- James Allen: Do you mind if we stay here awhile, or must you go home?
- Helen: There are no musts in my life. I'm free, white and twenty-one.
- Pete: I'm hungry. What would you say to a hamburger?
- James Allen: What would I say to a hamburger? Boy. I'd take Mr. Hamburger by the hand and say, "Pal, I haven't seen you for a long, long time."
- Pete: I think I can mooch a couple in the lunch wagon down the street. The guy who runs it is a pretty soft egg.
- James Allen: No one seems to realize that I've changed! That I'm different now. I've been through hell! Folks here are concerned with my uniform, how I dance. I'm out of step with everybody. And all this while I was hoping to come home and start a new life, to be free, and again I find myself under orders. A drab routine, cramped, mechanical. Even worse than the Army. And you, all of you, trying your darnedest to map out my future, to harness me and lead me around to do what you think is best for me. It doesn't occur to you that I've grown! That I've learned life is more important than a medal on my chest or a stupid, insignificant job.
- Bill - Barber: [gets paid for shave] Thanks. Come in again.
- [puts money in the cash register]
- Bill - Barber: How was it? Close enough?
- James Allen: [nods, while avoiding eye contact with policeman] Plenty.
- [actually referring to his 'close shave' with the police officer]
- James Allen: The army changes a fellow. It kinda makes you think different. I don't want to be spending the rest of my life answering a - factory whistle instead of a bugle call. Or, being cooped up in a - shipping room all day. I want to do something worthwhile!
- Pete: Been on the road?
- James Allen: Yeah. I took to walking the ties when my Rolls-Royce broke down.
- Helen: You're a strange, moody person. You need somebody to pull you out of those doldrums.
- James Allen: Are you applying for that job?
- Marie Woods: When a fellow wants to ditch a girl he'll do most anything - providing it doesn't land him back in the chain gang.
- James Allen: Marie, I appreciate all you've done for me, but I couldn't love you. I can't change my feeling towards you any more than I can change the color of my eyes.
- Helen: What do you like to do?
- James Allen: Oh, build - bridges, roads - for people to use when they want to get away from things.
- Helen: That sounds - interesting.
- James Allen: But they can't get away. Nobody can.
- Helen: You're a strange person.
- James Allen: Don't you see, Marie? If you get a divorce, I'll give you anything you want. I swear I will.
- Marie Woods: What's the use of arguing, arguing, arguing? I told you I'm satisfied with the way things are!
- James Allen: Can't you see that neither of us will be happy this way?
- Marie Woods: I'm happy! I'm taking no chances of letting you go! Hey, listen! You're going to be a big shot someday with plenty of sugar and I'm going to ride right along. Get that? Huh, I'm no fool. I'd be a sucker to let you go now.
- James Allen: But I'm in love with another woman.
- Marie Woods: Oh, that's just too bad.
- James Allen: Why don't you just play the game square.
- Marie Woods: Square? So you and your sweet mama can give me the grand go-by? Ah, be yourself.
- James Allen: If you don't listen to reason, I'll find some way.
- Marie Woods: You do, and you'll serve out your time.
- James Allen: It's no worse that serving out my time with you!
- Marie Woods: You'll be sorry you said that!
- James Allen: Now, listen! You've held a sword over my head long enough. It's about time you called it quits. You've been pulling a bluff on me and I've been fool enough and coward enough to fall for it!
- Marie Woods: Oh, you filthy and good-for-nothing convict! A bluff, eh? You'll see! You'll see!
- James Allen: Put that down!
- Marie Woods: [Marie picks up phone] Give me the police station!
- James Allen: [James grabs the phone from Marie] Put that down!
- Marie Woods: You don't think that will stop me! Not when I've made up my mind!
- [Marie exits]
- James Allen: Marie!
- Bomber Wells: Grease, fried dough, pig fat and sorghum. And you better get to like it because you're going to get the same thing every morning, every year.
- Barney Sykes: You can't get better food on any chain gang in the state.
- Bomber Wells: Yeah, and you can go all over the world and you won't find worse.
- Marie Woods: I'm willing to let it go for $20. To you.
- [puts her pinky in her mouth and licks it]
- James Allen: Well, it's a mighty nice room.
- Marie Woods: [closes and opens her eyes] You'll like it.
- Marie Woods: I don't think you like me anymore.
- James Allen: Of course I do. We can't always be playing around.
- Marie Woods: You've grown tired of me. And I was silly enough to believe you when you said you loved me.
- James Allen: I said I loved you? Now, Marie, you know that's not so. I never said that. You're just trying to put me in a spot. And you know it wasn't love - just as well as I do.
- Marie Woods: So that's the way you feel, huh? Well, you can't make me out cheap and get away with it! I know what I'm talking about, see? And someday you're gonna be sorry.