Dan Gilroy

Each of us is better than the worst thing we ever did.

I'm tired of doing the impossible for the ungrateful.

The real enemies aren't the ones on the outside, they're on the inside.

We are formed of frailty and error. Let us pardon reciprocally each other's follies. That is the first law of nature.

The ability to have conflicting ideas in one's head takes effort.

You know, all those years of practicing, scouring law books, achieving technical triumphs through loopholes and ambiguities, none of which were adequate to save me from the reality of my present situation. Then today, in the middle of nowhere, lost, I had a revelation; an insight so sweeping, so clear. It's me George. See, I didn't see it before because I never experienced the other side. I'm the defendant and the plaintiff simultaneously. I file against myself, I represent myself, I convict myself, hereby expanding the full scope of the legal desert, because the judgment's built in. The only thing left is forgiveness and I grant that to myself. An act doesn't make the person guilty unless the mind is guilty as well.

Well, I'm sorry for taking a nanosecond off of your assembly-line, rubber stamp existence

I think you brought me in to put your feet to the fire 'cause you're tired of treating low-income clients like dollar signs, and maybe because you remember what it feels like to actually care. That's what I think, George.

I need money." -chuckles drily- "Badly. Of course. But what I really need, George, is an ally. I've been waiting to meet someone of your high caliber, and yes, I am selective. So what I'm offering to you, right out here, now, is the chance to partner with me. On a piece of groundbreaking litigation I've been working on for over seven years now. Inside this case, is arguably the most important legal brief in modern legal history. A sweeping federal challenge that could yield nothing less than a grand new era of social reform, and I say that with all due confidence. The constitution guarantees us the right to a fair trial, but there can't be any fairness is ninety-five percent of all cases never get heard. Criminal cases never get heard by a jury or a judge. I am building a wholly original class action lawsuit with over thirty-five hundred names, all former clients, aimed at the heart of-of-of plea bargain reform. I'm talking about reforming the system where prosecutors are trying to pull sentences out of their hat, where actual guilt or innocence is being completely replaced by fear of having your day in court. Where people are being forced... George, to plead guilty, under the threat of overly harsh, and coercive sentences. It's a job for a legend, or someone who wants to be one.

Why you pursue something is as important as what you pursue.

That's my job, that's what I do, I'd like to think if you're seeing me you're having the worst day of your life.

I feel like grabbing you by your ears right now and screaming, "I'm not fucking interested!". Instead, I'm going to drive home and do some accounting.

What if my problem wasn't that I don't understand people but that I don't like them? What if I was the kind of person who was obliged to hurt you for this? I mean physically. I think you'd have to believe afterward, if you could, that agreeing to participate and then backing out at the critical moment was a mistake. Because that's what I'm telling you, as clearly as I can.

My motto is if you want to win the lottery you've got to make money to buy a ticket.

Now I like you, Nina. And I look forward to our time together. But you have to understand, fifteen thousand isn't all that I want. From here on, starting now, I want my work to be credited by the anchors and on a burn. The name of my company is Video Production News, a professional news-gathering service. That's how it should be read and that's how it should be said. I also want to go to the next rung and meet your team, and the station manager, and the director, and the anchors, and start developing my own personal relationships. I'd like to start meeting them this morning. You'll take me around, you'll introduce me as the owner and president of Video Production News, and remind them of some of my many other stories. I'm not done. I also want to stop our discussion over prices. This will save time. So when I say that a particular number is my lowest price, that's my lowest price and you can be assured that I arrived at whatever that number is very carefully. Now, when I say that I want these things, I mean that I want them and I don't want to have to ask again. And the last thing that I want, Nina, is for you to do the things that I ask you to do when we're alone together in your apartment, NOT LIKE THE LAST TIME. So, I'll tell you what. I have the van crash on Moorpark tonight. It was a couple of stringers actually. That could lead by itself on an average night. I'd be willing to throw that in for free. So what do you say, do we have a deal?

A friend is a gift you give yourself.

Congratulations. Congratulations. Your selection by Video Production News is evidence of the hiring committees recognition of your employment history, and your unique personal qualities. It is my hope that through hard work and commitment you will move through the intern program and continue to pursue your career goals as full-time employees of Video Production News. I can tell you from experience that the surest way up the ladder is to listen carefully, and follow my orders. You may be confused at times, and other times unsure. But remember, I will never ask you to do anything that I wouldn't do myself.

I'm a hard worker. I set high goals, and I've been told that I'm persistent. Now, I'm not fooling myself, sir. Having been raised with the self esteem movement so popular in schools, I used to expect my needs to be considered. But I know that these days, our culture no long caters to the job loyalty that could be promised to earlier generations. What I believe, sir, is that good thinks come to those who work their asses off. And that people such as yourself, who reached the top of the mountain didn't just fall there. My motto is, if you want to win the lottery, you have to make the money to buy the ticket.

You see, Rick, they've done studies, and they found that in any system that relies on cooperation, from a school of fish or say even a professional hockey team for example, these experts have identified communication as the number one single key to success.

I'm focusing on framing. A proper frame not only draws the eye into a picture, but keeps it there longer, dissolving the barrier between the subject and the outside of the frame.