Lester Freamon quotes from The Wire

Herc

Lacrosse?

Bunk

What, a brother can't run with a stick? Jim Brown was an All-American midfielder at Syracuse.

Lester

You putting yourself beside Jim Brown?

Bunk

Lester, um, I'm, I'm just saying...

Daniels

I thought you were born in pinstripes!

Bunk

Lieutenant, I was under the impression that, uh, when detailed against his will to some backwards-ass, no-count, out-in-the-district, lost ball/tall-grass drug investigation, a veteran police of means and talent can wear whatever the fuck he damn well pleases.

Lester

From the looks of things, Stringer Bell's worse than a drug dealer.

Prez

He's a developer.

Lester

Tell me something, Jimmy. How exactly do you think it all ends?

McNulty

What do you mean?

Lester

A parade? A gold watch? A shining Jimmy-McNulty-day moment, when you bring in a case sooooo sweet everybody gets together and says, "Aw, shit! He was right all along. Should've listened to the man." The job will not save you, Jimmy. It won't make you whole, it won't fill your ass up.

McNulty

I dunno, a good case--

Lester

Ends. They all end. The handcuffs go click and it's over. The next morning, it's just you in your room with yourself.

McNulty

Until the next case.

Lester

Boooooy, you need something else outside of this here.

McNulty

Like what, dollhouse miniatures?

Lester

Hey, hey, hey, a life. A life, Jimmy. You know what that is? It's the shit that happens while you're waiting for moments that never come.

McNulty

We're good at this Lester. In this town, we're as good as it gets.

Lester

Natural police.

McNulty

Fuck yes. Natural police.

McNulty

You know something, Lester? I do believe there aren't five swinging dicks in the entire department who can do what we do.

Freamon

When they took us off Marlo this last time, when they said they couldn't pay for further investigation... I regarded that decision as illegitimate.

Illegitimate?

Freamon

And so... I'm responding in kind. I'm going to press a case against Marlo Stanfield without regard to the usual rules. I'm running an illegal wiretap on Marlo Stanfield's cellphone.

Fuck. Lester?

Freamon

If you have a problem with this, I understand completely, and I urge you to get as far fucking away from me as you can.