"Thomas Wilson: [On writing] "They are right what they say about me. I was weak, a coward. I compromised myself, my honor, my family, my country. I am ashamed of myself. To my wife: I am sorry I've done this to you. To my son: I hope you'll grow to be a courageous man, a good husband, a good father. I hope whatever you decide to do you live a good full life. I hope whatever your dreams maybe come true. Your loving husband and father." -Thomas Wilson's Suicide Note"

"Philip Allen: Why is it that people like us choose to serve for nickels a day in a profession that makes us constantly look over our shoulder to see who's watching us?"

"Dr. Fredericks: Get out while you still can. While you still believe. While you still have a soul."

"Arch Cummings: How did the Irish poet say it, hmm? "E'er friend for today, is tomorrow's heartbreak.""

"Ulysses: [to Edward] Hello, I believe you know me as Ulysses. Do you know what our code name is for you... it's "Mother". Yes, they said you were the quiet type. But your silence speaks volumes, what is the saying? "Your silence is deafening?" yes that is it. You will be a great adversary Mother, hopefully for many years."

"Clover Wilson: There wasn’t very much to say. Six years is a long time."

"Richard Hayes: I remember a Senator once asked me 'when we talk about CIA why we never use the word the in front of it.' And I asked him 'do you put the word the in front of God?'"

"Clover Wilson: Agency first, God second."

"Bill Sullivan: I'm sorry for not standing, my fucking feet are killing me."

"It isn't about dedication and loyalty, it's about belief in what we do."

"David Brice: [to Scott, who's arrived late] Order some breakfast! It's the most important meal of the day. You should take better care of yourself."

"Tom is the one who saw you at Susan's. He's known about you all along, isn't that right? We do know what that means. If Commander Farrell is the man who was with Miss Atwell, then Commander Farrell is the man who killed Miss Atwell. And we know that the man who killed Miss Atwell is Yuri. Therefore, Commander Farrell is Yuri, quod erat demonstrandum."

"You have no idea what men of power can do!"

"Leon Russom - Kevin O'Brien"

"Fred Dalton Thompson - CIA Director Marshall"

"Iman - Nina Beka"

"Jason Bernard - Major Donovan"

"I am tired of weakness! I am faced with a grave problem, and I intend to resolve it quickly and cleanly."

"George Dzundza - Sam Hesselman"

"Howard Duff - Senator William 'Billy' Duvall"

"Will Patton - Scott Pritchard"

"Sean Young - Susan Atwell"

"Gene Hackman - Defense Secretary David Brice"

"Kevin Costner - Lt. Cmdr. Tom Farrell"

"Do you realize the magnitude of the scandal? The Secretary of Defense and a Soviet agent sharing the favors of a murdered whore."

"Schiller: [to Tom] In the Philippines when you passed that bag of underwear, Moscow was not amused! I should have acted then. But now it is no longer possible for you to remain United States. This bizarre incident has given them their Yuri, Evgeny Sergeyevich."

"David: [after the computer has finished regenerating the Polaroid negative] Hey, take a look at this. Somebody get Donavan down here! It's Commander Farrell."

"Tom Farrell: [one of the Contras tries to follow him into the bathroom] I would rather do this myself. You can listen if you want to."

"Susan Atwell: [as the band starts playing "D'ya think I'm Sexy" by Rod Stewart and two people start disco dancing] We've got a potential nausea situation building here!"

"My cards. You lose, what happens? Five guys find themselves out of work. I'm responsible for a hell of a lot more than five god damned reporters. Let it go. McCarthy will self-destruct."

"On March 9, 1954, in a broadcast that has been called television’s finest hour... The show prompted more than 10,000 phone calls and 70,000 letters and telegrams — 15 to 1 in favor of Murrow. On the street, truck drivers yelled out, “Good show, Ed!” On December 2, 1954, the Senate formally reprimanded McCarthy by a vote of 67 to 22 for conduct unbecoming a senator. In speaking truth to power, Murrow hastened McCarthy’s downfall and may have been pivotal in it. Good Night, and Good Luck functions on several levels. It is a cautionary tale about unrestrained political power and its use of public hysteria. It is also a tribute to the power of a dissenting media to expose and correct injustice. As such, the movie reproaches today’s journalism that embraces safety."

