- Clark Kent: I got to get going, I'm gonna be late.
- Lex Luthor: Hey, Clark, you need a lift?
- Clark Kent: No thanks, I was just going to... run.
- Lex Luthor: [chuckles] No offense, Clark, but I don't think you could outrun my Porsche.
- Lex Luthor: Let me guess. Reynolds wants to know where you see yourself five years from now? He made me do the same assignment when I was at Excelsior. He's nothing if not consistent.
- Clark Kent: Yeah, well, I hate to break it to you, Lex, but he doesn't exactly have a high opinion of you.
- Lex Luthor: Well, I wasn't a model student, but imagine being a bald fourteen year old in an elite prep school.
- Clark Kent: Must have been tough.
- Lex Luthor: I had a major chip on my shoulder. But Reynolds saw through it. He challenged me to own up to my own actions, not just to assume the mantle of the spoiled rich kid. He was tough, but fair, and I liked him for that.
- Clark Kent: Well, I wish the feeling was mutual. Whatever he has against you, I think he's taking it out on me.
- Lex Luthor: I'm sorry being friends with me comes with such a high price.
- William Clark: Whatever problems we have, they're between us. Martha said you need help. I'm here to give it.
- Jonathan Kent: So I haven't seen you for twenty years, and all of a sudden you want to be part of this family?
- William Clark: I don't want anything from you. I brought a check because I won't stand by and watch my daughter suffer.
- Jonathan Kent: You just couldn't resist turning that old knife, could you?
- William Clark: I knew Martha was making the biggest mistake of her life when she married you.
- Clark Kent: That's not true, granddad.
- William Clark: You're gonna have to swallow your pride if you're gonna save this farm, Jonathan.
- Jonathan Kent: I don't need a lecture from you on how to take care of my family, thank you.
- William Clark: You're just as stubborn and pig-headed as you were the day I met you.
- Lex Luthor: So, exactly, uh... how long were you planning to work on this essay?
- Clark Kent: I'm just not ready to go home yet.
- Lex Luthor: Something wrong?
- Clark Kent: No, it's just family stuff.
- Lex Luthor: Come on, Clark. I'm the king of family dysfunction.
- Clark Kent: What happened that was so bad? I mean, it can't be any worse than what's in the storm cellar. Can it?
- Jonathan Kent: When your mother and I decided to get married, I went down to his office to ask him for her hand.
- Clark Kent: What'd he say?
- Jonathan Kent: I remember his exact words. "I will not let my daughter throw her life away by marrying some hick farmer that couldn't possibly support her."
- Clark Kent: Whoa. That's harsh.
- Martha Kent: He was a corporate lawyer. That's the way he dealt with people.
- Jonathan Kent: When he realized that we were serious about getting married, he... he lost it. He... tried to shove me out of his office.
- Clark Kent: What happened?
- Jonathan Kent: I hit him. I'm not proud of that; I tried to apologize to him, but he wouldn't have anything to do with it. Your grandfather and I haven't said a word to each other since.
- Clark Kent: That was twenty years ago. He was willing to drive all the way out here. Maybe he wants to try again.
- Jonathan Kent: Believe me, Clark, he's not here to help. He's here to gloat.
- Clark Kent: Mr. Reynolds, I don't understand. We just met. How could you judge me so quickly?
- Principal Terrence Reynolds: How do you know Lex Luthor?
- Clark Kent: Well, he's a friend of mine. Why?
- Principal Terrence Reynolds: A person is judged by the company they keep. In my experience, Lex Luthor doesn't have friends. He sees people as a means towards an end.
- Lana Lang: I was wondering if you could do me a favor.
- Lex Luthor: I take it Nell couldn't identify the mystery man?
- Lana Lang: If she could, she wouldn't tell me anything. I just... I want to know who it is.
- Lex Luthor: Well, that shouldn't be hard to find. But coming to terms with it could prove to be more complicated.
- Lana Lang: What do you mean?
- Lex Luthor: Come on, you know the story of Pandora. She was given a box by Zeus and warned never to open it. She couldn't resist the temptation.
- Lana Lang: I'm not afraid of the truth, Lex.
- Lex Luthor: Neither was Pandora. But once the box was open, it could never be closed, and all the misery she released could never be put back.
- Lana Lang: I appreciate the warning, and anything you can tell me.
- William Clark: I was surprised to get your message. Must have taken a lot for Jonathan to ask for my help.
- Martha Kent: Jonathan is at the co-op in Granville. He doesn't know I called.
- William Clark: Oh. I should have known. Well, I imagine this place differently. But it's not the life I wanted for you, Martha.
- Martha Kent: I'm happy, dad. It's a good life.
- William Clark: For some people, maybe. But you had so much potential. Top ten in your class, you could have gone to any law school you wanted. I'd hoped that one day you'd take over my practice.
- Martha Kent: I never wanted to be a lawyer. This is the life I chose.
- William Clark: This is the life Jonathan chose for you. You just went along for the ride.
- Martha Kent: This isn't about Jonathan! You raised an independent daughter, and you're angry because that's what you got.
- William Clark: And here you are, twenty years later, going behind your husband's back asking me for money.
- Lex Luthor: Spare the rod, spoil the child. You haven't changed a bit. What's next, school uniforms?
- Principal Terrence Reynolds: I'd appreciate it if you'd stay away from my school and my students, Luthor.
- Lex Luthor: Listen, Mr. Reynolds, I know we had our share of run-ins at Excelsior, but I was fourteen. Don't you think it's a bit petty to be holding a grudge after all these years?
- Principal Terrence Reynolds: Well, that's awfully noble coming from a Luthor.
- Lex Luthor: Interesting choice. "The Count of Monte Cristo". Classic tale of a man whose past comes back to haunt him.
- Principal Terrence Reynolds: Why are you here, Lex?
- Lex Luthor: We're upgrading our computer system at the plant. Thought we might donate our old computers to Smallville High.
- Principal Terrence Reynolds: You're not an alumnus.
- Lex Luthor: Call it a thank you. You pushed me, and in hindsight I appreciate that. In some ways, you're responsible for the man I am today.
- Principal Terrence Reynolds: I'm not sure that's a burden I care to take on. Besides the tax deduction, what's the quid pro quo?
- Lex Luthor: Now, why do you think I want anything in return?
- Principal Terrence Reynolds: Because I've learned there's always a price when dealing with the Luthors.
- Lex Luthor: I want you to stop turning your antagonism towards me against Clark Kent.
- Principal Terrence Reynolds: Lionel has taught you well.
- Lex Luthor: My father?
- Principal Terrence Reynolds: Yes. This meeting, it reminds me of the incident that almost got you expelled.
- Lex Luthor: He had nothing to do with that.
- Principal Terrence Reynolds: No. Only later. After receiving notice of your expulsion hearing, he generously offered the school's trustees a new library, with two conditions: that you were allowed to stay, and I was allowed to go. History has an interesting way of repeating itself, doesn't it?