"Come here. There should be something here to fit you. I want you to look elegant. I don't want to see you in rags. My women have always looked smart."

"Do only what I tell you to."

"[reciting his act by rote before a crowd] Here we have a piece of chain that is a quarter of an inch thick. It is made of crude iron, stronger than steel. With the simple expansion of my pectoral muscles, or chest, that is, I'll break the hook. [collecting money from the crowd] Thank you, thank you. Now, to do this feat, I must fill myself up like a tire. If a blood vessel should break, I would spit blood. For instance, in Milan a man weighing 240 pounds lost his eyesight doing this trick. That is because the optical nerves take a beating, and once you lose your eyes, you are finished. If there's any delicate person in the audience, I would advise him to look away 'cause there could be blood. [with seemingly great effort, he breaks the chain]"

"What a funny face! Are you a woman, really? Or an artichoke?"

"What if I asked you to come with me? I'll teach you to walk the tightrope, way up in the air, with all the lights on you. I have a car. We'd be traveling all the time. We'd have a world of fun. Would you like that? But no. "Nothing." You have to stay with Zampanò and perform his ridiculous stunts and let him beat you like a donkey. Such is life."

"She's not like Rosa. But she's a good girl, poor thing. She'll do what she's told. She just came out a little strange. But, if she eats every day, maybe she'll get better."

"You want to go with Zampanò and take Rosa's place? He'll teach you a trade. You'll earn some money. And one less mouth to feed around here wouldn't be bad."

"Gelsomina, Zampanò's a good man. He'll treat you well. You'll travel the world. You'll sing and dance. And look what he gave me: 10,000 lire! I have it here, 10,000 lire! We can fix the roof and these poor things can eat. Why did your father ever leave us?"

"Widow: For three nights I've been up at 1:00am to cook. Think I'm tired? If I felt like it, I could dance all night long. Us older women are better than young girls."

"This is the picture YOU'VE HEARD about!"

"Already, word has come from the world's film centers - a great picture is coming...unique in its elemental story and setting...rare in the earthy, human magnificence of its portrayals."

"Giulietta Masina - Gelsomina"

"Anthony Quinn - Zampanò"

"Richard Basehart - Il Matto, the fool"

"Aldo Silvani - Il Signor Giraffa, the circus owner"

"Marcella Rovere - La Vedova, the widow"

"Livia Venturini - La Suorina, the nun"