"I spent my entire academic career studying the Great Depression. The depression may have started because of a stock market crash, but what hit the general economy was a disruption of credit. Average citizens unable to borrow money, to do anything. To buy a home, start a business, stock their shelves. Credit has the ability to build a modern economy, but lack of credit has the ability to destroy it, swiftly and absolutely. If we do not act, boldly and immediately, we will replay the depression of the 1930s, only this time it will be... far, far worse. We don't do this now, we won't have an economy on Monday."

"I don't really understand why there needs to be so much tension about this. The country is facing the worst economy since the Great Depression. If the financial system collapses, it will take every one of you down."

"[on the housing crisis] You know, people act like we're crack dealers. Nobody put a gun to anybody's head and said, "Hey, nimrod, buy a house you can't afford, and you know what? While you're at it, put a line of credit on that baby and buy yourself a boat.""

"We're late. We've been late on everything."

"I've seen this before: CEOs panic and they sell out cheap. Right now, the Street's running around with its hair on fire, but the storm always passes. We stand strong, and on the other side, we'll eat Goldman's lunch."

"John Heard - Joe Gregory, COO, Lehman Brothers"

"Jim Wilkinson: (watching Paulson's conversation with John McCain) He's not... threatening the Republican Presidential nominee, is he?"

"Amy Carlson - Erin Callan, CFO, Lehman Brothers"

"Nancy Pelosi: (when Paulson kneels down in front of her) Hank, I didn't know you were Catholic."

"The Big Short (2015)"

"Laila Robins - Christine Lagarde, French Finance Minister"

"Michele Davis: They almost bring down the U.S. economy as we know it, but we can't put restrictions on how they spend the $125 billion we're giving them because... they might not take it?"

"Margin Call (2011)"

"Game Change (2012)"

"Timothy Geithner: I'm on the Street, Hank, and people are just going about their business. They have no idea the whole thing is about to fall down."

"Kiefer Sutherland - Tim"

"Crispin Glover - Lucas"

"Stephen Geoffreys - Aggie"

"Alan Autry - Ernie"

"Noelle Parker - Jill"

"Eileen Ryan - Grandma"

"Tracey Walter - Uncle Patch Whitewood"

"R. D. Call - Dickie"

"Christopher Walken - Brad Whitewood Sr."

"Mary Stuart Masterson - Terry"

"Uncle Patch Whitewood: [to Brad Jr.] Let's me and you go into the next room and start sniffin' some ideas."

"Sean Penn - Brad Whitewood Jr."

"Chris Penn - Tommy Whitewood"

"David Strathairn - Tony Pine"

"Millie Perkins - Julie"

"[to his sons Tommy and Brad Jr., after the departure of Lester Peralsky, an accomplice who became a police informant] Boy ain't got the life expectancy of a housefly."

"Most people who drive through here see farms. Houses, and fields, and shit. I see money, I see things, everything got my name writ' on it!"

"J. C. Quinn - Boyd"

"Candy Clark - Mary Sue"

"Jake Dengel - Lester"

"Robert John Burke - Frank Drummond"