lizzy Caplan - Sonja Ralston"

"Clémence Poésy - Rana"

"Kate Mara - Kristi Moore"

"Amber Tamblyn - Megan McBride"

"James Franco - Aron Ralston"

"There is no force more powerful than the will to live."

"Good morning everyone! It is seven o’clock here, in Canyonlands, U.S.A. And this morning, on the boulder, we have a very special guest, self-proclaimed American super hero… Aron Ralston! Let’s hear it from Aron! Hi, oh, gosh, it’s, it’s a real pleasure to be here, thank you. Thank you. Hey, can I say “hi” to my mom and dad? Mom and dad? Mustn’t forget mom and dad, right Aron? Yeah, that’s right. Hey mom. I’m really sorry I… I didn’t answer the phone the other night. If I had I would have told you where I was going and then… I probably wouldn’t be here right now. That’s for sure! But like I always say: “Your supreme selfishness, is our gain”. Thank you Aron. Anyone else you’d like to say “hi” to? Brian at work. - Hi, Aron. Hey, I probably won’t be making it in to work today. Ha-ha-ha. Get a load of this guy! Oh, wait, hold on. We’ve got a question coming in from another Aron, in Loser Canyon, Utah. Aron asks: Am I right in thinking even if Brian from work notifies the police, they’ll put a 24-hour hold on it before they file a missing persons report, which means you won’t become officially missing until midday Wednesday at the earliest? Yeah, you’re right on the money there, Aron. Which means, I’ll probably be dead by then. Aron, from Loser Canyon, Utah, how do you know so much? Well, I’ll tell you how I know so much. I volunteer for the rescue service. You see, I’m some kind of a… well a big fucking heart hero. And I can do everything on my own, you see? I do see! Now… is it true that despite, or maybe because you’re a big fucking heart hero, you didn’t tell anyone where you were going? Oh, Yeah, that’s absolutely correct. Anyone? Anyone. Oops. Oops. Oops."

"I did this Aron. I created this. The boulder did what it was here to do. It was waiting for me but it did the only natural thing it could do. I chose to come here, I chose to do this descent by myself. I chose not to tell anyone where I was going. I chose to turn away from the women who were there to keep me from getting in this trouble. I wanted it to be like this. Look how far I came to find this spot. It's not that I'm getting what I deserve - I'm getting what I wanted."

"God, it's Aron again. I still need some help. It's getting bad here. I'm out of water and food. Listen. Give me the strength not to do anything against myself. I want to see this through, whatever."

"I made an attempt - a short career in surgery, as it turned out - those knives are just not anywhere close to the task. I've got about an inch-wide gash in my arm that goes about a half inch deep. I cut down through the skin and the fatty tissue, and through some of the muscle. I think I cut a tendon, but I'm not sure. I'll never saw through the bones with this knife. I tried, anyways. It really just didn't go well. The tourniquet is relaxed at this point. Which actually is a little bothersome, considering I'm not bleeding that bad, barely at all. It's so weird. You'd expect to definitely see more pulsing and bleeding, but oh well. I'm really fucked now. I'm out of water."

"This next part may not be for all viewers at home. It's a little after eight. At precisely eight o'clock I took my last sip of clean water... and... hide your eyes, Mom..."

"Good morning, everyone! It's 6:45 Tuesday morning in BJ Canyon! The weather is great. I figure by now that Leona, my housemate - Hi, Leona! - has missed me hopefully since I didn't show up last night. Another hour and a half they'll miss me for not showing up at work... Hi, Brion at work! Best case scenario is they notify the police and after a 24 hour hold they file a report, a missing person's report. Which means noon tomorrow it's official that I'm gone. I do still have the tiniest bit of water left. Well, actually, I've resorted... I've had a couple pretty good gulps of urine that I saved in my Camelbak. I sort of let it distill... It tastes like hell. So, it's 70 hours since I left on my bike from Horseshoe Trailhead during which time I have consumed 3 liters of water, a couple of mouthfuls of piss... [pauses a couple of seconds] Did I say the weather is great? Well, it is. Though flash floods potential is still present. There's four-prong major canyons upstream from me that all converge in this 3 foot wide gap where I am. The rock I pulled down on top of me, it was put there by flood. Still, I'd get a drink. [pauses again, while he drinks and shudders] Mom, Dad, I really love you guys. I wanted to take this time to say the times we've spent together have been awesome. I haven't appreciated you in my own the way I know I could. Mom, I love you. I wish I'd returned all of your calls, ever. I really have lived this last year. I wish I had learned some lessons more astutely, more rapidly, than I did. I love you. I'll always be with you."