Avon Barksdale quotes from The Wire

Avon

Ayo what's up playboy? How come you wearin' that suit, B? For real its 85 fuckin' degrees out here and you try'na be like fuckin' Pat Riley

Avon

[to Stringer] I ain't no suit-wearin' businessman like you. You know, I'm just a gangster, I suppose. And I want my corners.

Avon

You know the difference between me and you? I bleed red and you bleed green. I look at you these days, String, you know what I see? I see a man without a country. Not hard enough for this right here and maybe, just maybe, not smart enough for them out there.

Avon

[to Stringer] Sunday truce been there as long as the game itself ..... I mean, you can do some shit and be like what the fuck, but hey, never on no Sunday.

Avon

[about Omar] He scare you, don't he?

D'Angelo

You know, I'm just sayin'...

Avon

He scares me. Yeah. See, if he dead, you know, I could carry it better. Commin' up the way we did, you know, you kind of expect that. Waitin' on it. See, the thing is, you only got to fuck up once. Be a little slow, be a little late, just once. And how you ain't gonna never be slow? Never be late? You can't plan through no shit like this, man. It's life.

Avon

Yo ref, yo ref, yo ref... what the fuck? The boy was fouled, clear, straight up... how you going to not call that?

Look, if you want I can put time back on the clock and replay it...

Avon

Are you talking about a do-over, baby? Are you talking about a fucking do-over? That's not how the game is played. You can't do that! Fuck, can you believe this shit? This nigga talkin' about doin' it again!

Look, I don't want any trouble, okay...

Proposition Joe

Ain't going to be no trouble over no ball...

Avon

Man, you supposed to be the ref, right? Why don't you stand up for your fuckin' self, you pussy! You can't just let any ol' motherfucking nigga get in your face... understand? Now walk away. Walk away. Turn around and walk the fuck away... ignorant motherfucker.

Proposition Joe

We cool?

Avon

Yeah, we cool baby, you tell your people to come up here to the park Saturday at noon. Of course, you come on the West Side again, without a ball, I'm a light your ass up.

Avon

How'd it go?

Slim Charles

We got one out of two of the motherfuckers, y'know?

Avon

You mean you motherfuckers come strollin' in here, all walking tall and shit-

Slim Charles

Yo, B. I'm saying man, we was blazing on them dudes, you know what I'm sayin'? Just got in the heat, man. We was blazing, though, it was like-

Avon

Alright, alright, relax, man. I already heard, go sit down. I'm not tweaking behind none of this - that's one less motherfucker that's breathing than there was yesterday, you know what I'm sayin'? So we all good. [to Cutty] But I'm surprised at you though, man. Shit didn't get by you, back when.

Slim Charles

Wasn't my man's fault, man. I unloaded on the young'un too soon, gave him enough room to buck and run, man. I fucked up that shit up myself, y'know-

Cutty

Hold on... it's on me. I had that kid in my sights, close enough to take off his Kangol and half his dome with it... couldn't squeeze the trigger. Couldn't do it, man.

Avon

Hmm. Why not?

Cutty

...Wasn't in me, I guess. You know, whatever it is in you, that lets you flow like you flowing? Do that thang? It ain't in me no more.

Avon

...A'ight. So you done soldiering, but you ain't done; could use you for what you got in your head. We gonna put you on a corner, you could be inside-

Cutty

No, man. I ain't making myself clear... the game ain't in me no more. None of it.

Avon

But you ain't done shit else, y'know what I'm saying? So what you gonna do?

Cutty

I don't know. But it can't be this.

Avon

...A'ight, then. We straight.

Slim Charles

B, he was a man in his time, you know?

Avon

Yeah... he a man today. He a man.

Avon

[after Brianna confronts him about D'Angelo's suspicious suicide in prison] The fuck you even thinking? That I had something to do with it? That I could do that to my own kin? Is that what you think? The fuck is in your head Brie? I ain't do nothing to Dee. I ain't have shit to do with it.

To do with what?

Stringer

Where Avon at?

Slim Charles

He'll be along shortly.

Stringer

That's good, 'cuz I came to see you anyway.

Slim Charles

What'chu need?

Stringer

...I need you to hit somebody.

