- Rodney: This, like, hippie music makes me feel like I'm, like, full of chowder man. Like, how long do I have to suffer, huh?
- Kiersten: So what are you meditating about? Why Peter's being so anti-social? I mean, I thought he hated fishing! Fishing is rude! I mean, you have to get your hands in all that snotty crap and scales.
- Ann: Number one, Kiersten, Peter is troubled by something very, very private and very, very traumatic. Number two, he's reacting in a perfectly normal way by refusing to be normal and socialize. Number three, casting is a symbol of Peter's trying to fathom the very deep waters of his trauma.
- Kiersten: I thought he was trying to catch a fish...
- Ann: [sighs]
- Evelyn Duerst: Vibrations, man. The god damn military's got the whole North Woods strung up like a D battery, man. Sendin' out weird vibrations, messin' with phones and people's brains, man! You ever put a pitchfork in the ground and wiggle it? Worms come up! Vibrations, right? Look at this gut on me. We're talking extremely low frequency radiation sucking the Agent Orange out of the cells. I'm not square dancin' with you people. Look at me!
- [Opening lines]
- Young Peter: What's that?
- Grandfather: Well son, that's a tape recorder. When this goes around like that, there's music on the tape, and the music plays, and that's what you hear. I can make it go really fast.
- [flips a switch, making the music sound warped]
- Grandfather: Like that.
- Ann: Sorry Finner, not to be negative or anything, but I really can't deal with sexist music. Who is this anyway, Red Elbows?
- [laughs]
- Leroy Leudke: Like I always say, fishing's ok. Remember, the lake's not a playground. We all have to treat the water with respect.
- Roger Swain: [patronizingly] Gotcha! Will do!
- Ann: Why not ask yourself if you're really in touch with your feelings about this? I mean, your real feelings about killing me. Do you really feel you have to kill me? Or is it just some sort of a smokescreen for a bigger emotional problem?
- Shiela Swain: The loon is a wonderful creature!
- [imitates a loon call]
- Shiela Swain: Ooo hoo hoo hooo! Ooo hoo hoo hooo! Ooo hoo hoo hooo!
- Roger Swain: I've been watching a loon all day long!
- Rodney: God, you know, this is the life up here. I really feel like I fit in up here.
- Wayne Duerst: You come up from the city... the acid rain is killing our lakes! It will kill us too!
- Rodney: Ok man, that's crystal cool...