"[Jamal opens the letter] Dear Jamal, Someone I once knew wrote that we walk away from our dreams afraid that we may fail or worse yet, afraid we may succeed. You need to know that while I knew so very early that you would realize your dreams, I never imagined I would once again realize my own. Seasons change young man, and while I may have waited until the winter of my life, to see the things I've seen this past year, there is no doubt I would have waited too long, had it not been for you."

"Yes! YES! You're the man now, dog!"

"Punch the keys, for God's sake!"

"Why is it that the words that we write for ourselves are always so much better than the words we write for others?"

"Bolt the door, if you're coming in."

"My name is...William Forrester. [put on glasses] Excuse me. [drinking a water; pointing to a 'writers's wall of fame picture] I'm that one."

"No thinking — that comes later. You must write your first draft with your heart. You rewrite with your head. The first key to writing is... to write, not to think!"

"The key to a woman's heart is an unexpected gift at an unexpected time."

"Emonte Salvato - Battaglia"

"Paul Mazaursky - Judge Feinstein"

"Jamie Sanchez - Rudy"

"Rick Aviles - Quisqueya"

"Al Israel - Rolando"

"Angel Salazar - Walberto"

"John Ortiz (I) - Guajiro"

"Adrian Pasdar - Frankie"

"Frank Minucci - Tony Taglialucci"

"Jorge Porcel - Saso"

"Richard Foronjy - Pete Amadesso"

"Viggo Mortensen - Lalin"

"Joseph Siravo - Vinnie Taglialucci"

"James Rebhorn - Norwalk"

"Luis Guzman - Pachanga"

"Ingrid Rogers - Steffie"

"John Leguizamo - Benny Blanco"

"Penelope Ann Miller — Gail"

"Sean Penn — David Kleinfeld"

"Al Pacino — Carlito Brigante"

"He wanted out. He'd do anything to get there."

"In his world, you got to shoot your way out."

"Saso: What has happened to you? What are you acting like this for? It doesn’t make sense that you should hate this guy. Because this guy is you, twenty years ago."

"Lalin: What do you mean? You didn’t hear? I took a few in the back. When the streets are mad at you she don’t put you in a box, she puts you in one of these things."

"Somebody’s pullin’ me close to the ground. I can sense, but I can’t see. I ain’t panicked, I been here before. Same as when I got popped on 104th Street. Don’t take me to no hospital, please. Fuckin’ emergency rooms don’t save nobody. Sons of bitches always pop you at midnight when all they got is a Chinese intern with a dull spoon. Look at these suckers scramblin' around. What for? My Puerto Rican ass ain't supposed to have made it this far. Most of my crew got washed a long time ago. Don't worry. My heart, it don't ever quit. I ain't ready to check out. Seems like I just got out of the joint. Stood up in front of that judge, and told him what was who."

"Pachanga: Carlito, man, Death Valley out here, man. You know me, I take to the street with any of these Motherfuckers, man. But these new kids nowadays, man, they got no respect for human life. They shotgun you just to see you fly up in the air. You’re better off in jail."

"Hey, remember me? Benny Blanco From The Bronx?"

"You’re over, man. You’re fuckin’ in the history books. That’s where you are, man. So you might as well fuckin’ kill me now, ‘cause if I ever see you again, swear to god, I’m gonna fucking kill you."

"My name is Benny Blanco from the Bronx."

"You think you're big time? You're gonna fuckin' DIE big time!"

"I know how this dream ends, Charlie. It isn’t in paradise. It ends with me carrying you into Sutton Emergency Room at three o’clock in the morning. And standing there, crying like an idiot... while your shoes fill with blood and you die."

"Everything you learned in the neighbourhood, every instinct you’ve got won’t do anything but get you killed!"