- Det. Lester Freamon: You follow drugs, you get drug addicts and drug dealers. But you start to follow the money, and you don't know where the fuck it's gonna take you.
- Det. Ellis Carver: Where's everybody at?
- Det. Thomas 'Herc' Hauk: Maybe the whole thing is over and no one bothered to tell us. Maybe we won.
- Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Well, you know what they say: "stupid criminals make stupid cops". I'm proud to be chasing this guy.
- Omar Little: Hey, yo! Y'all need to open this door, man, before I huff and puff. C'mon, now, by the hairs of your chinny-chin-chin.
- Terrell: Omar, you best roll out. We up in here with a Mac-10.
- Omar Little: I thinks not, Terrell. I thinks not. Y'all might need to think this through and stop wasting my time. 'Cause Omar can come back tomorrow. And the next day. And the next day. And I will put a bullet in all y'all behind what happen right now, you heard?
- [a garbage bag is dropped from the window and Omar inspects the contents]
- Omar Little: Fair enough.
- Avon Barksdale: Yo ref, yo ref, yo ref... what the fuck? The boy was fouled, clear, straight up... how you going to not call that?
- Referee: Look, if you want I can put time back on the clock and replay it...
- Avon Barksdale: Are you talking about a do-over, baby? Are you talking about a fucking do-over? That's not how the game is played. You can't do that! Fuck, can you believe this shit? This nigga talkin' about doin' it again!
- Referee: Look, I don't want any trouble, okay...
- Proposition Joe Stewart: Ain't going to be no trouble over no ball...
- Avon Barksdale: Man, you supposed to be the ref, right? Why don't you stand up for your fuckin' self, you pussy! You can't just let any ol' motherfucking nigga get in your face... understand? Now walk away. Walk away. Turn around and walk the fuck away... ignorant motherfucker.
- Proposition Joe Stewart: We cool?
- Avon Barksdale: Yeah, we cool baby, you tell your people to come up here to the park Saturday at noon. Of course, you come on the West Side again, without a ball, I'm a light your ass up.