Here are some Glengarry Glen Ross quotes to teach you more about the workings of sales and business!
Any business is considered cutthroat, but more so if a particular company deals with sales. In Glengarry Glen Ross, we see four real estate agents who use deceitful sales tactics to close deals.
However, no matter how hard people work, the results don’t seem like they’re enough. So, the firm sends in one of their top salespeople, Blake, as a form of motivation for the team. Instead of using constructive criticism, Blake resorted to threatening them with their dismissal.
The work environment in the firm only got worse. It was toxic, and people continued to push through with shady sales tactics out of fear of getting sacked.
No matter what kind of environment Blake fostered with the rest of the team, one thing is for sure: it gave us an idea of what it’s like to be in the sales industry. More than that, it teaches us what not to do to foster a better work culture in our office.
Read on to find out more!
And don’t forget to check out these Taxi Driver quotes and Point Break quotes.
Best Glengarry Glen Ross Quotes
1. “I’m going to tell you something. Your life is your own. You have a contract with your wife? You have certain things you do jointly? Bond there. And there are other things, and those things are yours. And you needn’t feel ashamed, you needn’t feel that you’re being untrue. Or that she would abandon you if she knew. This is your life.” – Richard Roma
2. George Aaronow: “When I talk to the police, I get nervous.”
Richard Roma: “Yes. You know who doesn’t?”
George Aaronow: “Who?”
Richard Roma: “Thieves always tell the truth, George; it’s the easiest thing to remember.”
3. Blake: “You call yourself a salesman, you son of a b*tch?”
Dave Moss: “I don’t gotta listen to this sh*t.”
Blake: “You certainly don’t, pal. ‘Cause the good news is you’re fired. The bad news is you’ve got—all you’ve got—just one week to regain your jobs, starting with tonight. Starting with tonight’s sit. Oh, have I got your attention now? Good. ‘Cause, we’re adding a little something to this month’s sales contest. As you all know, first prize is Cadillac Eldorado. Anybody wanna see second prize? Second prize’s a set of steak knives. Third prize is you’re fired. Do you get the picture? Are you laughing now? You got leads. Mitch and Murray paid good money. Get their names to sell them! You can’t close the leads you’re given, you can’t close sh*t, you are sh*t, hit the bricks, pal, and beat it ’cause you’re going out!”
Sheldon Levene: “The leads are weak.”
Blake: “The leads are weak. F*ckin’ leads are weak? You’re weak. I’ve been in this business for 15 years.”
4. Richard Roma: “F*ck you, Dave. You know you got a big mouth. You make a close, this whole place stinks with your farts for a week—how much you just ingested. Oh, what a big man you are! ‘Hey, let me buy you a pack of gum. I’ll show you how to chew it.’ Whoof! Your pal closes, and all that comes out of your mouth is bile. Oh, how f*cked up you are!”
Dave Moss: “Who’s my pal, Ricky? Hm? What are you? And what are you, Ricky? Huh? Bishop Sheen? What the f*ck are you, Mr. Slick? Who—what the f*ck are you, ‘Friend to the working man?’ Big deal! F*ck you! You got the memory of a f*ckin’ fly! I never liked you, anyway.”
Richard Roma: “What is this, your farewell speech?”
Dave Moss: “I’m going home.”
Richard Roma: “Your farewell to the troops?”
Dave Moss: “I’m not going home. I’m going to Wisconsin.”
Richard Roma: “Have a good trip.”
Dave Moss: “Aw, f*ck you! F*ck the lot of you! F*ck you all!”
5. John Williamson: “I’m giving you three leads—.”
Richard Roma: “Three? No, I count two.”
John Williamson: “There’s three leads there.”
Richard Roma: “Patel? F*ck you. F*cking Shiva handed this guy a million dollars, and told him, ‘Sign the deal!’ He wouldn’t sign. And the god Vishnu too, into the bargain. F*ck you, John! You know your business; I know mine. Your business is being an *sshole. I find out whose f*cking cousin you are, I’m going to go to him and figure out a way to have your *ss. F*ck you! I’m waiting for the new leads.”
6. Blake: “Let me have your attention for a moment! ‘Cause you’re talking about what? You’re talking about bitching about that sale you shot, some son of a b*tch don’t want to buy land, somebody don’t want what you’re selling, some broad you’re trying to screw, and so forth. Let’s talk about something important. Are they all here?”
John Williamson: “All but one.”
Blake: “Well, I’m going anyway. Let’s talk about something important! Put that coffee down! Coffee is for closers only. You think I’m f*cking with you? I am not f*cking with you. I’m here from downtown. I’m here for Mitch and Murray. And I’m here on a mission of mercy.”
