Fear is part of war, the part that keeps us alive. See these stripes? They give me strength, clarity. Right or wrong, up and down, they tell me what to do, which means that fear can kiss my six.
When I got to know you, the real you, I was in awe. I had never met somebody so passionate, so focused and determined to make a real difference. But the recruits didn't get to see the real you because all you showed them was this angry guy in a mask. Like, scary angry.
I just thought that if they didn't know who I was, it would make things easier ... For me. Easier for me. When I was in the Bratva ... Nobody in the Bratva uses their real names. Nobody knows anything about anyone's life before they were Bratva.
It's effective. They teach you that the only person you can trust is yourself, that without personal attachment, there can be no loss. Laurel, Thea, Dig, even Roy, I let them into my crusade. I let them in ...
The reason the original team worked so well was because of the trust and respect that everyone had for Oliver Queen, not the Green Arrow. Oliver is the one who makes a good leader. He's the one that runs a good team. He's the one that I chose to stand by and that I continue to choose to stand by.
My father gave up his life to save mine. He made me promise to be better than him, to save this city in a way that he never could. It's been nearly 10 years since that day. So far, I've failed.
Da. If you are hungry, brothers will feed you. If you are hurt, brothers bring ten times pain to men responsible. If one brother succeeds, all brothers rich. If one brother fails, all brothers suffer. Your brothers would kill for you, would die for you, as you would kill and die for them.
Thank you all for coming. I'd like to address head-on, and with brutal honesty, some of the recent reports regarding my administration. Reports that suggest that while voters may have elected me, others have been making decisions in my stead. Truth of the matter is, that every decision made by any member of my administration is my decision. The buck, as they say, stops with me. Because when you are in charge, everything that your team does is on you, and I trust my team. [Quentin walks in from a side room] That team will be include former police captain Quentin Lance, who'll be serving beside me as Deputy Mayor.