The Maltese Falcon Quotes
Kasper Gutman: I couldn't be fonder of you if you were my own son. But, well, if you lose a son, its possible to get another. There's only one Maltese Falcon.
Movie: The Maltese Falcon
Sam Spade: I hope they don't hang you, precious, by that sweet neck. Yes, angel, I'm gonna send you over. The chances are you'll get off with life. That means if you're a good girl, you'll be out in 20 years. I'll be waiting for you. If they hang you, I'll always remember you.
Movie: The Maltese Falcon
Sam Spade: [to Brigid] Don't be too sure I'm as crooked as I'm supposed to be!
Movie: The Maltese Falcon
Spade: We didn't believe your story, Mrs. O'Shaughnessy, we believed your 200 dollars. I mean you paid us more than if you had been telling us the truth, and enough more to make it alright.
Movie: The Maltese Falcon
[first title card]
Title Card: In 1539, the Knight Templars of Malta, paid tribute to Charles V of Spain, by sending him a Golden Falcon encrusted from beak to claw with rarest jewels ~~~~~ but pirates seized the galley carrying this priceless token and the fate of the Maltese Falcon remains a mystery to this day ~~~
Title Card: In 1539, the Knight Templars of Malta, paid tribute to Charles V of Spain, by sending him a Golden Falcon encrusted from beak to claw with rarest jewels ~~~~~ but pirates seized the galley carrying this priceless token and the fate of the Maltese Falcon remains a mystery to this day ~~~
Movie: The Maltese Falcon
[last lines]
Detective Tom Polhaus: [picks up the falcon] Heavy. What is it?
Sam Spade: The, uh, stuff that dreams are made of.
Detective Tom Polhaus: Huh?
Detective Tom Polhaus: [picks up the falcon] Heavy. What is it?
Sam Spade: The, uh, stuff that dreams are made of.
Detective Tom Polhaus: Huh?
Movie: The Maltese Falcon
Brigid O'Shaughnessy : I haven't lived a good life. I've been bad, worse than you could know.
Sam Spade : You know, that's good, because if you actually were as innocent as you pretend to be, we'd never get anywhere.
Sam Spade : You know, that's good, because if you actually were as innocent as you pretend to be, we'd never get anywhere.
Movie: The Maltese Falcon
Wilmer Cook : Keep on riding me and they're gonna be picking iron out of your liver.
Sam Spade : The cheaper the crook, the gaudier the patter.
Sam Spade : The cheaper the crook, the gaudier the patter.
Movie: The Maltese Falcon
Sam Spade : Ten thousand? We were talking about a lot more money than this.
Kasper Gutman : Yes, sir, we were, but this is genuine coin of the realm. With a dollar of this, you can buy ten dollars of talk.
Kasper Gutman : Yes, sir, we were, but this is genuine coin of the realm. With a dollar of this, you can buy ten dollars of talk.
Movie: The Maltese Falcon
Kasper Gutman : I couldn't be fonder of you if you were my own son. But, well, if you lose a son, it's possible to get another. There's only one Maltese Falcon.
Movie: The Maltese Falcon
Sam Spade : Haven't you tried to buy my loyalty with money and nothing else?
Brigid O'Shaughnessy : What else is there I can buy you with?
Brigid O'Shaughnessy : What else is there I can buy you with?
Movie: The Maltese Falcon
Spade : When a man's partner is killed, he's supposed to do something about it. It doesn't make any difference what you thought of him. He was your partner and you're supposed to do something about it. And it happens we're in the detective business. Well, when one of your organization gets killed, it's-it's bad business to let the killer get away with it, bad all around, bad for every detective everywhere.
Movie: The Maltese Falcon
Spade : We didn't exactly believe your story, Miss O'Shaughnessy. We believed your 200 dollars. I mean, you paid us more than if you had been telling us the truth, and enough more to make it all right.
Movie: The Maltese Falcon
Bryan : Who killed Thursby?
Sam Spade : I don't know.
Bryan : Perhaps you don't, but you could make an excellent guess.
Sam Spade : My guess might be excellent or it might be crummy, but Mrs. Spade didn't raise any children dippy enough to make guesses in front of a district attorney, and an assistant district attorney and a stenographer.
Bryan : Why shouldn't you, if you have nothing to conceal?
Sam Spade : Everybody has something to conceal.
Bryan : I'm a sworn officer of the law, 24 hours a day, and neither formality nor informality justifies you withholding evidence of crime from me. Except, of course, on constitutional grounds.
Sam Spade : [ ranting ] Now, both you and the police have as much as accused me of being mixed up in the other night's murders. Well, I've had trouble with both of you before. And as far as I can see my best chance of clearing myself of the trouble you're trying to make for me, is by bringing in the murderers all tied up. And the only chance I've got of catching them, and tying them up, and bringing them in, is by staying as far away as possible from you and the police, because you'd only gum up the works. [ turns to stenographer ]
Sam Spade : You getting this all right, son, or am I goin' too fast for ya?
