- Professor Arthur Ayers: In a word, we can understand Plato and Kant, better than they understood themselves.
- Hayden Lorry: No other thug in this neck of the woods would carry a point 22 unless it was a question of, what shall I call it, lifestyle?
- Godwin Keyes: Look Hayden, I'm going to say three words to you. Words that have no syntactical connection, just three fortuitous nouns, and I want you to listen: urn, Icarus, martini.
- Manny Varjak: Lily-livered? Two-bit? Sodajerk? I'm the number one man in this world, see... There's not one yegg from Somaliland to Kingdom Come who can usurp me. Top of the world, I'm on top of the world!
- Manny Varjak: William Shatner is the greatest actor of all time. And you know why? Because he's larger than life -- none of this subtle, British crap. For example Johnny, how many of Captain Picard's speeches can you remember? None. And how many of Captain Kirk's?
- Ginny Novak: You have a nice Aberdeen steak. How do you want it cooked?
- Hayden Lorry: Chicken-fried's the only way.
- Hayden Lorry: So you're just going to plug me, huh? That's not your style, you lily-livered, two-bit soda jerk.
- Manny Varjak: "Lily-livered"? "Two-bit"? "Soda jerk"? I'm the number-one man in this world, see. I just took care of Dante Berasconi. There's not one yegg from Somaliland to Kingdom Come who could usurp me. Top of the world, I'm on top of the world!
- Hayden Lorry: You're still nothing. Nothing comes from nothing, pal. You're just some cheap, dime-store imitation of Glenn Ford and Jimmy Cagney. The lamentation's wearing off, and your true color's showing, yella!