- Chief Miles Edward O'Brien: When we were growing up, they used to tell us, humanity had evolved. That mankind had outgrown hate and rage. But when it came down to it, when I had the chance to show that no matter what anyone did to me, I was still an evolved human being... I failed. I repaid kindness with blood. I was no better than an animal.
- Dr. Julian Bashir: The Argrathi did everything they could to strip you of your humanity. And in the end, for one brief moment, they succeeded. But you can't let that brief moment define your entire life. If you do, if you pull that trigger, then the Argrathi will have won - they will have destroyed a good man. You cannot let that happen, my friend.
- [Chief O'Brien is holding a phaser under his chin, preparing to commit suicide]
- Dr. Julian Bashir: Chief?
- Chief Miles Edward O'Brien: Get outta here, Julian.
- Dr. Julian Bashir: You don't want to do this, Chief.
- Chief Miles Edward O'Brien: The hell I don't.
- Dr. Julian Bashir: Look, I don't claim to know what you're going through, but whatever it is, it's not worth dying for.
- Chief Miles Edward O'Brien: You don't understand at all. I'm not doing this for me. I'm doing it to protect Keiko and Molly and everyone else on this station.
- Dr. Julian Bashir: Protect us from what?
- Chief Miles Edward O'Brien: From me. I'm not the man I used to be. I'm dangerous. I nearly hit Molly today. All she wanted was a little attention, and I nearly hit her.
- [He begins to sob]
- Dr. Julian Bashir: But you didn't. You're a good man, Miles Edward O'Brien, and whatever it is you think you've done wrong, you don't deserve to die.
- Ee'char: After six years in a place like this you either learn to laugh, or you go insane. I prefer to laugh.
- Dr. Julian Bashir: I wasn't there with you, I didn't see what they did to you. But I do know you suffered, and that you're still suffering now, and I'm trying to help.
- Chief Miles Edward O'Brien: I never asked for your help.
- Dr. Julian Bashir: You didn't need to ask. I'm your doctor, and your friend.
- [last lines]
- Molly O'Brien: Daddy's home, Daddy's home!
- Chief Miles Edward O'Brien: That's right - Daddy's home.
- Major Kira: What you think you experienced in prison, the things you remember, didn't happen... It wasn't real.
- Chief Miles Edward O'Brien: It's real to me, Major... It's real to me.
- Rinn: We punish our offenders by giving them memories of incarceration - modelled to fit each offender's personality. It's more efficient and much more effective than maintaining an extensive prison system.
- Ee'char: My name is Ee'char.
- Chief Miles Edward O'Brien: Miles. Miles O'Brien.
- Ee'char: Hello, Miles. Welcome to hell.
- [Kira returns with O'Brien from the Gamma Quadrant]
- Chief Miles Edward O'Brien: I used to dream about this - being in a runabout, coming through the wormhole, seeing the station again. Now I keep expecting to wake up and find myself back in the cell.
- Major Kira: Being in your cell was a dream. *This* is the reality.
- Chief Miles Edward O'Brien: I'm home, I'm working. And for the first time in as long as I can remember, I feel good.
- Ee'char: Then why am I here?
- Chief Miles Edward O'Brien: You're not real - you're just in my head.
- Ee'char: That's all I ever was. But I'm real to you, and that's all that matters.
- Chief Miles Edward O'Brien: How can you sleep at a time like this?
- Ee'char: Maybe I'll dream about food.
- [laughs]
- Chief Miles Edward O'Brien: You're crazy.
- Ee'char: No... just hungry.
- Chief Miles Edward O'Brien: I wanted him to die. I keep telling myself... it doesn't matter, it wasn't real. But that's a lie. If it had been real, if it had been you instead of him, it wouldn't have made any difference. He was my best friend, and I murdered him!
- Chief Miles Edward O'Brien: You're not my friend, not any more! The O'Brien that was your friend died in that cell!
- Chief Miles Edward O'Brien: [to Ee'Char, while imagining they're in an Argrathi prison] I'm sick of it! I'm sick of this place! I'm sick of your drawings! And most of all, I am sick of you!
- [first lines]
- Agrathi: [over loudspeaker] All offenders prepare for decontamination. Decontamination will proceed immediately.