Memorable quotes for
Soylent Green (1973) More at IMDbPro »

Det. Thorn: Who bought you?
Hatcher: You're bought as soon as they pay you a salary.

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Det. Thorn: I know, Sol, you've told me a hundred times before. People were better, the world was better...
Sol: Ah, people were always lousy... But there was a world, once.
[Thorn chuckles]
Sol: I was there, I can prove it! When I was a kid, you could buy meat anywhere! Eggs they had, real butter! Not this... crap!

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Sol: Why, in my day, you could buy meat anywhere! Eggs they had, real butter! Fresh lettuce in the stores.
Det. Thorn: I know, Sol, you told me before.

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Det. Thorn: Would you believe bodyguards are buying strawberries for 150 D's a jar?

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Det. Thorn: You know what, Lieutenant.
Hatcher: What?
Det. Thorn: [tossing back Hatcher's wristwatch] I think it really is broken this time.

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Det. Thorn: [inquiring about her incinerator] Used it lately?
Martha Phillips: It doesn't work.
Det. Thorn: What does?

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Martha Phillips: I should've offered you something, Mr. Thorn.
Det. Thorn: If I'd had the time, I would've asked for it.

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Gilbert: [hesitating before killing Simonson] Uh... they told me to uh- to say that they were sorry, but that you had become... unreliable.
Simonson: That's true.
Gilbert: They can't risk, uh- catastrophe, they say.
Simonson: They're right.
Gilbert: Then, uh... this is right?
Simonson: No, not right... Necessary.
Gilbert: To who?
Simonson: To... God.

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Gilbert: You know, I won't understand them if I live to be a hundred.
State Security Chief Donovan: You won't.

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[last lines]
Det. Thorn: It's people. Soylent Green is made out of people. They're making our food out of people. Next thing they'll be breeding us like cattle for food. You've gotta tell them. You've gotta tell them!
Hatcher: I promise, Tiger. I promise. I'll tell the exchange.
Det. Thorn: You tell everybody. Listen to me, Hatcher. You've gotta tell them! Soylent Green is people! We've gotta stop them somehow!

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Hatcher: And what about the furniture?
Det. Thorn: [motions to chest] Like grapefruit.
Hatcher: [chuckles] You never saw a grapefruit.
Det. Thorn: You never saw her.

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[Shirl tells Thorn that she's getting a new tenant]
Det. Thorn: He'll like you. You're a helluva piece of furniture.
Shirl: Don't talk to me like that. Please.
Det. Thorn: OK.

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Sol: There was a world, once, you punk.
Det. Thorn: Yes, so you keep telling me.
Sol: I was there. I can prove it.
Det. Thorn: I know, I know. When you were young, people were better.
Sol: Aw, nuts. People were always rotten. But the world 'was' beautiful.

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[Announcer doing a commercial announcement before Gov. Santini's interview]
Richard: ...is brought to you by Soylent red and Soylent yellow, high energy vegetable concentrates, and new, delicious, Soylent green. The miracle food of high-energy plankton gathered from the oceans of the world.

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Det. Thorn: You know, there are 20 million guys out of work in Manhattan alone just waiting for my job.

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New Tenant: How old are you?
Shirl: Twenty-one.
New Tenant: Charles said you were twenty-four.
Shirl: That makes us both liars.

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[first lines]
Voice over PA: First stage removal. First stage removal. Streets prohibited to non-permits in one hour. Streets prohibited to non-permits in one hour.

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Det. Thorn: [Det. Thorn takes a cigarette from one of the girls at the party and smokes it] You know if I had the money I would smoke two... three of these every day.

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Det. Thorn: There's nothing I can do for you furniture - I got nothing to give.

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Sol: [after reading the Soylent report] Good God!
Exchange Leader: What God, Mr. Roth? Where will we find him?
Sol: Perhaps at home...
[with resignation]
Sol: Yes, at home.

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Sol: [through the audio system] I've lived too long!... I love you, Thorn.
Det. Thorn: [tearfully] I love you, Sol.

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Det. Thorn: Turn the air conditioning way up!
Shirl: Way up! We'll make it as cold as winter used to be!

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Hatcher: What's the story with the Simonson homicide?
Det. Thorn: It was carefully set up to make it look like he was killed after he caught some punk burglarizing his apartment.
Hatcher: What do you think it was?
Det. Thorn: It was an assassination. A well-planned assassination.
Hatcher: You know this for a fact?
Det. Thorn: Four reasons. One: the alarm system in the building was out of order for the first time in two years. Two: the bodyguard who was supposed to be protecting him was conveniently out shopping. Three: the punk that broke into the apartment didn't take anything. And four: the punk who killed Simonson was no punk because he used a meat hook instead of a gun to make it look like a punk.
Hatcher: Well, if the punk didn't take anything from the apartment, what did you take?
Det. Thorn: Everything I could lay my hands on.

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