7. Dave Moss: “What’s your name?”
Blake: “F*ck you—that’s my name! You know why, mister? ‘Cause you drove a Hyundai to get here tonight, I drove an $80,000 BMW. That’s my name! And your name is, ‘You’re wanting.’ And you can’t play in a man’s game. You can’t close them. Then go home and tell your wife your troubles. Because only one thing counts in this life! Get them to sign on the line, which is dotted! You hear me, you f*ckin’ faggots? A-B-C. A—Always, B—Be, C—Closing. Always be closing! Always be closing! A-I-D-A. Attention, Interest, Decision, Action. Attention—do I have your attention? Interest—are you interested? I know you are ’cause it’s f*ck or walk. You close, or you hit the bricks! Decision—have you made your decision for Christ? And action. A-I-D-A. Get out there! You got the prospects coming in. You think they came in to get outta the rain? A guy don’t walk on the lot lest he wants to buy. Sitting out there waiting to give you their money! Are you gonna take it? Are you man enough to take it?”
Dave Moss: “Incredible.”
Blake: “What’s the problem, pal? You. Moss.”
Dave Moss: “You’re such a hero; you’re so rich. How come you’re coming down here to waste your time with such a bunch of bums?”
Blake: “You see this watch? You see this watch?”
Dave Moss: “Yeah.”
Blake: “That watch cost more than your car. I made $970,000 last year. How much you make? You see, pal, that’s who I am. And you’re nothing. Nice guy? I don’t give a sh*t. Good father? F*ck you; go home and play with your kids! You wanna work here? Close! You think this is abuse? You think this is abuse, you c*cksucker? You can’t take this. How can you take the abuse you get on a sit? You don’t like it, leave. I can go out there tonight, with the materials you got, and make myself $15,000! Tonight! In two hours! Can you? Can you? Go and do likewise! A-I-D-A! Get mad! You son of a b*tches! Get mad! You know what it takes to sell real estate? It takes brass balls to sell real estate. Go and do likewise, gents. The money’s out there, you pick it up, it’s yours. You don’t, I got no sympathy for you. You wanna go out on those sits tonight and close, close. It’s yours. If not, you’re gonna be shining my shoes. And you know what you’ll be saying, a bunch of losers, sitting around in a bar, ‘Oh yeah, I used to be a salesman. It’s a tough racket.’ These are the new leads. These are the Glengarry leads. And to you, they’re gold. And you don’t get them. Why? Because to give them to you is just throwing them away. They’re for closers. I’d wish you good luck, but you wouldn’t know what to do with it if you got it. And to answer your question, pal, why am I here? I came here because Mitch and Murray asked me to. They asked for a favor. I said, the real favor, follow my advice and fire your f*ckin’ *ss ’cause a loser is a loser.”
8. Dave Moss: “You’re f*cked, Rick. Are you f*cking nuts? You’re hot, so you think you’re the ruler of this place.”
Sheldon Levene: “Now, wait a minute, Dave.”
Dave Moss: “Shut up!”
Sheldon Levene: “Okay.”
Dave Moss: “You want to decide who should be dealt with how—is that it? I come in the f*cking office today, I get humiliated by some jag-off cop. I get accused of—I get the sh*t thrown in my face by you, you genuine sh*t because you’re top name on the board?”
Richard Roma: “Is that what I did, Dave? I humiliated you? Oh my God, I’m sorry.”
Dave Moss: “Sitting on top of the world. Sitting on top of the world, everything’s f*ckin’ peach fuzz.”
9. Richard Roma: “All train compartments smell vaguely of sh*t. It gets so you don’t mind it. That’s the worst thing that I can confess. You know how long it took me to get there? A long time. When you die, you’re gonna regret the things you don’t do. You think you’re queer? I’m gonna tell you somethin’: we’re all queer. You think you’re a thief? So what? You get befuddled by middle-class morality? Get shut off it. Shut it out. You cheat on your wife? You did it, live with it. F*ck little girls? So be it. There’s an absolute morality? Maybe. And then what? If you think there is, go ahead, be that thing. Bad people go to hell? I don’t think so. You think that? Act that way. A hell exists on Earth? Yes. I won’t live in it. That’s me. Did you ever take a dump that made you feel like you’d just slept for 12 hours?”
James Lingk: “That I—.”
Richard Roma: “Yes?”
James Lingk: “I don’t know.”
Richard Roma: “Or piss? Great meals fade in reflection. Everything else gains. You know why? ‘Cause it’s only food. This sh*t we put on us keeps us going. It’s only food. The great f*cks you may have had, what do you remember about ’em?”
