First, I sell ‘em a piece of land. Do you…

First, I sell ‘em a piece of land. Do you think they farm it? They do not. They dig for gold. They rip off the topsoil of ten winding hills, then sprint in here all fog-heaved with excitement, lugging nuggets - big, bright, and shiny. Is it gold? It is not. Do they quit? They do not. Then they decide to farm, farm in a country so dry that you have to prime a man before he can spit. Before you can say ‘Fat Sam,’ they’re stalled, stranded, and starving. They become weevil-brained and buttsprung. So - I bury ‘em. But why bore you with my triumphs?

Doc T.R. Velie Jr.

Other Bad Day at Black Rock Quotes

Mr. Hastings: Nobody told me the train was stopping…It’s the first time the Streamliner has stopped here in four years. - View Quote Details on Mr. Hastings: Nobody told me the train was stopping…It’s the…
You’re not Sheriff any more. You’re so pathetic you just lost a job. - View Quote Details on You’re not Sheriff any more. You’re so pathetic you just…
[to Macreedy] Well, you got at least till dark. They’d be afraid to see each other’s faces. - View Quote Details on [to Macreedy] Well, you got at least till dark. They’d…
[to Macreedy] These rooms here is for us cowboys…when I’m in town. And I’m in town, as any fool can see. - View Quote Details on [to Macreedy] These rooms here is for us cowboys…when I’m…
I wanna know everything he does, Pete. Phone calls, mail…In the meantime, I’ll crowd him a little, see if he’s got any iron in his blood. - View Quote Details on I wanna know everything he does, Pete. Phone calls, mail…In…
[to Macreedy] You might be a potential customer…Everybody is - I get ‘em comin’ and goin’. - View Quote Details on [to Macreedy] You might be a potential customer…Everybody is -…
Four years ago, something terrible happened here. We did nothing about it. Nothing! The whole town fell into a sort of settled melancholy, and all the people in it closed their eyes, and held their tongues, and failed the test with a whimper. And now something terrible’s going to happen again. And, in a way, we’re lucky because we’ve been given a second chance. - View Quote Details on Four years ago, something terrible happened here. We did nothing…
Pete Wirth: [to Liz, on the phone] I might as well be dead. Yeah, I told him everything…I’m asking you because I need your help. You’d be saving two lives, Liz: Macreedy’s and mine, if that means anything to you. - View Quote Details on Pete Wirth: [to Liz, on the phone] I might as…
I was just wondering what all you people are worrying about…Not that I have the slightest idea…I hold no truck with silence. I’ve got nothing to hide…It’s just that you worry about the stranger only if you look at him from a certain aspect. From my perspective, I look upon him with the innocence of a fresh-laid egg. - View Quote Details on I was just wondering what all you people are worrying…
Pete Wirth: You’re mighty quick to kill - and he’s not an animal. - View Quote Details on Pete Wirth: You’re mighty quick to kill - and he’s…