- Omar: It ain't what you takin', it's who you takin' from, ya feel me? How you expect to run with the wolves come night when you spend all day sparring with the puppies?
- Preston 'Bodie' Broadus: And then I'm standing here like a asshole holding my Charles Dickens 'cause I ain't got no muscle, no backup. Shit man, yo, if this was the old days...
- Slim Charles: Yeah now, well, the thing about the old days... they the old days.
- Det. Roland 'Prez' Pryzbylewski: [On his first day in class] My name is Mr Pryzbylewski. But you can call me Mr Pryzbylewski.
- Deputy Commissioner for Operations William A. Rawls: I especially liked the timing for when you flew your paper. Shrewd.
- Detective Lester Freamon: I couldn't see anybody shutting us down. Not with the elections.
- Deputy Commissioner for Operations William A. Rawls: What asshole would risk the headline?
- Detective Lester Freamon: But to gut us from the inside out...
- Deputy Commissioner for Operations William A. Rawls: Charlie Marimow, my Trojan horse. And now - let me guess - to save your wire, you're prepared to go to Judge Davis. If my memory serves, this isn't the first time a Deputy Ops felt the need to bury you. You have a gift for martyrdom.
- [Freamon smiles and shrugs]
- Deputy Commissioner for Operations William A. Rawls: I wonder, though: are your disciples as keen for the cross?
- [Freamon's smile disappears]
- Deputy Commissioner for Operations William A. Rawls: In your final court report, it would be prudent to tell the judge the investigation hit a dead end.
- [pause, then Freamon puts up his hands in resignation, sighs, and stands up to leave]
- Deputy Commissioner for Operations William A. Rawls: I doubt you'll believe it, but, uh... I respect the effort. You're a hell of an investigator. It would be too much to expect you to serve under Lieutenant Marimow?
- Detective Lester Freamon: The man's a virus.
- Deputy Commissioner for Operations William A. Rawls: Homicide, then. That's you, right?
- Detective Lester Freamon: [quietly surprised] Yeah.
- Deputy Commissioner for Operations William A. Rawls: I know it's hard right now, Detective, but, uh... try to think on this as a favor.