Stenographer : No, sir, I'm getting it all right.
Sam Spade : Good work.
Sam Spade : I don't know.
Bryan : Perhaps you don't, but you could make an excellent guess.
Sam Spade : My guess might be excellent or it might be crummy, but Mrs. Spade didn't raise any children dippy enough to make guesses in front of a district attorney, and an assistant district attorney and a stenographer.
Bryan : Why shouldn't you, if you have nothing to conceal?
Sam Spade : Everybody has something to conceal.
Bryan : I'm a sworn officer of the law, 24 hours a day, and neither formality nor informality justifies you withholding evidence of crime from me. Except, of course, on constitutional grounds.
Sam Spade : [ ranting ] Now, both you and the police have as much as accused me of being mixed up in the other night's murders. Well, I've had trouble with both of you before. And as far as I can see my best chance of clearing myself of the trouble you're trying to make for me, is by bringing in the murderers all tied up. And the only chance I've got of catching them, and tying them up, and bringing them in, is by staying as far away as possible from you and the police, because you'd only gum up the works. [ turns to stenographer ]
Sam Spade : You getting this all right, son, or am I goin' too fast for ya?
Stenographer : No, sir, I'm getting it all right.
Sam Spade : Good work.
Movie: The Maltese Falcon
Kasper Gutman : You're a close-mouthed man?
Sam Spade : Nah, I like to talk.
Kasper Gutman : Better and better. I distrust a close-mouthed man. He generally picks the wrong time to talk and says the wrong things. Talking's something you can't do judiciously, unless you keep in practice. [ sits back ]
Kasper Gutman : Now, sir. We'll talk, if you like. I'll tell you right out, I am a man who likes talking to a man who likes to talk.
Sam Spade : Swell. Will we talk about the black bird?
Sam Spade : Nah, I like to talk.
Kasper Gutman : Better and better. I distrust a close-mouthed man. He generally picks the wrong time to talk and says the wrong things. Talking's something you can't do judiciously, unless you keep in practice. [ sits back ]
Kasper Gutman : Now, sir. We'll talk, if you like. I'll tell you right out, I am a man who likes talking to a man who likes to talk.
Sam Spade : Swell. Will we talk about the black bird?
Movie: The Maltese Falcon
Sam Spade : [ impatiently ] Now, let's *talk* about the black bird.
Kasper Gutman : Let's. Mr. Spade, have you any conception of how much money can be got for that black bird?
Sam Spade : No.
Kasper Gutman : Well, sir, if I told you... If I told you *half*... you'd call me a liar.
Sam Spade : No, not even if I thought so.
Kasper Gutman : Let's. Mr. Spade, have you any conception of how much money can be got for that black bird?
Sam Spade : No.
Kasper Gutman : Well, sir, if I told you... If I told you *half*... you'd call me a liar.
Sam Spade : No, not even if I thought so.
Movie: The Maltese Falcon
Sam Spade : If you kill me, how are you gonna get the bird? And if I know you can't afford to kill me, how are you gonna scare me into giving it to you?
Movie: The Maltese Falcon
Joel Cairo : You always have a very smooth explanation...
Sam Spade : What do you want me to do, learn to stutter?
Sam Spade : What do you want me to do, learn to stutter?
Movie: The Maltese Falcon
Kasper Gutman : I distrust a man who says "when." If he's got to be careful not to drink too much, it's because he's not to be trusted when he does.
Movie: The Maltese Falcon
Spade : I hope you're not letting yourself be influenced by the guns these pocket-edition desperadoes are waving around, because I've practiced taking guns from these boys before; so we'll have no trouble there.
Movie: The Maltese Falcon
Joel Cairo : You... you bungled it. You and your stupid attempt to buy it. Kemedov found out how valuable it was, no wonder we had such an easy time stealing it. You... you imbecile. You bloated idiot. You stupid fat-head you. [ cries ]
Movie: The Maltese Falcon
[ last lines ]
Detective Tom Polhaus : [ picks up the falcon ] Heavy. What is it?
Sam Spade : The, uh, stuff that dreams are made of.
Detective Tom Polhaus : Huh?
Detective Tom Polhaus : [ picks up the falcon ] Heavy. What is it?
Sam Spade : The, uh, stuff that dreams are made of.
Detective Tom Polhaus : Huh?
Movie: The Maltese Falcon
Kasper Gutman : By Gad, sir, you are a character. There's never any telling what you'll say or do next, except that it's bound to be something astonishing.
Movie: The Maltese Falcon