"I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it. It was you, Charley."

"You don't understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it."

"It wasn't him, Charley, it was you. Remember that night in the Garden you came down to my dressing room and you said, 'Kid, this ain't your night. We're going for the price on Wilson.'"

"You remember that? 'This ain't your night'! My night! I coulda taken Wilson apart!"

"So what happens? He gets the title shot outdoors on the ballpark and what do I get? A one-way ticket to Palookaville!"

"You was my brother, Charley, you shoulda looked out for me a little bit. You shoulda taken care of me just a little bit so I wouldn't have to take them dives for the short-end money."

"Look, kid, I... how much you weigh, son? When you weighed one hundred and sixty-eight pounds you were beautiful. You coulda been another Billy Conn."

"And that skunk we got you for a manager, he brought you along too fast."

"Oh I had some bets down for you. You saw some money."

"You're getting on. You're pushing thirty. You know, it's time to think about getting some ambition."

"I always figured I'd live a bit longer without it."

"You think you're God Almighty, but you know what you are? You're a cheap, lousy, dirty, stinkin' mug!"

"And I'm glad what I done to you, ya hear that? I'm glad what I done!"

"Conscience... that stuff can drive you nuts!"

"Hey, you wanna hear my philosophy of life? Do it to him before he does it to you."

"You know this city's full of hawks? That's a fact. They hang around on the top of the big hotels. And they spot a pigeon in the park. Right down on him."

"Quite a nose, huh? Some people just have a face that sticks in your mind."

"Yeah his racket, everybody's got a racket."

"You know you're not too funny today, fat man."

"Me? I'm with me, Terry."

"If I spill, my life ain't worth a nickel."

"I ain't gonna eat cheese for no cops, and that's for sure."

"He up on the roof."

"The 'pigeon'?"

"Uh, yeah, it worked."

"A pigeon for a pigeon!"

"Some people think the Crucifixion only took place on Calvary. They better wise up!"

"Taking Joey Doyle's life to stop him from testifying is a crucifixion."

"And dropping a sling on Kayo Dugan because he was ready to spill his guts tomorrow, that's a crucifixion."

"And every time the Mob puts the pressure on a good man, tries to stop him from doing his duty as a citizen, it's a crucifixion."

"And anybody who sits around and lets it happen, keeps silent about something he knows that happened, shares the guilt of it just as much as the Roman soldier who pierced the flesh of our Lord to see if he was dead."

"Boys, this is my church! And if you don't think Christ is down here on the waterfront you've got another guess coming!"

"Every morning when the hiring boss blows his whistle, Jesus stands alongside you in the shape-up."

"He sees why some of you get picked and some of you get passed over."

"He sees the family men worrying about getting the rent and getting food in the house for the wife and the kids."

"He sees you selling your souls to the mob for a day's pay."

"And what does Christ think of the easy-money boys who do none of the work and take all of the gravy?"

"And how does he feel about the fellows who wear hundred-and-fifty dollar suits and diamond rings, on your union dues and your kickback money?"

"And how does He, who spoke up without fear against every evil, feel about your silence?"

"You want to know what's wrong with our waterfront? It's the love of a lousy buck."

"It's making love of a buck - the cushy job - more important than the love of man!"

"It's forgettin' that every fellow down here is your brother in Christ!"

"But remember, Christ is always with you - Christ is in the shape up. He's in the hatch. He's in the union hall. He's kneeling right here beside Dugan."

"And He's saying with all of you, if you do it to the least of mine, you do it to me!"

"And what they did to Joey, and what they did to Dugan, they're doing to you. And you. You. ALL OF YOU."

"And only you, only you with God's help, have the power to knock 'em out for good."

"Isn't it simple as one, two, three? One: The working conditions are bad. Two: They're bad because the mob does the hiring. And three: The only way we can break the mob is to stop letting them get away with murder."

"You'd better get rid of that gun, unless you haven't got the guts, and if you don't, you'd better hang on to it!"

"And how much is your soul worth if you don't?"

"There's one thing we've got in this country and that's ways of fightin' back. Gettin' the facts to the public. Testifyin' for what you know is right against what you know is wrong."

"Now what's ratting to them is telling the truth for you. Now can't you see that? Can't you see that?"

"I came down here to keep a promise. I gave Kayo my word that if he stood up to the mob I'd stand up with him. All the way."

"Okay, Kayo?"

"Amen."

"I've never met anyone like you. There's not a spark of sentiment or romance or human kindness in your whole body."

"What good does it do you but get you in trouble?"

"I want you to stay away from me."

"Edie, you love me... I want you to say it to me."

"I didn't say I didn't love you. I said, 'Stay away from me.'"

"But Pop, I've seen things that I know are so wrong. Now how can I go back to school and keep my mind on... on things that are just in books, that-that-that aren't people living?"

"I'm gonna stay, Pop. And I'm gonna keep on tryin' to find out who is guilty for Joey."

"Shouldn't everybody care about everybody else?"

"Boy, what a fruitcake you are!"

"I mean, isn't everybody a part of everybody else?"

"And you really believe that drool?"

"Yes, I do."

"You don't believe anybody, do you?"

"Listen, down here, it's every man for himself. It's keepin' alive. It's standin' in with the right people, so you got a little bit of change jinglin' in your pocket."

"And if you don't?"

"And if you don't - right down."

"That's living like an animal."

"All right, I'd rather live like an animal than end up like Joey."

"Are you afraid to mention his name?"

"Help me if you can, for God's sakes!"

"Edie, I'd like to help, I'd like to help, but there's nothin' I can do."

"All right. I shouldn't have asked you."

"Here, come on, have a little beer. Come on, come on."

"I don't want it. You just stay here and finish your drink."

"Oh, no, no, listen, don't go. I got my whole life to drink."

"You sore at me?"

"What for?"

"Well, I don't know, for not, for not bein' no help to ya."

"You would if you could."

"I started them Golden Warriors. You might say that I was the original Golden Warrior."

"This bum here is my shadow. He thinks I'm a tough man because I boxed pro a lot."

"I wouldn't have thought you'd be so interested in pigeons."

"Even pigeons aren't peaceful."

"There's one thing about them though, they're very faithful. They get married just like people."

"Better."

"And they stay that way till one of 'em dies."

"That's nice."

"I had to scrap all my life. I might as well get paid for it."

"When I was a kid, my old man got bumped off and - and never mind how. Then they stuck Charley and me in a dump they called a Children's Home. Oh, boy! That was some home."

"Well, anyhow, I ran away from there and I fought in the club smokers and peddled papers and Johnny Friendly bought a piece of me..."

"Yes, then, uh, I was goin' pretty good there for awhile. And after that, uh. Well, I don't know, what do you really care? Am I right?"

"You know, I've seen you a lot of times before. Remember parochial school out on Pulaski Street? Seven, eight years ago?"

"Your hair, you had your hair, uh..."

"Braids."

"Looked like a hunk of rope. And you had wires on your teeth and glasses and everything. You was really a mess."

"Where you guys going? Wait a minute! I'll remember this! I'll remember every one of you! I'll be back! Don't you forget that! I'll be back!"