Slim Charles

Who we hittin'?

Stringer

Clay Davis.

Slim Charles

The Clay Davis? Downtown Clay Davis?

Stringer

That supposed to mean somethin' to me, man? That nigga need to be got.

Slim Charles

Shit, String, murder ain't no thing... but this here is some assassination shit, man!

Stringer

Listen, I tell you you gettin' somebody, you gettin' them. I ain't askin'!

Slim Charles

Damn, String, I don't know-

Stringer

Nigga, I gotta remind you who the fuck you work for?!

Avon

Ayo. I think Slim gon' have to sit this one out, boss. So you finna go hit a state senator now, huh? Yo, you kill a downtown nigga like that, the whole world gon' stand up and take notice. I'm talkin' about the state police, federals, all of that! You need a Day of the Jackal-type mothafucka, basically, to do some shit like that, not a rumble-tumble nigga like Slim.

Stringer

That nigga took our money, man.

Avon

I seen it comin'.

Stringer

Well, heh... he gotta go.

Avon

Nah, you a fuckin' businessman! You wanna handle it like that, you don't wanna get all gangsta wild and shit with it, right? What'd I tell you about playin' them fuckin' away games? Yeah. They saw your ghetto ass comin' from miles away, nigga. You got a fuckin' beef with them?! That shit is on you!

Avon

You look healthy.

Brother Mouzone

For a man who was gutshot. You reached out to a third party, who engaged me in the purpose of holding your towers. That third person's word was your word, as he represented you.

Avon

That's right.

Brother Mouzone

And I ran those east Baltimore gentlemen off. I held up my end of the agreement... at least, for as long as I as physically able.

Avon

You did.

Brother Mouzone

Your man then set up a meet at Butchie's bar. Your man told Omar Little that I was responsible for the torture of a young boy who was close to Mr. Little's heart. Your man, in effect, sought to have me hit.

Avon

Omar told you that and you believe that motherfucker?

Brother Mouzone

He doesn't strike me as a man who tells stories - even at the point of dying.

Avon

[muttering] Shit... Proposition Joe, package-

Brother Mouzone

The inner workings of your organization don't concern me.

Avon

If there's a way- I mean, if my man... if he made a mistake here, then I'm willing to pay the cost.

Avon

How can we fix it? You want money?

Brother Mouzone

Money?

Avon

Yeah. This is business.

Brother Mouzone

Business is where you are now, but what got you here is your word and your reputation. With that alone, you've still got an open line to New York. Without it? You're done.

Avon

Surprise. Heh. My man Sergei thought we should talk first.

Marlo

Talk about what?

Avon

That's on you, young'un. Whatever business you trying to do through the Russian, you gotta go through me first.

Marlo

Yeah?

Avon

Yeah. 'Cuz up in this bitch here, I'm- I'm what you might consider... an authority figure. Y'know, everybody gotta get my help or ask my advice, like, all kinds of shit. Sergei stepped to me the other day, saying this nigga Marlo, who he don't even know, just be sending him cash money to get on his visiting list. So then he asked me if I knew Marlo; I told him "Hell yeah, I know Marlo real well." Y'know, over in the west-side, everybody know everybody, right?

Avon

Let me help you find your tongue - you trying to get to the Russian so you can get a line to his people. You trying to get to the Greek motherfuckers... because if you can, you wanna cut Proposition Joe and all them other east-side bitches out the connect. I mean, you a natural businessman, right? (Marlo chuckles) But this is the thing, though. And I mean, y'know, I'm wit'chu on all that as far as it goes, you know? West-side definitely need to stick together, you know what I mean, and all the fuss about you coming at me? I say let bygones be bygones, but fuck all them east-side bitches. That's just the way I feel about it; I got nothing but love in my heart for west-side niggas, nothing but love. Of course... I mean, y'know, I got to have my taste, too.

Marlo

Figured that.

Avon

So send my sister a hundred large... and the next time you come in Jessup, it won't be my grill talking at you. My word on that.

Marlo

A hundred large, huh?

Avon

...So wassup, man? Wassup wit'chu otherwise, y'know?

Marlo

Ah, the game is the game.

Avon

Always.