A character in Sports Night
Played by Robert Guillaume
Sports Night · 91 quotes
6th most-quoted character in Sports Night: in 13 of its 91 quotes
Most scenes with: Dana Whitaker (4), Dan Rydell (3), Casey McCall (2)
IsaacIt's taken me a lot of years, but I've come around to this: If you're dumb, surround yourself with smart people. And if you're smart, surround yourself with smart people who disagree with you. I'm an awfully smart man, and Mike Sabath is an idiot. He had you, and he blew it. You're gonna do great here, but you've gotta trust us.
IsaacSo you say a few words. You make a gesture. You remember an important date. A small price to pay for what you get in return. For what you get in return, it's a steal.
IsaacExaudio, comperio, conloquor. That's a Latin phrase that translates "To listen, to learn, to speak." Those words are carved into the stone arches that form the entrance to the undergraduate library at Tennessee Western University. This afternoon, an extraordinary young man named Roland Shepard made what had to have been an excruciating decision. He said he wasn't playing football under a Confederate flag. Six of his teammates then chose not to let Shepard stand alone. And I choose to join them at this moment. In the history of the South, there's much to celebrate. And that flag is a desecration of all of it. It's a banner of hatred and separation. It's a banner of ignorance and violence and a war that pitted brother against brother, and to ask young black men and women, young Jewish men and women, Asians, Native Americans, to ask Americans to walk beneath its shadow is a humiliation of irreducible proportions. And we all know it. Tennessee Western has produced some outstanding alumni in the past hundred years. People of wisdom and vision. Strength and compassion. One of them is Luther Sachs. Luther Sachs owns Continental Corp. Which owns the Continental Sports Channel, which you're watching right now. Luther Sachs is a generous alumni contributor to Tennessee Western, with a considerable influence over its chancellor, Davis Blake, and its board of trustees. Luther, you've got a phone call to make. You've go to call Chancellor Blake, and tell him to take down that flag, or he can stop looking for your checks in the mail. You've got to put these young men back in a classroom. And I mean pronto. These boys are gonna make you proud one day, Luther. I challenge you to do the right thing. Not an unreasonable request to make of a man whose alma mater declares, "Exaudio, comperio, conloquor." "To listen, to learn, to speak." In the meantime, God go with you, Roland Shepard, and you six Southern gentlemen of Tennessee. God's not done with any of you, yet.
IsaacJust because we didn't execute all the network's suggestions doesn't mean we weren't listening, it just means we didn't agree. You didn't expect me to substitute your judgment for mine, did you, J.J.?
J.J. Not then, no.
IsaacBut now?
J.J. Yes.
IsaacWill it keep my staff from losing their jobs?
J.J. Excuse me?
IsaacIf I allow you three to go in there and mess with my show, will it keep my staff from losing their jobs?
J.J. I can't make promises.
IsaacJ.J.?
J.J. Yes?
IsaacI've never liked you.
J.J. I know.
Isaac[knocks on desk] We're done.
IsaacDoes the porn star know you're this much of a dork?
I’m concerned with Casey’s performance on the air lately.
What's your point?
My point is, at the moment, Casey has less on-air charm and charisma than my high school driving instructor, and you know it, Dan. Now I think the time has come for you to think about the possibility of another partner.
I'm not going to do the show with your high school driving instructor, J.J., if that’s what you’re asking me.
Look, Dan, you've got a bright future at this network, and—
My future is writing and anchoring a sports program, with my partner, Casey McCall. Now, if it's here, it's here. If it's not, it's someplace else. For right now, I'm gonna forget this conversation ever took place. Dana, Isaac, you guys need anything?
No Dan, you're done here, thanks.
IsaacI really got to admire the way you manhandled my staff this morning, J.J.
Look...
IsaacNo! Don't take me on.
The network's not going to wait forever.
IsaacIt's your call Dana, but pretty soon it's going to be my call. Cause here's the thing: I can't let it be their call.
IsaacDanny, I need to talk to you.
Good, 'cause I need to talk to you too. Who should go first?
IsaacSince I don't really care what you have to say, I think it should be me.
As we speak, one of your LC-Wire frames is misprocessing data while two of your associate producers stand over the monitor attempting to have phone sex.
IsaacPlease don't tell me which two.
Just think about it.
IsaacAll right, my guess is, it's Jeremy and Natalie.
IsaacMay I add, Dana, that things I say in my office stay in my office.
Natalie's my second-in-command, she's the only one I told.
Jeremy's my boyfriend, he's the only one I told.
I told many, many people.
Isaac, you can't work full-time.
IsaacI have to.
Why?
IsaacBecause they pay me to.
You had a stroke.
IsaacIs that what that was?
Yes!
IsaacI thought it was bad swordfish!
IsaacHow do you think Dana would feel about it?
Dana?
IsaacYeah.
Ah, who knows with Dana. One day she's up, another day she's down. That's girl's nuttier than a squirrel's cheeks in October. The point is... she's standing right behind me, right?
I cannot believe you.
Wait.
You went over my head.
I can explain this.
How?
I went over your head.
Casey!
Hey, I'm just trying to be courteous, okay? I didn't want to interrupt your dancing.
And you just sat there?
IsaacIt's my desk!
IsaacA famous monk once said, "I don't always know what the right thing to do is, my Lord, but I think that the fact that I want to please you, pleases you."
But you would have preferred a book of famous monk quotations...
IsaacNo, you put some thought into me. What could be a greater gift?
I look like an idiot.
IsaacAdded bonus.
Are you growing a beard?
IsaacNo.
Did you shave this morning?
IsaacNo.
Why?
IsaacI like an electric razor.
You should buy one.
IsaacI have one. I have four.
You have four electric razors?
IsaacYes.
Why?
IsaacI like them.
Is your electricity not working?
IsaacEsther baby-proofed the house.
Matthew's here! I totally forgot. When was the last time you saw him?
IsaacAbout nine months ago, before the stroke.
Matthew's here!
IsaacThe kid can't even walk yet - why are we locking the medicine cabinets?
Does he crawl?
IsaacNot up walls, no!
These quotes come from Wikiquote's Sports Night pages and are available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.
