- Dr. Ross: You've an incurable disease: alcoholism. Liquor is as poisonous to you as sugar is to the man with diabetes.
- Charley Dolan: Hey Lew, I been thinking. Seems to me it's time you start and use your mind like the you've been using your body, I mean, do what you're meant to do, write for the newspapers.
- Lew Marsh: Forget it Charley, after you drunk yourself off of three newspapers, the word goes out over the wire: Lew Marsh is through, Lew Marsh is poison, Lew Marsh tickles, no I like it this way, fine. Just the way things are, fine.
- Lew Marsh: You get to Lennie Garr. You tell him that The Sun-Herald is personally interested in the welfare of Boyd Copeland. Make it clear to the rat. And if he talks back, give me a ring.