- Dave: There was a guy, Bobby. There was another guy, Megs... and the three of us were friends. I loved those two guys like they were my brothers. Bobby was the smart one. Megs was the crazy one. And... me... I was the scared one. Bobby talked to you... he'd talk to you... sports, books, girls. Bobby said that certain girls, they glowed. And when, when they touched you... you weren't scared or tired. When they just stood next to you, you weren't confused. Bobby said someday we'd all find girls like that and then finally things would make sense... just because you were with them. Bobby said that would happen to us all. Because we, uh, because we - all of us - we deserved it.
- David 'High School' Flannigan: I blame people. I've been blaming people so much. And I've been hurting people. That sucks. They're the people that cared about me mostly I guess but I didn't... you know... I thought... No, I think, I think I don't deserve them caring about me 'cause I don't like me very much. But hey, it's time! If not for me then for the people that didn't stop loving me.
- Martha: Have you ever actually caught a fish, Joseph?
- Joseph 'Jacknife' Megessey: Martha, the only way I'm going to catch a fish, I got a feeling, is to drain the pond.
- [last lines]
- Joseph 'Jacknife' Megessey: I bet we would have had a horrible time at the goddamn prom.
- Martha: We would have left early.
- Joseph 'Jacknife' Megessey: We would have gone some place fancy for dinner.
- Martha: No, I doubt we would have been hungry.
- Joseph 'Jacknife' Megessey: Maybe we would have driven some place. Some place quiet. Parked. Then - who knows.
- Martha: Who knows.
- Martha: What do you want for breakfast?
- Joseph 'Jacknife' Megessey: Beer.
- Martha: Beer for breakfast? Oh, that's horrible.
- Joseph 'Jacknife' Megessey: Breakfast beer! Ain't you ever had a beer for breakfast? You take one sip of breakfast beer, the cobwebs go, your voice rises two octaves, and "Hey, man!" the sun comes up inside you.