Harry Morgan quotes from Dexter

Harry Morgan

When you take a man's life, you're not just killing him. You're snuffing out all the things that he might become. As a cop, I only fire my weapon to save a life – that's a code I live by. Killing must serve a purpose. Otherwise, it's just plain murder.

Harry Morgan

Keeping the truth from the people closest to you is how you'll survive, and how you'll protect them if anything goes wrong.

Harry Morgan

We only see two things in people: what we want to see and what they want to show us.

Harry Morgan

No matter how close two people are, an infinite distance separates them.

Harry Morgan

Never underestimate the capacity of other people to let you down.

Harry

He spent his life killing innocent people but he can't kill Bambi?

Harry

What's your plan here? Nurse her back to health so she can go to the police? If she gives the cops enough to track you down then everything falls apart. Harrison grows up visiting you on death row.

Harry

[To Dexter] I remember when I found that under your bed. I would have rather it had been a stack of Playboys. Most kids in eighth grade were obsessed over their favorite baseball players. You tracked serial killers.

So, are you going to go to the spring formal?

Why would I want to do that?

Harry Morgan

She wanted you to ask her to the dance, Dexter.

That's not what she said.

Harry Morgan

Well, you have to learn their signals.

Yeah, well, I don't really care about girls.

Harry Morgan

Oh.

I just like being alone.

Harry Morgan

But most normal people don't, and it's important that you seem normal.

Even though I'm not.

Harry Morgan

Because you're not.

Harry Morgan

You're here. Rita's back home. You're cheating on her and you don't even realize it.

Dexter

I'll make time for my Dark Passenger and for Rita.

Harry Morgan

It's about priorities, Dexter. You're going to have to choose which one is your mistress and which one is your wife, and more importantly, which one comes first.

Dexter

You were wrong. It went well.

Harry

Maybe. Who knows?

Dexter

You can't admit it. He did good.

Harry

That was never the issue, Dex - I was only thinking about you.

Dexter

Of course.

Harry

You've set something in motion here. Everything Miguel does from now on is connected to you. It's a lot of responsibility, teaching him what you just did. A heavy burden... It was too much for me to bear. I hope you're a stronger man.

Dexter

[Voiceover] As a cop, Zoey's been to plenty of crime scenes. She knows what should be there, and what shouldn't. No prints on the blood of the door, which means she wore gloves. She was still wearing gloves when she shot herself. But they were gone when the EMT's arrived.

Dexter

Where'd you leave those gloves, Zoey?

Harry

Easier to think here, isn't it? Only 52 hours of freedom left. You sure chose an interesting person to spend it on.

Dexter

Don't read anything into it. Zoey was a challenge, that's all.

Harry

A woman who wiped out her own family in order to be free.

Dexter

She should've shot herself instead of her husband and child.

Harry

Yeah. Except that doesn't get her free, just dead.

Dexter

Well, she had other options.

Harry

Alimony, visitation, trading off holidays. There go your weekends.

Dexter

Fine, she could've moved away.

Harry

And forfeit her job? Her home? Her only option was to make her vacation from her family as permanent as possible.

Dexter

There are always alternatives.

Harry

Why do you think Trinity's been so successful?

Dexter

He travels a lot. Stays on the move.

Harry

He doesn't have a family.

Dexter

Well, I do.

Harry

Miss them yet?

Dexter

What kind of father keeps a coffin in his garage?

Harry

What kind of father keeps blood slides in his shed?

Dexter

I'm thankful to be out of that fucking house!

Harry

You showed Trinity the monster in you. He'll see you coming now.

Dexter

I don't know. Seeing them like that... He's destroyed everyone in that family.

Harry

That's what happens to people who live with a monster.

Dexter

I am nothing like him! My family is nothing like that.

Dexter

[voiceover] We all have the public life, the private life...

Harry

...And the secret life. The one that defines you.