James Lingk: “What do I remember?”
Richard Roma: “Yeah. I don’t know. I’m sayin’ what it is. It’s—it’s probably not the org*sm. Some broad’s forearm on your neck, something her eyes did, there was this sound she made. Or it’s me in the uh—I’m tellin’ you, I’m in bed, the next day, she brought me café au lait, gives me a cigarette. My balls feel like concrete. Hey. What I’m saying is, what is our life? Our life is lookin’ forward, or it’s lookin’ back. That’s it. That’s our life. Where’s the moment? And what is it we’re so afraid of?”
James Lingk: “Loss.”
Richard Roma: “What else? The bank closes. You get sick. My wife died on a plane. The stock market collapsed. What if these things happen? None of ’em. We worry anyway. Why?”
Glengarry Glen Ross Quotes That’ll Pump You Up
10. John Williamson: “The leads are coming!”
Sheldon Levene: “Get ’em to me!”
John Williamson: “I talked to Mitch and Murray an hour ago. They’re coming in, you understand. They’re a bit upset about this morning’s—.”
Sheldon Levene: “Did you tell ’em about my sale?”
John Williamson: “How could I tell them about your sale? I don’t even have a teleph—I’ll tell them about your sale when they bring in the leads, alright? Shelley, all right? You closed a deal. Fine. You made a good sale, fine.”
Sheldon Levene: “It’s better than a good sale. It’s—.”
John Williamson: “Look, I have a lot on my mind right now. They’re coming in, alright? They’re very upset, I’m trying to make some sense—.”
Sheldon Levene: “I’m telling you—the one thing you can tell them is that it’s a remarkable sale.”
John Williamson: “The only thing remarkable about it is who you made it to.”
Sheldon Levene: “What the f*ck does that mean?”
John Williamson: “That if the sale sticks, it’ll be a miracle.”
Sheldon Levene: “What does that mean? Why would it not—oh, f*ck you. You do not know your job. That’s what I’m saying. You do not know your job. That’s what I’m saying. A man is his job, and you are f*cked at yours. Alright, I’m done with you.”
11. Richard Roma: “You stupid, f*ckin’ c*nt. You, Williamson, I’m talking to you, sh*thead. You just cost me $6,000. Six thousand dollars and one Cadillac. That’s right. What’re you gonna do about it? What are you gonna do about it, *sshole? You’re f*ckin’ sh*t. Where did you learn your trade, you stupid f*ckin’ c*nt, you idiot? Whoever told you that you could work with men?”
Detective Baylen: “Could I, uh—.”
Richard Roma: “Oh, I gonna have your job, sh*thead. I’m goin’ downtown, I’m gonna talk to Mitch and Murray. I’m goin’ to Limpkin. I don’t care whose nephew you are, who you know, whose dick you’re suckin’ on, you’re goin’ out. I swear to you, you’re goin’—.”
Detective Baylen: “C’mon, let’s get this done.”
Richard Roma: “Anyone in this office lives on his wits. I’m gonna be with you in a second. What you’re hired for is to help us. Does that seem clear to you? To help us, not to f*ck us up. To help men who are goin’ out there to try to earn a living, you fairy, you company man.”
12. John Williamson: “You said, ‘Don’t make something up unless it’s sure to help.’ How do you know I made it up?”
Sheldon Levene: “Wha—what are you talking about?”
John Williamson: “I told the customer his contract went to the bank.”
Sheldon Levene: “Well, hadn’t it?”
John Williamson: “No, it hadn’t.”
Sheldon Levene: “Don’t f*ck with me. Don’t f*ck with me! What are you saying?”
John Williamson: “Well, I’m saying this, Shell; usually, I take the contracts to the bank. Last night, I didn’t. Last night, I stayed home with my kids. One night in a year, I left the contracts sitting on my desk; no one knew that but you. How did you know that? Do you wanna tell me, or do you want to talk to someone else? Because this is my job. This is my job on the line, and you are gonna talk to me. Now how did you know that contract was on my desk?”
Sheldon Levene: “You are so full of sh*t.”
John Williamson: “You robbed the office.”
Sheldon Levene: “Oh sure, I robbed the office! Sure!”
John Williamson: “What did you do with the leads? You wanna go in there? I go in there and tell him what I know, he’s gonna dig up something. You got an alibi last night? You better have one. What did you do with the leads? If you tell me what you did with the leads, we can talk. If you tell me where the leads are, I won’t turn you in. If you don’t, I’m going to tell the cop you stole them. Mitch and Murray will see that you go to jail. Believe me, they will. Now, what did you do with the leads? I’m walking in that door, you have five seconds to tell me, or you’re going to jail. I don’t care, you understand?! Where are the leads?”
