- Jim Carroll: You're growing up. And rain sort of remains on the branches of a tree that will someday rule the Earth. And it's good that there is rain. It clears the month of your sorry rainbow expressions, and it clears the streets of the silent armies... so we can dance.
- Jim Carroll: First, it's a Saturday night thing when you feel cool like a gangster or a rockstar- just something to kill the boredom, you know? They call it a chippie, a small habit. It feels so good, you start doing it on Tuesdays... then Thursdays... then it's got you. Every wise ass punk on the block says it won't happen to them, but it does.
- Jim Carroll: [narrating] When I was young, about eight or so, I tried making friends with God by inviting Him to my house to watch the World Series. He never showed.
- Jim: Know this. There's different types of users of junk. You got your rich dilettante square-ass who dabbles now and then and always has enough money to run off to the Riviera if he feels he's fucking around to the danger point. Street junkies hate these pricks, but they're always suckers, and their money makes them tolerable. Then you got your upper-middle-class Westchester preppies... same as the others, basically. What they're good for is opening their mommy and daddy's eyes to this social virus and putting pressure on the government to do something about it. Then there's us street kids. Start fucking around very young, 13 or so. We think we all got it under control and won't get strung out. This rarely works. I'm living proof. But in the end, you just got to see the junk as another 9-to-5 gig. The hours are just a bit more inclined to shadows.
- Reggie Porter: Hey white boy! Are you ready for your beatin'?
- Jim Carroll: Don't let your mouth get you into something your ass can't handle.
- Jim: I was just gonna sniff a bag but one guy says if you're gonna sniff you might as well pop it and another guys says if you gonna pop it you might as well mainline.
- Jim: [Is continuously getting hit by the Father's cane. The bell rings and the Father stops hitting him] Too bad, Father. I was just beginning to enjoy it.
- Father McNulty: We can do it again tomorrow if you like, Mr. Carroll.
- Father McNulty: [wakes Jim up from his dream by slamming his cane against his desk] Wake up, Mr. Carroll, it's later than you think!
- Jim: You gotta have presence on the court. Presence like a cheetah rather than a chimp. Sure, they both got it, but Chimpy gotta jump his nuts around to get it. The shy cheetah moves with total nonchalance, stickin' it to them in his sexy, slow strut. Me? I play like a cheetah.
- Jim: I was scared of needles, but I gave in. It was like a long heat wave through my body. Any ache or pain or sadness or guilty feeling was completely flushed out.
- Father McNulty: Have you taken the name of Jesus Christ in vain?
- Jim: Yeah. Yeah, I have.
- Father McNulty: Have you disrespected your mother and father?
- Jim: Uh-huh.
- Father McNulty: Have you stolen or cheated your fellow man?
- Jim: Yeah, but I'm not proud of it.
- Father McNulty: Have you had impure thoughts or engaged in impure deeds?
- Jim: Oh, Father, you have no idea.
- Father McNulty: Is there something else that you want to tell me in your own words?
- Jim: I've done all kinds of crazy shit. Oh, excuse me, Father. fuck, I'm s... Christ, I have a dirty mouth. Look, I'm... I'm sorry about that. Will you just go on?
- Father McNulty: Ten Hail Marys, five Our Fathers.
- Jim: What do you mean? And that's it? That's my punishment? You know something? My friend Bobby, he was the best, and he's dead. This sucks! You know that? This really sucks. It's not fair, Father.
- Jim: White ship disappears in the wave machine this morning. Your eyes got shut with secret chains that pillow armies eventually set free like soft horses through toy deserts. I love this mansion, though it's too many windows to open halfway each morning to close halfway each night.
- Jim: Little kids shoot marbles where branches break the sun into graceful shafts of light. I just want to be pure.
- Jim: And you want to stop. You really do. But it's like a dream. You can't stop dreams. They move in crazy pieces, any way they want to, and suddenly, you're capable of anything.
- Jim: We just got to raise enough cash to keep our heads straight. Luckily, finding money in New York is like getting laid at the prom... easy.
- Jim: Headquarters... home on and off to every down-and-out junkie and wino from 14th Street to the Bowery. It's like a fucking all-star team.