The Conversation Quotes

The Director I'm tired of this lying, all right. I'm tired of lies!

Martin Stett You know that means we've been watching you. We have the tapes. They are perfectly safe. The Director was very anxious to hear them as soon as possible and you seemed to be, I don't know, disturbed. I couldn't take the chance that you might destroy our tapes. You understand, don't you, Mr Caul? Our tapes have nothing to do with you. Why don't you come over now and bring the photographs? The Director's here and he's prepared to pay you in full.

Harry You should have seen it, though. These new microphones are just incredible. They really - I couldn't really believe it myself. We were over two hundred yards away and it was absolutely readable. I broke in a couple newreel cameramen and, you should have been there, Bernie, it was really...

Lurleen What did they do?

Harry Well, they took the cross-hairs of the telescope and they lined it up on the mouths of the...

Lurleen No, the boy and the girl, what did they do?

Harry Oh, I don't know. But it was really beautiful. Really something to see.

Harry Caul Oh God, what I have done. I have to destroy the tapes. It cannot happen again. The family was murdered because of me. Oh God, no protection. I can find them wherever they go, and I can hear them.

Stanley "Stan This is a quad in the center of the city. These are steps coming in here, benches all around. Now it's 12 noon, which means that it's lunchtime for all the people that work in these offices around here. Okay, the people are walking, talking, having lunch and it's crowded. Two people are constantly moving in circles in and out of the crowd. We don't know whether they'll sit down or what. They're convinced that they can't be recorded because they're in a crowd and constantly moving. They're the target. Now the assignment is to get everything they say. How would you do it?

Meredith I want to hear all about you. Where are you from?

Harry New York.

Meredith I used to live in New York. At first, I worked as a receptionist and then I got promoted to secretary and then I was promoted to gal-Friday and special assistant to the Boss. Then I married him. Do you live far from here? Harry?

Harry Are you still married?

Meredith Oh, I don't know. Probably. Why then, maybe I am. The last thing I heard, he was trying to scrape up enough money to buy another hardware store. And I ended up out here in San Francisco - unemployed - which is the entire story of my life up until tonight. You don't like me very much, do you? You don't want to talk to me or anything.

Harry I didn't say that.

Meredith Something is on your mind. I wish you'd tell me. I do, I wish that, I wish that you'd feel that you could talk to me and, and that we could be friends, I mean, aside from all of this junk.

Harry If you were a girl who waited for someone...

Meredith You can trust me.

Harry ...and you never really knew when he was gonna come to see you. You just lived in a room alone and you knew nothing about him. And if you loved him and were patient with him, and even though he didn't dare ever tell you anything about himself personally, even though he may have loved you, would you..would you, would you go back to him?

Meredith How would I know - how would I know that he loved me?

Harry You'd have no way of knowing.

Harry You never used to ask a lot of questions.

Amy Harry, I was so happy when you came over tonight. When I heard you open up the door, my toes were dancing under the covers. But I don't think I'm gonna wait for you anymore.

Harry Caul This is Harry Caul from upstairs...Yes, well, thank you very much. Thank you...You're really very nice, yes, but...what I wanted to talk to you about was how did you put it in the apartment?...What about the alarm? Oh you did?...I thought I had the only key...well, what emergency could possibly...all right, yes. You see, I would be perfectly happy to have all my personal things burned up in a fire because I don't have anything personal. Nothing of value. No, nothing personal except my keys, you see, which I really would like to have the only copy of, Mrs. Evangelista. As of today, my mail will go to a post-office box with a combination on it and no keys. Goodbye.

Stanley "Stan There isn't all that much you ever let me in on, Harry. You won't show me anything. You keep it all to yourself. You know damn well you will.

Harry Caul Bless me Father for I have sinned. Three months since my last confession. I - these are my sins. Took the Lord's name in vain on several occasions. On a number of occasions, I've taken newspapers from the racks without paying for them. I've - deliberately taken pleasure in impure thoughts. I've been involved in some work that I think, I think will be used to hurt these two young people. It's happened to me before. People were hurt because of my work and I'm afraid it could happen again and I'm - I was in no way responsible. I'm not responsible. For these and all my sins of my past life, I am heartily sorry.

Stanley Who's interested in these two, anyway?

Harry I don't know for sure.

Stanley The Justice Department?

Harry No.

Stanley Then I figure it must be the Infernal Revenue. Their tapes always put me to sleep.

Harry Since when are you here to be entertained?

Stanley Sometimes it's nice to know what they're talking about.

Harry I don't care what they're talking about. All I want is a nice fat recording.

Martin Do you want to hear that again?

The Director You want it to be true!

Martin No, I don't. I just want you to know whatever you need to know. That's all.

Ann Do you think we can do this?

Mark I'm tired of drinking anyhow...I'm tired of mostly everything.

Ann Tired of me?

Mark Tired of you, but not today.

Amy Does something special happen between us on your birthday?

Harry Like what?

Amy Something personal.

Harry What?

Amy Like, uhm, telling me about yourself. Your secrets?

Harry I don't have any secrets.

