"[dictating a diary entry into his tape recorder] Halloween morning. Rotting pumpkins. Burning leaves. Black cats mating like rats in the alley. It was as if . . . it were as if we felt no fear, as if we were already dead and had nothing to lose by dying. Or perhaps it was because we had lived life so well, and loved life so much, that we fancied ourselves immortal, overwhelming the powers that be with the force of our passion for science. [long pause] Or maybe we were just fucked in the head."

"[talking about the experiment] I did not come to medical school to murder my class mates no matter how deranged they might be."

"[talking to the tombstone of Billy Mahoney] Wake up you little shit, you got company!"

"Hello, I'm nice, he's nice, we're both fucking lunatics. Can I come in, please?"

"C'mon, Billy Mahoney. C'mon... Gimme your best shot. I dare ya. I fuckin' dare ya."

"Somehow we've brought our sins back physically. And they're pissed."

"[after his friends said he didn't have the balls to do the experiment] You bring the equipment, I'll bring my balls."

"Today is a good day to die."

"The Director: I'm tired of this lying, all right. I'm tired of lies!"

"Judith Anderson - Mrs. Ann Treadwell"

"Vincent Price - Shelby Carpenter"

"Clifton Webb - Waldo Lydecker"

"Dana Andrews - Det. Lt. Mark McPherson"

"Gene Tierney - Laura Hunt"

"[about Shelby] He's no good, but he's what I want. I'm not a nice person, Laura, and neither is he. He knows I know he's just what he is. He also knows that I don't care. We belong together because we're both weak and can't seem to help it. That's why I know he's capable of murder. He's like me."

"I don't know a lot about anything, but I know a little about practically everything."

"I can afford a blemish on my character but not on my clothes."

"Her career began with my endorsement of the pen. I secured other endorsements for her, introduced her to important clients. I gave her her start. But it was her own talent and imagination that enabled her to rise to the top of her profession and stay there. She had an eager mind always. She was always quick to seize upon anything that would improve her mind or her appearance. Laura had innate breeding. But she deferred to my judgment and taste. I selected a more attractive hairdress for her. I taught her what clothes were more becoming to her. Through me, she met everyone - the famous and the infamous. Her youth and beauty, her poise and charm of manner captivated them all. She had warmth, vitality. She had authentic magnetism. Wherever we went, she stood out. Men admired her. Women envied her. She became as well-known as Waldo Lydecker's walking stick and his white carnation. On Tuesday and Friday nights, we stayed home, dining quietly, listening to my records. I read my articles to her. The way she listened was more eloquent than speech. These were the best nights."

"I don't use a pen. I write with a goose quill dipped in venom.....I'll neither consider, endorse, or use the Wallace pen. I hate pens. If your employers wish me to publish that statement in my column, you may tell them that I shall be delighted to oblige."

"[to Laura] Young woman, either you have been raised in some incredibly rustic community where good manners are unknown or you suffer from the common feminine delusion that the mere fact of being a woman exempts you from the rules of civilized conduct, or possibly both."

"I shall never forget the weekend Laura died. A silver sun burned through the sky like a huge magnifying glass. It was the hottest Sunday in my recollection. I felt as if I were the only human being left in New York. For Laura's horrible death, I was alone. I, Waldo Lydecker, was the only one who really knew her. And I had just begun to write Laura's story when - another of those detectives came to see me. I had him wait. I could watch him through the half-open door. I noted that his attention was fixed upon my clock. There was only one other in existence, and that was in Laura's apartment in the very room where she was murdered."

"Robert Duvall - The Director (uncredited)"

"Teri Garr - Amy Fredericks"

"Elizabeth MacRae - Meredith"

"Michael Higgins - Paul"

"Cindy Williams - Ann"

"Frederic Forrest - Mark"

"Allen Garfield - William P. 'Bernie' Moran"

"Harrison Ford - Martin Stett"

"John Cazale - Stan"

"Gene Hackman - Harry Caul"

"Harry Caul is an invader of privacy. The best in the business. He can record any conversation between two people anywhere. So far, three people are dead because of him."

