Top 30 Quotes From Clarke Peters

Freamon: I don't wanna go to no dance unless I can rub some tit.

Det. Shakima 'Kima' Greggs: Cool Lester Smooth... hey, what's happenin'?
Det. Lester Freamon: Same fuck-ups in the same shit detail, workin' out of the same shithouse kind of office. You people lack for personal growth, you know that?

Harry: Don't worry.
[tears off her gag]
Harry: Housekeeping will find you.
Ms. Perkins: Treat all your ladies like this?
Harry: You are no lady. Trust me.

Detective: Guy leaves two dozen bodies scattered all over the city, no one gives a fuck.
Detective: It's because who he dropped.
Detective: True that. You can go a long way in this country killin' black folk. Young males especially. Misdemeanor homicides.
Detective: If Marlo was killin' white women...
Detective: White children.
Detective: Tourists.
Detective: One white ex-cheerleader tourist missin' in Aruba.
Detective: Trouble is, this ain't Aruba, bitch.
Detective: You think that if 300 white people were killed in this city every year, they wouldn't send the 82nd Airborne? Negro, please.
Detective: There's gotta be some way to make 'em turn on the faucet.
Detective: Well, come on, Jimmy, you're the smartest boy in the room. You come up with somethin' in this broke-ass city.
[McNulty looks down the bar at a pair of women, then walks over to them and starts talking]
Detective: [leans over to Bunk] Isn't he married or some shit now?

Officer: So you had Walker on the payroll too, huh? Hedging your bets. Smart. Remind me to never cross you, boss.
Alonzo: That's why I never put my name on the payroll. Who needs money when you've real power? The politicians come and go but we will be here forever,

Det. Lester Freamon: Colonel, respectfully, did you just fuck me over without giving me even half a chance to clear this case?
Colonel William A. Rawls: [chuckles] Let's be clear, Det. Freamon. When I fuck you over, you'll know it. You'll be so goddamn certain, you won't need to ask the question.

Det. Lester Freamon: What did he call Cole?
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: Collateral damage.
Det. Lester Freamon: I'm feelin' pretty damn collateral myself, I gotta say.

Moreland: I'm just a humble motherfucker with a big-ass dick.
Freamon: You give yourself too much credit.
Moreland: Okay then. I ain't that humble.

Officer: Know what happens if you try anything?
Alonzo: I believe I can fill in the blanks.
Officer: We're not stopping until we get you to the fed building downtown. So don't die on us, you hear?
Alonzo: You keep forgetting, this is my city. There's just two of you.
John: Eh, we won't be outmatched for long. Finch is sending the cavalry.

[last lines]
Lt. Cedric Daniels: The murder warrant's on hold. The deputy gave us another month. Also, whoever that was you brought in here today gave himself up as an eyewitness in the Gant murder.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Who, Omar?
Lt. Cedric Daniels: And Greggs said to tell you she'd write it up in the morning.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Lieutenant - thanks.
[McNulty leaves]
Det. Lester Freamon: It cost you?
[Daniels says nothing]

Det. Lester Freamon: Caught this case in the Brooklyn Homes, summer of '87. 80-year-old woman. Stabbed up, nightgown in bed, forced window, rear entry. Worked it for a couple of weeks, got the names of two squirrels over in Curtis Bay. Squirrel number one gives it up and tries to put all the weight on squirrel number two.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Back up the statements?
Det. Lester Freamon: Print hit on the rear window for number two, and another one for number one on the medicine chest.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: So it's down, yeah?
Det. Lester Freamon: Mmm. Even better is when squirrel number one drives us by the house where they fenced the old lady's shit. Clock/radio, TV, toaster oven.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: So what's the problem?
Det. Lester Freamon: The problem was the fence. Turned out he was the son of one of the big editors over at the News America. This man is runnin' the afternoon newspaper, and his son is gettin' all fucked up and doin' the dirt and gettin' high down on Locust Point. The deputy, who I guess is in a favor-doin' mood, sends word down to the major, I'm supposed to make the case without the fence. Just the print hits and the statement. Play it like that.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: So he's doin this for what, have some newspaper guy in his pocket?
Det. Lester Freamon: I guess so.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: [chuckles] Is this Burrell?
Det. Lester Freamon: No, no, Mueller. Deputy Ops before Burrell.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: So what did you do?
Det. Lester Freamon: What do you think I did? I charged him with receivin', then had his ass testify.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Well, you coulda made the case without him. Just on the prints and the statement.
Det. Lester Freamon: Probably. Yep.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Why didn't you?
Det. Lester Freamon: Why?
[he gives McNulty a knowing look]
Det. Lester Freamon: Why are you fuckin' up yourself chasin' Avon Barksdale?
[McNulty smiles and takes a drink]
Det. Lester Freamon: A week after the trial ends, the major comes to me and asks me where I wanna go. I told him, I don't care, I like to be outside, you know? Gimme a goddamn foot post, I'll still make my money, you know? Send my ass up to Edmondson Avenue, I don't give a shit.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: You went to a foot post?
Det. Lester Freamon: No, major come back and asked me where I *don't* wanna go. And he asked like he wanna make sure I land okay. So I tell him, I don't want no fuckin' paper-shufflin'. No office shit. Send my black ass outside and let me police somewhere.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: [laughs] Pawn shop unit.
Det. Lester Freamon: Mm-hmm. They got me good, huh?
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: So why'd they let you out of the box? Why now?
Det. Lester Freamon: I guess they just forgot about me.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: [laughs] Shit, Lester. You're back from the dead. You rolled away the stone. Bunk Moreland says you're natural police. One of the few.
Det. Lester Freamon: [sighs] Yeah, I've had my moments. Detective... *when* they ask you where *you* wanna go - and they are gonna ask you where you wanna go - do yourself a favor. Keep your mouth shut.