""Good Night, and Good Luck" couldn't be more unlikely, more unfashionable or more compelling. Everything about it stands in stark opposition to the trends of the moment. Yet by sticking to events that are half a century old, it tells a story whose implications for today are inescapable. "Good Night" is a marvel of classic restraint in a hopped-up film culture. Shot in elegant black and white and featuring impeccable acting, it exists because of the lonely passion of director and co-star George Clooney... the son of a TV anchorman. That made him determined to examine in some detail the stand CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow took in 1954 against Senator Joseph McCarthy. Clooney had the nerve to believe that a drama of ideas could be as entertaining as "Desperate Housewives." He insisted that a fight for America's soul, a clash of values over intellectual issues like freedom of the press, had an intensity that would carry everything before it, and it does."

"I'm terrified of waking up at 65 years old, which is getting closer, and to wake up and say I didn't do the things that I was supposed to do... as a citizen... As someone who is well-known... I can help bring focus... And I try to, as a son of a journalist, when I take on those causes, to be really well informed so that they can't marginalize you or make you an idiot along the way."

"Murrow taking on McCarthy was one of the great high points in broadcast journalism, along with Cronkite stepping out from behind his desk and talking about how Vietnam doesn't work were two moments in broadcast journalism that you could point directly to and say actually changed American policy... I don't know a reporter that doesn't want to break a big news story. It is constantly the battle between commerce and news, or keeping entertainment from pushing the news off the air... I was looking to open a debate, to have a discussion, to be able to talk about issues that I think are important. It's simply saying, as Murrow says in the film, we have to find a way to find a safe place between the protection of the individual and the protection of the state at the same time."

"In the movie, Murrow, played by David Strathairn, decides to expose the tactics of McCarthy by using senator's own words. Murrow's boss, William Paley, the legendary head of CBS, is by turn supportive and plenty worried about the impact the report will have on his network. But Paley would relent and the program aired, intensifying a public outcry against McCarthy. In late 1954, the senator was censured by his colleagues in the U.S. Senate. There is inevitably a political side to a film that looks at a period of history in which many Americans then and now believe civil liberties were threatened in the hunt for communists."

"The issues raised in the film, where to draw the line between reporting and editorializing, and the balance of news and entertainment in the media company, are still with us today."

"Murrow and his reporting staff discovered Senator McCarthy was exploiting U.S. Air Force Reserve Lieutenant Milo Radulovich. Lieutenant Radulovich’s father, John, and his sister, Mrs. Margaret Fishman, were labeled communist sympathizers; and their close association with him caused a backlash. Without a trial, Radulovich was labeled a security risk by Senator McCarthy’s committee and lost his commission in the Reserves.Murrow and his staff found Senator McCarthy’s tactics and methodology questionable and decided to interview Lieutenant Radulovich on Murrow’s news documentary television show “See It Now.” Murrow’s broadcast drew attention to Radulovich’s plight and he was reinstated into the Air Force Reserves. McCarthy was given an opportunity for a rebuttal on “See It Now.” During the March 1954 episode, McCarthy questioned Murrow’s loyalties and labeled him a Communist sympathizer as well. Murrow’s staff was placed under close scrutiny. Faced with pressure from the CBS network to let the matter rest or lose sponsors, he and his staff decided it was imperative they point out the errors in McCarthy’s claims. McCarthy’s support waned after Murrow’s broadcast."

"Robert Downey Jr. — Joseph Wershba"

"Frank Langella — William S. Paley"

"Ray Wise — Don Hollenbeck"

"George Clooney — Fred Friendly"

"David Strathairn — Edward R. Murrow"

"They Took On The Government With Nothing But The Truth"

"In A Nation Terrorized By Its Own Government, One Man Dared to Tell The Truth"

"We will not walk in fear of each other."

"There's a Knickerbocker game tonight, I've got front row seats. Are you interested?"

"I'm with you today Ed, and I'm with you tomorrow."

"Might as well go down swinging."

"Turn the phones on!"