Memorable Quotes from Bernard Lee
13 quotesAssessing the Value of a Pursuit
M
Do we know where she is now?
Bond
Nassau.
M
Do you think she's worth going after?
Bond
Well, I wouldn't put it quite like that, sir...
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Maintaining National Interests in Espionage
M
007!
Gen. Gogol
Triple X!
Sir Frederick Grey
Bond, what do you think you're doing?
Bond
...Keeping the British end up, sir.
[closes the curtains]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Understanding the Double-O License to Kill
M
If you carry a double-O number, it means you're licensed to kill, not get killed.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Light Banter on Gold and Dinner
Bond
What do you know about gold, Moneypenny?
Moneypenny
Oh, the only gold I know about is the ]. You know, on the third finger of your left hand.
[[w:Wedding ring|kind you wear; ''makes motion of inserting ring'']
Bond
One day we really must look into that.
Moneypenny
What about tonight? You come round for dinner and I'll cook you a beautiful Angel Cake.
Bond
Nothing would give me great pleasure but unfortunately I have a ... business appointment.
Moneypenny
That's the flimsiest excuse you've ever given me. Ah well, some girls have all the luck. Who is she, James?
M
She" is me, Miss Moneypenny. And kindly omit the customary byplay with 007, will you? He's dining with me, and I don't want him to be late.
[''Over the intercom'']
Moneypenny
So there's hope for me yet?
[''Hopeful'']
Bond
Moneypenny...won't you ever believe me?
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Bond's Limited Knowledge on Diamonds
Sir Donald Munger
Tell me, Commander, how far does your expertise extend into the field of diamonds?
James Bond
Well, hardest substance found in nature, they cut glass, suggests marriage, I suppose it replaced the dog as the girl's best friend. That's about it.
M
Refreshing to hear that there is one subject you're not an expert on!
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Testing Innovative Gadgets in Secret Missions
M
I'm sure the over-burdened British taxpayer would be fascinated to know how its Special Ordinances section disperses its funds. In future, Commander, let me suggest a perfectly adequate watchmaker just down the street. Good God!
[Bond activates the watch magnet, drawing M's teaspoon to it]
James Bond
You see, sir, by pulling out this button, it turns the watch into a hyper-intensified magnetic field. Powerful enough to even deflect the path of a bullet - at long range, or so Q claims...
M
I feel very tempted to test that theory right now!
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Ongoing Debate About Brain Activity
Dr. Peter Corrie
Look Frank it's still active!
Dr. Frank Shears
He's dead.
Dr. Peter Corrie
Frank that brain's still alive! You've got to help me.
Dr. Frank Shears
Help you? Have you gone raving...
Ella
An ambulance will be here in twenty minutes.
Dr. Peter Corrie
We haven't got much time.
Dr. Frank Shears
For God's sake Peter leave him in peace.
Ella
Frank is right Peter you can't touch him know.
Dr. Peter Corrie
I can't, but he can! Don't you realize the chance we have?
Dr. Frank Shears
Look, I gave up surgery and you know why. I was glad to join your research, it was something I always wanted, I don't mind animal experiments, but not this.
Dr. Peter Corrie
We're wasting time. Ella! Do it Frank!
Dr. Frank
I've sworn never to operate on a human being
Peter Corrie
But this one is dead!
Dr. Frank Shears
You know what you're trying to do is against the law don't you, and when they catch up with you, you'll be finished!
Dr. Peter Corrie
Forget it! Science has to shortcut and tell the world later, you've got just over fifteen minutes Frank...
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Skin Suffocation and Its Consequences
M
Gold? All over?
Bond
She died of skin suffocation. It's been known to happen to cabaret dancers. It's all right as long as you leave a small bare patch at the base of the spine to allow the skin to breathe.
M
Someone obviously didn't.
Bond
And I know who.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Urgent Message Regarding Agent 007's Mission
M
Moneypenny, where's 007?
Moneypenny
He's on a mission sir. In Austria.
M
Well, tell him to pull out. Immediately.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Risks of Gold Smuggling
Colonel Smithers
We here, at ], Mr. Bond, are the official depository for gold bullion. Just as ], is for the United States. We know, of course, uh...the amounts we each hold; we know the amounts deposited in other banks; and we can estimate what is being held for industrial purposes. Then this enables the two governments to establish, respectively, the true value of the dollar and the pound. And consequently, we are vitally concerned with unauthorised leakages.
[[w:Bank of England|the Bank of England; ''Smithers' butler, Brunskill, approaches the dining table with a box of cigars''; [w:Fort Knox, Kentucky|Fort Knox, Kentucky; ''During this line, Brunskill offers M a cigar''; ''Brunskill crosses to Bond''; ''Bond refuses the cigar offer; Brunskill crosses to Colonel Smithers'']
Bond
I take it you mean smuggling.
Colonel Smithers
Yes. Gold, gentlemen, which can be melted down and recast, is virtually untraceable... ...which makes it, unlike diamonds, ideal for smuggling... ...attracting the biggest and most ingenious criminals. Thank you, Brunskill. That'll be all.
[''Embarrassed''; ''During this line, he selects a cigar from the box''; ''He hands the cigar to Brunskill, who cuts it during the next line''; ''Brunskill hands the cigar back to him''; ''To Brunskill; quietly]
Brunskill
Thank you, sir.