Alonzo: Peter Yogorov, enforcer for the Russian mob. Least he used to be until Elias took out his old man. Seems like something that might be to our advantage.
Officer: To hit back at Elias?
Alonzo: To build another revenue stream. Yogorov's at MCC, awaiting trial with his little brother Lazlo. DA's got him dead to rights on a dozen different counts. Maybe we can do something about that.
Officer: You need something on the District Attorney?
Alonzo: Let me handle that. By going all spartan on our emissaries, Elias has made it clear - that relationship is over. We need new friends.
Officer: You want me to talk to the Russians? Open negotiations?
Alonzo: They have all the right pieces, but with us behind them, cash flow would no longer be an issue.
Officer: Understood, boss. Just heard something interesting. Looks like that pain-in-the-ass Donnelly finally caught up with the man in the suit.
Alonzo: Not even 7:00 AM, and already a perfect day.

John: Simmons. I want his exit.
Alonzo: Loyalty. That's why Simmons came after you and Carter. Loyalty. That's how we built this whole damn thing. I'll be damned if I repay that loyalty by breaking it now. Even if you threaten to kill me.
John: You see? That's why you and I understand each other. Now, everything you do is an abomination. But your word Your word is your bond. To your godson. To Carter. You do what you say. So do I. I'm not gonna threaten to kill you. I'm going to kill you... whether you tell me or not. No bargaining. In three minutes... you're dead. I've killed many people. Never bothered me much. That's why I was good at it. I didn't like them suffering, though. Took me years to figure out how to do it quickly, painlessly. But if you don't tell me, I'm gonna forget all of that. Understand? And I'll make the last three minutes of your life last forever.

Chinese: [Speaking foreign language]
Moreland: Hey, hey.
Chinese: ...English.
Middle: No English.
Eastern: ...English.
Arab: English...
Moreland: Kunta kinte, yabbdabba dabba do.
African: Huh...?
Freamon: Hah mishy gishy gushy gushy mishy meshy mushy, motherfucker.
African: Eh?
Freamon: Eh! Negro, you can not travel half way around the world and not speak any motherfuckin' English.
African: [Speaking foreign language]
Freamon: English, motherfucker!

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: [about the wiring detail] Lester, are we still cops?
Freamon: Technically, I suppose so.
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: OK, I was just checking.

Officer: Beecher's looking for answers. One of our guys at Rikers saw him, with Elias. Looks like your talk with him didn't do the trick.
Alonzo: That's a damn shame.
Officer: We could promote him out of town. Desk job upstate.
Alonzo: I always told Cal to be careful. Being a cop's a dangerous job.

Det. Oscar Clemons: Any idea how a coed from Nebraska gets hold of a gun?
Jessica: Walmart?

Det. Lester Freamon: Shit like this actually goes through your fucking brain?

Officer: My fed contact says Donnelly's been crowing about burying HR.
Alonzo: And yet, here we are. Still, we have a larger problem.
Officer: No one's gonna open their mouth about us. I made sure of that.
Alonzo: Make no mistake, my friend. We are just businessmen, and businesses run on money, revenue.

Det. Lester Freamon: McNulty, you are deserving of serious psychological study.

Det. Lester Freamon: Drink with me, Jimmy! This is what you wanted, man!
Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Then why do I feel like shit?
Det. Lester Freamon: Postpartum depression.

Det. Lester Freamon: This is a tomb. Lex is in there.

Det. Lester Freamon: You do any accents? English, British, Scottish, something like that?
Off. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: [trying British accent] Crikey! I was looking to get a little hanky-panky and this one bloke gave me this number to call when I got across the pond.
Det. Shakima 'Kima' Greggs: [laughs]
Det. Lester Freamon: [laughs] Work on it, son.

Det. Lester Freamon: Hey, hey, hey. A life. A life, Jimmy, you know what that is? It's the shit that happens while you're waiting for moments that never come.

Det. Lester Freamon: We're building something here, detective. We're building it from scratch. All the pieces matter.

Harry: Do I know you?
John: I'm thinking so.
Harry: Hey, John.
John: Hey, Harry.
Harry: Everything all right?
John: Yeah. Everything's fine.
Harry: I'll leave you to it, then.
John: Hey, Harry? You keen on earning a coin? Babysitting the sleeping one?
Harry: Catch and release?
John: Catch and release.

Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: Now look. We all got roles to play.
Det. Lester Freamon: What's your role?
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: I'm just a humble motherfucker with a big-ass dick.
Det. Lester Freamon: You give yourself too much credit.
Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland: OK, then. I ain't all that humble.

Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: The quicker we bring this in and shut it down, the safer we'll all be. I mean, Landsman wants me over to fucking Quantico, have the FBI do a profile.
Det. Lester Freamon: [laughs] You might learn something about yourself.

Freamon: A life, Jimmy, you know what that is? It's the shit that happens while you're waiting for moments that never come.

Det. Oscar Clemons: Googling my address does not make you a detective. Good detectives use evidence. Like security footage. But the cameras at the station were all wiped clean.