"Harry Caul will go anywhere to bug a private conversation."

"I've gotta give credit where credit is due, right? I mean abracadabra, Harry. You see, I'm number two Harry. I have to try harder. The bugger got bugged, huh?"

"There is no moment between human beings that I cannot record and there is no method that I cannot figure out. I could figure out any of Harry's schemes, right?"

"This is a quad in the center of the city. These are steps coming in here, benches all around. Now it's 12 noon, which means that it's lunchtime for all the people that work in these offices around here. Okay, the people are walking, talking, having lunch and it's crowded. Two people are constantly moving in circles in and out of the crowd. We don't know whether they'll sit down or what. They're convinced that they can't be recorded because they're in a crowd and constantly moving. They're the target. Now the assignment is to get everything they say. How would you do it?"

"There isn't all that much you ever let me in on, Harry. You won't show me anything. You keep it all to yourself. You know damn well you will."

"We know that you know, Mr. Caul. For your own sake, don't get involved any further. We'll be listening to you."

"[to Harry] You know that means we've been watching you. We have the tapes. They are perfectly safe. The Director was very anxious to hear them as soon as possible and you seemed to be, I don't know, disturbed. I couldn't take the chance that you might destroy our tapes. You understand, don't you, Mr Caul? Our tapes have nothing to do with you. Why don't you come over now and bring the photographs? The Director's here and he's prepared to pay you in full."

"[to Harry] We want you to deliver the tapes on Sunday, one o'clock. The Director will be there. He'll accept the tapes from you, in person."

"[to Harry] I'm not following you, I'm looking for you. There's a big difference."

"Now look, don't get involved in this, Mr. Caul. Those tapes are dangerous. You heard 'em. You know what I mean. Someone may get hurt. Mr. Caul, be careful."

"[to Ann, in a dream] Listen, my name is Harry Caul. Can you hear me? Don't be afraid. I know you don't know who I am, but I know you. There isn't much to say about myself. I - was very sick when I was a boy. I was paralyzed in my left arm and my left leg. I couldn't walk for six months. One doctor said that I'd probably never walk again. My mother used to lower me into a hot bath - it was therapy. One time the doorbell rang and she went down to answer it. I started sliding down. I could feel the water starting to come up to my chin, up to my nose, and when I woke up, my body was all greasy from the holy oil she put on my body. I remember being disappointed I survived. When I was five, my father introduced me to a friend of his, and for no reason at all, I hit him right in the stomach with all my strength. He died a year later. He'll kill ya if he gets the chance. I'm not afraid of death but I am afraid of murder."

"Oh God, what I have done. I have to destroy the tapes. It cannot happen again. The family was murdered because of me. Oh God, no protection. I can find them wherever they go, and I can hear them."

"It had nothin' to do with me, I mean, I just turned in the tapes...What they do with the tapes is their own business."

"[to an exhibitor] I build all my own equipment. Thank you."

"[in a confessional] Bless me Father for I have sinned. Three months since my last confession. I - these are my sins. Took the Lord's name in vain on several occasions. On a number of occasions, I've taken newspapers from the racks without paying for them. I've - deliberately taken pleasure in impure thoughts. I've been involved in some work that I think, I think will be used to hurt these two young people. It's happened to me before. People were hurt because of my work and I'm afraid it could happen again and I'm - I was in no way responsible. I'm not responsible. For these and all my sins of my past life, I am heartily sorry."

"[on the phone] This is Harry Caul from upstairs...Yes, well, thank you very much. Thank you...You're really very nice, yes, but...what I wanted to talk to you about was how did you put it in the apartment?...What about the alarm? Oh you did?...I thought I had the only key...well, what emergency could possibly...all right, yes. You see, I would be perfectly happy to have all my personal things burned up in a fire because I don't have anything personal. Nothing of value. No, nothing personal except my keys, you see, which I really would like to have the only copy of, Mrs. Evangelista. As of today, my mail will go to a post-office box with a combination on it and no keys. Goodbye."

"It doesn't matter if you're not perfect. You will be."

"P.J. Prinsloo - Robby Stewart"