I've been as bad an influence on American literature as anyone I can think of.

I don t mind a reasonable amount of trouble.

The problem with putting two and two together is that sometimes you get four, and sometimes you get twenty-two.

Joel Cairo: You always have a very smooth explanation ready. Sam Spade: What do you want me to do, learn to stutter?

Listen, darling, tomorrow I'll buy you a whole lot of detective stories, but don't worry your pretty little head over mysteries tonight.

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.

My way of learning is to heave a wild and unpredictable monkey-wrench into the machinery.

Feed the lettuce to the bunny and eat the bunny.

I once knew a man who stole a Ferris Wheel.

The cheaper the crook, the gaudier the patter.

You got to look on the bright side, even if there ain't one.

Love everyone but chose your friends with caution.

From that moment, and for the rest of my life, my mother's words--perceptive and many others--have helped me to be the thing she saw and named in me.

Everyone is dangerous in here, can’t you see that?” he warned.

I believe in a religion that believes in freedom. Any time I have to accept a religion that won't let me fight a battle for my people, I say to hell with that religion.

I was not a natural. . . . This is the story of becoming . . . the Hard Way.

The three salient features of love are: Where there is love, there is no question. Where there is love, there is no pain. Where there is love, there is nothing impossible.

The dangers of life are infinite, and among them is safety.

New media are new archetypes, at first disguised as degradations of older media.

I have tried to be as eclectic as I possibly can with my professional life, and so far it's been pretty fun.

Anytime anybody goes, "Wow you've been busy." I'm like, "No, not since college. This is a cakewalk in comparison."