[''He bows and leaves, carrying the cigar box'']
Colonel Smithers
Have a little more of this...rather disappointing brandy.
[''Leans forward, picks up the brandy decanter; ''Hands it to Bond'']
M
Ah, what's the matter with it?
[''About to drink, stops, frowning'']
Bond
I'd say it was a 30-year-old fine, indifferently blended, sir... ...with an overdose of bon-bois.
[''Studying the decanter as Colonel Smithers removes the ring from his cigar''; ''removes the topper, smells the [[w:brandy|brandy]
M
Colonel Smithers is giving the lecture, 007.
[''Annoyed'']
Colonel Smithers
Gentlemen, Mr. Goldfinger has gold bullion on deposit in ], ], ] and ]... ...worth £20 million. Most of it came from this country.
[''Blows out the match he used to light his cigar''; [w:Zurich|Zurich; [w:Amsterdam|Amsterdam; [w:Caracas|Caracas; [w:Hong Kong|Hong Kong; ''thinks briefly'']
Bond
Why move it?
[''Handing Colonel Smithers the brandy decanter'']
Colonel Smithers
Because the price of gold varies from country to country. You buy it here, at $30 an ounce, you can sell it in, say, ], at $110, and triple your money. Providing, of course, you have the facilities for...melting it down.
[''Takes the decanter''; ''Sets it down on his right''; [w:Pakistan|Pakistan; ''M smells the brandy'']
Bond
And has he?
Colonel Smithers
Apart from being a legitimate bullion dealer, Mr. Goldfinger poses... er no, that's not quite fair...is, among his many other interests, a legitimate international jeweller. He's legally entitled to operate modest metallurgical installations; his British one is down in ]. As yet, we have failed to discover how he transfers his gold overseas...and Lord knows we've tried! If your department can establish that it is done illegally, then the Bank could institute proceedings to recover the bulk of his holdings.
[''While M, cigar in mouth, puts the brandy decanter stopper back in and sets the decanter on the table''; ''pause''; [w:Kent|Kent; ''Leans forward; to M'']
Bond
I think it's time Mr. Goldfinger and I... met. Socially, of course.
Colonel Smithers
I...was hoping you would say that.
[''Stands up and walks off'']
M
It might lead to a business talk - Mr. Goldfinger's business.
Bond
I'll need some kind of bait.
Colonel Smithers
I quite agree. This is the only one we have, ] at the bottom of ] in the ], but there are undoubtedly others. ]. As he sits down] Mr. Bond can make whatever use of it he sees fit - providing he returns it, of course. It's worth £5,000.
[''Returns to the table, carrying something wrapped in green''; [w:Nazi gold|from the Nazi hoard; [w:Lake Toplitz|Lake Toplitz; [w:Salzkammergut|Salzkammergut; ''Sets the object down, unwraps it. It is a gold bar, bearing [[w:Swastika#World War II|a Nazi swastika and eagle; ''To Bond as he reaches for his glass'']
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Duty Over Personal Loyalty in Crisis
Bond
And the girl who helped me escape? We just leave her there?
M
This department is not concerned with your personal problems.
Bond
This department owes her a debt. She saved my life.
M
Operation Bedlam is DEAD! Do you understand, 007?
Bond
Yes, Sir. I understand.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Attempting Re-entry: A Mission Evaluation
M
Double O Seven...!
[shocked at the camera feed]
Sir Frederick Gray
My God, what's Bond doing?
Q
I think he's attempting re-entry sir.
[looking at a radar screen; Bond looks up and smiles at the camera before unplugging it]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
SPECTRE Threatens Major City with Atomic Bombs
M
Well, now that we're all here, the Prime Minister has asked the Home Secretary to come and represent him here today. Home Secretary?
Home Secretary
Ah, gentlemen. The tape that you are about to hear was received at 10 Downing Street this morning.
Ernst Stavro Blofeld/Number 1
My dear Prime Minister, two atomic bombs, numbers 456 and 457, which were aboard NATO flight 759, are now in the possession of SPECTRE. Unless within the next seven days, your government pays to us one hundred million pounds Sterling, in a manner to be designated by us, we shall destroy a major city in England or the United States of America. Please signal your acceptance of our terms by arranging for Big Ben to strike seven times at 6:00pm tomorrow.
[on tape]
Home Secretary
The Prime Minister and the President have talked together over the hotline, and have agreed that unless the bombs are recovered, payment will have to be made. To avoid general panic, complete secrecy will be maintained, and no press announcements. The Prime Minister has asked that your department take charge of the operation.
[To M]
M
Thank you sir. Sir John?
[To Air Marshal Sir John]
Air Marshal Sir John
This circle represents the full flying range of the Vulcan. Extensive search has failed to locate any evidence of either a crash or landing, and worldwide reports have proved negative on all airfields large enough to handle the Vulcan. That's all we have, sir.
[At the map; pointing; To M]
M
Thank you, Sir John.
Home Secretary
Well, I'll leave you to carry on. We'll keep you in touch from Number 10.
M
Thank you, sir. You may now open the folders in front of you. Codename... Thunderball. As you can see, we've very little to go on. All the members of the crew had top security clearance. You'll find their photographs and service records in your files. You'll be working with NATO, CIA and all Allied intelligence units. Well, that's all, until you discuss your individual assignments with me.
[The Home Secretary and Kenniston leave; to the 00 agents; The 00 agents do so, looking at the papers in them.]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.