How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from All the President's Men.
Quote #1
MRS. HAMBIN: You people. You think you can come into my home, ask a few questions, have me destroy the reputations of men that I work for and respect? Do you understand loyalty? Have you ever heard of loyalty?
The irony here is that she is loyal to men who are undermining the U.S. government. Their only loyalty is to themselves.
Quote #2
SLOAN: Well, I believe in Richard Nixon. I worked in the White house for four years and so did my wife. And what happened on June 17, I don't think the President knew anything about.
This seems like an honest sentiment from Sloan, and we have to wonder how shocked he was to discover that Nixon knew about everything from the very beginning. That's a revelation that would shake anyone's personal beliefs.
Quote #3
BERNSTEIN: All these neat little houses, on all these nice little streets. It's hard to believe that something's wrong in some of those little houses.
WOODWARD: No, it isn't.
This quote reminds us of the "Little Boxes" song, used as the theme for the TV show Weeds, but actually written in 1962. We'd all love to believe in the American ideal of happy little citizens in happy little houses, but the truth is far from that.
Quote #4
HARRY ROSENFELD: I happen to love this country. You know we're not a bunch of zanies out to bring it down!
These days, articles attacking the president come out all the time. While people may argue about them, no one accuses the writers of attempting to "bring down" the government. In the 70's, it was a different story. The presidency was a hallowed institution.
Quote #5
BRADLEE: You know the results of the latest Gallup Poll? Half the country never even heard of the word "Watergate." Nobody gives a s***.
For all the "we love America" sentiment many Americans have, it seems that not many of them actually know or care about what is happening in the country. That's an alarming statistic.
Quote #6
BRADLEE: Nothing's riding on this except the First Amendment of the Constitution, freedom of the press, and maybe the future of the country. Not that any of that matters
This is one of Bradlee's final lines, ending the movie on a truly patriotic note. You can practically see the silhouette of a flag and a bald eagle in the sky behind him.