Amy I'm your secret. You do have secrets, Harry? I know you do. Sometimes you come over here and you don't tell me. Once I saw you up by the staircase, hiding and watching for a whole hour. You think you're gonna catch me at something, you know? I know when you come over. I can always tell. You have a certain way of opening up the door. You know, first the key goes in real quiet, and then the door comes open real fast, just like you think you're gonna catch me at something. Sometimes I even think you're listening to me when I'm talking on the telephone.

Harry What are you talking about?

Amy I don't know. I just feel it. Really, I do.

Ann I don't know what I'm gonna get him for Christmas yet. He's already got everything.

Mark He doesn't need anything anymore.

Ann Well, I haven't decided what I'm gonna get you yet.

Mark Better start looking.

Ann What about me?

Mark You'll see.

Ann A lot of fun you are. You're supposed to tease me, give me hints, make me guess, you know.

Mark Does it bother you?

Ann What?

Mark Walking around in circles.

Ann Oh look, that's terrible.

Mark He's not hurting anyone.

Ann Neither are we. Oh God. Every time I see one of those old guys, I-I always think the same thing.

Mark What do you think?

Ann I always think that he was once somebody's baby boy...and he had a mother and a father who loved him. And now, there he is, half-dead on a park bench and where is his mother or his father or his uncles now? Anyway, that's what I always think.

Mark I always think of how when they had the newspaper strike in New York, more of those old guys died. Fifty of them frozen died in one night.

Ann Just because there were no newspapers?

Mark Really.

Martin Stett We want you to deliver the tapes on Sunday, one o'clock. The Director will be there. He'll accept the tapes from you, in person.

Harry It's no ordinary conversation. It makes me feel...something.

Meredith Forget it, Harry. It's only a trick.

Harry What?

Meredith A job. You're not supposed to feel anything about it. You're just supposed to do it. That's all. Relax, honey.

Harry Caul It had nothin to do with me, I mean, I just turned in the tapes...What they do with the tapes is their own business.

William P. "Bernie" Moran I've gotta give credit where credit is due, right? I mean abracadabra, Harry. You see, I'm number two Harry. I have to try harder. The bugger got bugged, huh?

Amy Where do you work, Harry?

Harry Oh, in different places, different jobs. I'm kinda a musician. A free-lance musician.

Amy Where do you live? And why can't I call you over there?

Harry Cause I don't have a telephone.

Amy Do you live alone?

Harry Why are you asking me all these questions?

Amy Because it's your birthday.

Harry I don't want people to ask me a lot of questions.

Amy I want to know you.

Harry Yes, I know you want to. I don't feel like answering any more questions.

Martin Stett Now look, don't get involved in this, Mr. Caul. Those tapes are dangerous. You heard em. You know what I mean. Someone may get hurt. Mr. Caul, be careful.

Harry Caul I build all my own equipment. Thank you.

Martin Stett We know that you know, Mr. Caul. For your own sake, don't get involved any further. We'll be listening to you.

Harry Caul Listen, my name is Harry Caul. Can you hear me? Don't be afraid. I know you don't know who I am, but I know you. There isn't much to say about myself. I - was very sick when I was a boy. I was paralyzed in my left arm and my left leg. I couldn't walk for six months. One doctor said that I'd probably never walk again. My mother used to lower me into a hot bath - it was therapy. One time the doorbell rang and she went down to answer it. I started sliding down. I could feel the water starting to come up to my chin, up to my nose, and when I woke up, my body was all greasy from the holy oil she put on my body. I remember being disappointed I survived. When I was five, my father introduced me to a friend of his, and for no reason at all, I hit him right in the stomach with all my strength. He died a year later. He'll kill ya if he gets the chance. I'm not afraid of death but I am afraid of murder.

Stan What the hell are they talkin about, for Chrissake?!

Harry Well, I'm gettin fed up.

Stan About what?

Harry About your asking me questions all day long.

Stan Jesus!

Harry Don't say that.

Stan Well, for Chrissakes!

Harry Stan, don't say that again, please. Don't use that word in vain. It bothers me.

Stan What's the matter, Harry?

Harry Your work's getting sloppy. We'd have a much better track here if you'd paid more attention to the recording and less attention to what they were talking about.

William P. "Bernie" Moran There is no moment between human beings that I cannot record and there is no method that I cannot figure out. I could figure out any of Harry's schemes, right?

Taglines Harry Caul is an invader of privacy. The best in the business. He can record any conversation between two people anywhere. So far, three people are dead because of him.

Martin Stett I'm not following you, I'm looking for you. There's a big difference.

Ann I love you.

Mark We're spending too much time together here.

Ann No, let's stay just a little longer.

Mark He'd kill us if he got the chance.

Bernie Let me tell you somethin about Harry Caul...I know you heard this a thousand times, Harry, but let me say it again. Here's to Harry - the best bar none. I'll drink to that.

Harry The best what?

Bernie The best bugger on the West Coast.

Stan Harry, if you filled me in a little bit, once in a while, did you ever think of that?

Harry It has nothing to do with me and even less to do with you.

Stan It's curiosity. Did you ever hear of that? It's just god-damned human nature.

Harry Listen, if there's one sure-fire rule that I have learned in this business is that I don't know anything about human nature. I don't know anything about curiosity. That's not part of what I do. This is my business.

Taglines Harry Caul will go anywhere to bug a private conversation.