- Uncle George: Pleasure turns to the pain, / Of the lessons learned from the strain, / Of the questions burned in my brain, / About whether to love is humane / In its touch. / These thoughts are like salmon / Swimming upstream / In the tears of your deceit, / Fighting the current hurt / That kills more than is created / By the chaos of our intertwined emotions: / Chaotic because the anchor / Of Eros' arrow has been plucked from the vessel / Of my undying infatuation. / Separation not as simple as the distance between us, / My mind no longer possessed / By the demons / That had been the overseers / Of my enslavement to your lies. / The seeds of these lies, / Rooted so deeply / They have cracked the foundation / Of what we once shared, / Allowing the faith in us I had sealed inside / To gush out like a river, / Ripping the image of our future together / From my thoughts / As violently and as brutally / As if it were a child being taken / From his mother's arms. / I'm left surrounded in darkness, / But I refuse to be swallowed by it, / My loneliness like the night air. / Invisible to the eye, oblivious to the touch, / In its cold uncomfortableness. / Yet if I could do it all over again, / I'd do it in the same skin I'm in. / To lay down and let love die, / Just stay down and let love lie: / No, no, not I. / I'll stay 'round and let love fly, / Even though I have seen its darkest form, deceit. / Nothing else could taste this warm / Or feel this sweet.
- Brooklyn: Why after every sentence you call me "shawty"? "Yo shawty... shawty." I'm taller than you!
- Rashad: Okay, well, let me ask you this then: in New York City then why ya'll gotta say "yo, son" after every sentence? I'm not your kid, I'm not your child, why I gotta be your son?
- Teddy: Money...
- Rashad: B...
- Brooklyn: I call you "sun," 'cause you shine like one. Ya' feel me?
- Rashad: That was real sentimental. Thanks.
- Rashad: My Pops used to always say dreamin' is the luxury of children, and that I should enjoy it. And he was right.
- Teddy: Ya'll sure are. And you know something, New New...
- New New: Nope.
- Teddy: No, I mean. I'm sayin', when we gon' get together?
- New New: Not gon' happen. Never.
- Teddy: I mean, why don't you just let me finish what I gotta say?
- New New: I know what you gon' ask me, Teddy, I know you. And I seen you skate.
- Teddy: So?
- New New: So that tells me everything I need to know about a man.
- Teddy: Pssh, well, then you should know that, that I'm the quickest one out there, you know? I be pumpin' in out there, baby. I pop, pop, pop!
- New New: Exactly. A quick pumper.
- Marcus: Any kids?
- Antwone "Ant" Swann: None that I know of.
- Marcus: You doing somethin'?
- Antwone "Ant" Swann: I'm doing a li'l somethin'.
- Marcus: Boy, you ain't doin' nothin', boy! What's your last place of employment, youngblood?
- Antwone "Ant" Swann: Cleaning.
- Marcus: Cleaning? Looks like Swann Cleaning Service 'bout to lose an employee.
- Marcus: You wanna work, right?
- Antwone "Ant" Swann: Yeah.
- Marcus: But you know this is grown-man business, right?
- Antwone "Ant" Swann: I know.
- Marcus: You sure?
- Antwone "Ant" Swann: Uh-huh.
- Marcus: Okay. We'll see.
- Austin: This is Ant.
- Antwone "Ant" Swann: [extends hand] Sup?
- Marcus: [extends fist for pound] Germs. Cleanliness is next godliness, right?
- Antwone "Ant" Swann: Aight.
- Marcus: Back up.
- Uncle George: Now, look, I ain't trying to get in your business... but, I mean I do know a little something about being pissed. I mean, it's all - You know, it's all just feelings, man. From females to friends to funerals... it's all about the feelings. I just want you to recognize the difference between what you feel and what's real. That way you don't look back on life with a bunch of regret.
- Brooklyn: Oh, can I get an iced tea?
- Waffle House Waitress: Sweet or Unsweet?
- Brooklyn: [licks lips then bites then bites them] Sweet.
- Jay: [whispers] I heard you holding that!
- Antwone "Ant" Swann: Man, who told you you that?
- Jay: You trying to act like I haven't known you since the third grade.
- Antwone "Ant" Swann: Yeah, but you've been out of school for four weeks.
- Jay: Man, I had mono. So what's up? You holding, or what?
- Antwone "Ant" Swann: [pauses] Naw.
- Jay: Aight, that's whats up.
- Antwone "Ant" Swann: [walks down the stairs; whispers to his friends] Narc.
- New New: Why don't you cut across the middle and get your feet wet?
- Esquire: Why don't you go roll neck at somebody else and get up out mine's?
- New New: I'm just trying to help you out! Your takeoff is weak and you're starting to make Rashad look bad!
- Esquire: [frowns at her] I don't like you. I really don't!
- New New: [points to the rink] Uh-oh. And why don't you go catch up?