- Gordon Cooper: You know, all I've heard all week is drinkin', and girls, and guys comparin' the size of their giggle sticks. Nobody said one word about space, except you.
- John Glenn: Well, that's where we're goin' isn't it?
- Alan Shepard: No, I'm not going to be one of the seven.
- John Glenn: You're not?
- Alan Shepard: Nope. I'm going to be the first man in space.
- John Glenn: Every school kid is going to know the name of the first man in space. His face is going to be everywhere. He'll never be forgotten. That's not glory; that's history.
- Bob Gilruth: I asked for the a list of the best test pilots in the United States. Well, son, your list is out of date. None of the best test pilots are dead. What we're doing here has consequences for the entire world. If Russia gets a man into space first, we could lose the cold war, and we don't have any time for do-overs.
- Wally Schirra: To drinking, flying, and screwing.
- Alan Shepard: As long as the first doesn't get in the way of the last.