13. Sheldon Levene: “I got their check.”
John Williamson: “Yeah? Well, forget it; frame it. It’s worthless.”
Sheldon Levene: “The check is no good?”
John Williamson: “Yeah. If you wanna wait around, I’ll pull the memo. I’m busy right now.”
Sheldon Levene: “Wait a minute! The check is no good? They’re nuts?”
John Williamson: “You wanna call the bank, Shelley? I called them. I called them four months ago when we first got the lead. The people are insane. They just like talking to salesmen.”
14. Sheldon Levene: “Don’t.”
John Williamson: “I’m sorry.”
Sheldon Levene: “Why?”
John Williamson: “Because I don’t like you.”
Sheldon Levene: “My daughter.”
John Williamson: “F*ck you.”
15. “They say that it was so hot in the city today, grown men were walking up to cops on street corners begging them to shoot them.” – Richard Roma
Glengarry Glen Ross Quotes to Keep You on Your Toes
16. “If you can’t think on your feet, you oughta keep your mouth closed.” – Sheldon Levene
17. “The rich getting richer—that’s the law of the land.” – Dave Moss
18. “You’ve got a big mouth. Now I’m gonna show you an even bigger one.” – John Williamson
19. “Will you go to lunch? Go to lunch. Will you go to lunch?” – John Williamson
20. “Never open your mouth until you know what the shot is.” – Richard Roma
21. “I subscribe to the law of contrary public opinion. If everyone thinks one thing, then I say bet the other way.” – Richard Roma
Glengarry Glen Ross Quotes for Your Must-Read List
22. Dave Moss: “Cop couldn’t find his dick with two hands and a map.”
Richard Roma: “What’d he beat you with, his rubber bat?”
Dave Moss: “He’s got no right. Cop’s got no right to speak to me like that.”
Richard Roma: “You gonna turn state’s—.”
Dave Moss: “F*ck you, Rick.”
23. John Williamson: “What are you trying to tell me?”
Sheldon Levene: “What Roma was trying to tell you; what I told you a long time ago. You don’t belong in this business.”
John Williamson: “I don’t belong in—.”
Sheldon Levene: “You may listen to me and say, ‘Hey, maybe the guy—.’ Oh, f*ck it. Listen to me now. Your partner depends on you. Your partner—the man who is your partner—depends on you, and you go with him and for him, or you’re sh*t! Huh? You are sh*t! You can’t exist alone.”
John Williamson: “Excuse me—.”
Sheldon Levene: “Excuse you nothing! You be as cold as you want. You’ve just f*cked a good man out on $6,000 and his goddamn bonus because you didn’t know the shot! Gee, you could do that, and you’re not man enough to say what get you, I don’t know what—if you can’t take something from that, then you’re scum; you’re a f*cking white bread. A child would know it, and he’s right. If you’re gonna make something up, John, be sure that it helps. Or keep your mouth shut. I’m done with you.”
24. Richard Roma: “Patel? Ravadem Patel? How am I gonna make a livin’ on these deadbeats? Where did you get this one from, the morgue?”
John Williamson: “Look, I’m—.”
Richard Roma: “Oh, come on, what’s the point? What’s the f*cking point? In any case, I gotta argue with you, I gotta knock heads with the cops, I’m busting my balls, sell your dirt to deadbeats. Money in the mattress.”
25. “What the hell are you? You’re a f*cking secretary. F*ck you! That’s my message to ya. F*ck you, and you can kiss my *ss, and if you don’t like it, baby, I’m going across the street to Jerry Graff, period! F*ck you!” – Sheldon Levene
What’s Your Favorite Glengarry Glen Ross Quote?
We all know how it feels to be approached by a salesman. They can get intimidating, as they are persistent and relentless. They say all sorts of things to get you to consider the deal they offer.
In Glengarry Glen Ross, we see the behind-the-scenes that push them to do so. The job of a salesman is exhausting. You try your best to get someone to buy something from you, but most of the time, you just get ignored.
What’s more, you probably have a quota that’s very hard to reach. And, if you fail, your firm probably has some sort of penalty waiting for you. Perhaps all these variables push the salesmen in Glengarry Glen Ross to act dubiously.
Though fostering a hostile working environment and resorting to dirty sales tactics is not something to be encouraged, Glengarry Glen Ross teaches us to be hungry and focused on reaching our goals. As one of its famous lines goes, “Coffee is for closers only.” Remember that breaks and downtimes are only worth it and more meaningful if you succeed!
With that, we hope that these Glengarry Glen Ross quotes were able to inspire you. Never forget the lessons you’ve learned from this collection!
