"[Quinlan fires a pistol at Vargas, not hitting him] That wasn't no miss, Vargas. That was just to turn you 'round, so I don't have to shoot you in the back. Unless you'd rather run for it."

"Don't you think I could have been rich? A cop in my position. What do I have...after thirty years, a little turkey ranch - that's all I got. A couple of acres."

"[to Menzies] Look out. Vargas'll turn you into one of these here starry-eyed idealists. They're the ones making all the real trouble in the world. Be careful, they're worse than crooks. You can always do something with a crook."

"[about Vargas] He's a drug addict. He's got that young wife of his hooked too, but good. If I hadn't seen that hypodermic myself...That's how come he happens to imagine all those crazy things. It's typical. What that wife of his was doing on that dive on skid row. Both a couple of junkies. Course he's using the job as a cover-up."

"30 years of pounding beats and riding cars, 30 years of dirt and crummy pay. For 30 years, I gave my life to this department. And you allow this foreigner to accuse me. Answer, answer, why do I have to answer him? No sir! I won't take back that badge until the people of this county want me back."

"[about his wife's killer] I followed around after him...ate my heart out trying to catch him but I never did. That was the last killer that ever got out of my hands."

"Listen, I got a position in this town, a reputation...somebody's gonna be ruined."

"How can I leave here until my wife's name is clean? Clean!"

"Listen, I'm no cop now. I'm a husband! What did you do with her? Where's my wife?"

"There are all kinds of policemen, sir. I don't have to tell you that. A few take bribes... Most are honest, yes, but even some of the honest men abuse their power in other ways."

"This isn't the real Mexico. You know that. All border towns bring out the worst in a country. I can just imagine your mother's face if she could see our honeymoon hotel."

"[from his journal] On the subway today, a man came up to me to start a conversation. He made small talk, a lonely man talking about the weather and other things. I tried to be pleasant and accommodating, but my head hurt from his banality. I almost didn't notice it had happened, but I suddenly threw up all over him. He was not pleased, and I couldn't stop laughing."

"Richard Schiff – Mark Swarr (John Doe's Lawyer)"

"Richard Portnow – Dr. Beardsley"

"John C. McGinley – California"

"R. Lee Ermey – Police Captain"

"Kevin Spacey – John Doe"

"Gwyneth Paltrow – Tracy Mills"

"Morgan Freeman – Detective Lt. William Somerset"

"Brad Pitt – Detective David Mills"

"Ernest Hemingway once wrote, "The world is a fine place and worth fighting for." I agree with the second part."

"Let he who is without sin try to survive"

"Gluttony · Greed · Sloth · Envy · Wrath · Pride · Lust"

"Long is the way, and hard, that out of hell leads up to light."

"Seven deadly sins. Seven ways to die."

"Become vengeance, David. Become... wrath."

"Wanting people to listen, you can't just tap them on the shoulder anymore. You have to hit them with a sledgehammer, and then you'll notice you've got their strict attention."

"JAMES CAGNEY in His New Warner Bros. Hit"

"Searing the screen like the death-blast of a sub-machine gun!!!"

"Pick up the pieces folks, Jimmy's in action again!"

"Fred Coby - "Happy" Taylor"

"G. Pat Collins - "Reader" Curtin"

"Paul Guilfoyle - Roy Parker"

"Ian MacDonald - "Bo" Creel"

"Fred Clark - Daniel "The Trader" Winston"

"Wally Cassell - "Cotton" Valletti"

"John Archer - Philip Evans"

"Ford Rainey - Zuckie"

"Steve Cochran - "Big Ed" Somers"

"Margaret Wycherly - "Ma" Jarrett"

"Edmond O'Brien - Hank Fallon aka "Vic Pardo""

"Virginia Mayo - Verna Jarrett"

"James Cagney - Arthur "Cody" Jarrett"

"Made it, Ma! Top of the world!"

"Come out with your hands up, the man says! How do you like THAT,MA? Here's my answer, you dirty......"

"You're just lonesome, lonesome, like me...Verna? All I ever had was Ma...I was, uh, I was just walkin' around out there talkin' to mine...well, my old lady never had anything, always on the run, always on the move - some life. First there was my old man, died kickin' and screamin' in a nuthouse. Then my brother. And after that, it was takin' care of me. Always tryin' to put me on top. Top of the world, she used to say. And then, times when I was losin' my grip, there she'd be right behind me, pushin' me back up again. And now...That was a good feelin' out there, talkin' to her, just me and Ma. Good feelin'. Liked it. Maybe I am nuts."

"You know something, Verna, if I turn my back for long enough for Big Ed to put a hole in it, there'd be a hole in it. [he laughs] Big Ed ... great big Ed. Y'know why they call 'im that? 'Cause his ideas are big. One day he's gonna get a really big one ... about me. And it'll be his last."

"[From one of his journals] What sick ridiculous puppets we are / and what gross little stage we dance on / What fun we have dancing and fucking / Not a care in the world / Not knowing that we are nothing / We are not what was intended"

"Fuckin' Dante. Goddamn poetry-writing faggot, piece of shit, fucker! [A cop knocks on the car window and delivers an envelope of CliffsNotes] Good work, officer! Thank you, Lord."