How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from The Big Lebowski.
Quote #1
BIG LEBOWSKI: Every time a rug is micturated upon in this fair city, I have to compensate the person?
Big's right—he's under no real obligation to help The Dude with his rug problem, no matter how well that rug tied the room together. But he's looking at it from a logical, rules-based point of view. The Dude is actually just after some human decency from a rich guy who might feel bad that somebody less fortunate and with the same name incurred some property damage because of the mistaken identity. Remember, it's Walter, with his overblown sense of right and wrong, who convinces The Dude to visit Big in the first place.
Quote #2
BUNNY: Uli doesn't care about anything … he's a nihilist.
Existential nihilism is basically the belief that the world has no meaning or purpose. Which means that law and order is meaningless, too. Which means that anything goes.
Quote #3
Walter Sobchak draws a firearm on a mild-mannered player named Smokey during a bowling league tournament, forcing Smokey to mark the frame 0 instead of 8 because Walter believes Smokey stepped over the line.
There is no universe in which drawing a firearm is the right way to fix a bowling disagreement. This is just one example of how Walter overreacts when he thinks someone's broken a rule he thinks is important. Apparently, the rule against not shooting your bowling buddy is forgotten in all of this.
Quote #4
MAUDE: However, I hardly wish to make my father's embezzlement a police matter.
Although she's much more privileged than The Dude, Maude doesn't trust the police, either. Maybe she thinks they'd only protect her father, who is a pillar of the community despite being a crook.
Quote #5
BIG LEBOWSKI: I have no choice but to tell these bums that they should do whatever is necessary to recover their money from you, Jeffrey Lebowski. And with Brandt as my witness, I will tell you this: any further harm visited upon Bunny will be visited tenfold upon your head.
After framing The Dude for the disappearance of the $1 million, the Big Lebowski tries to make everything go away by encouraging the kidnappers to seek "justice." What he doesn't know is that this is a stupid idea. Interesting how Big is willing to consort with criminals if it suits his own purposes.
Quote #6
WALTER: Saturday, Donny, is Shabbos, the Jewish day of rest. That means that I don't work, I don't drive a car, I don't f***ing ride in a car, I don't handle money, I don't turn on the oven, and I sure as s*** don't f***ing roll!
DONNY: Sheesh …
WALTER: Shomer Shabbos!
THE DUDE: Walter, how am I going to ...
WALTER: Shomer f***ing Shabbos.
"Shomer Shabbos" means a keeper of the Sabbath. Obviously, Walter's religious rules are at least as strict as his others. Being an Orthodox Jew could have a lot of appeal for someone like Walter, who is into rules and order. Just about all aspects of Orthodox Jewish life are guided by a pretty complex set of religious rules. Bonus: it gives Walter many more opportunities to get totally pissed off at everyone.
Quote #7
POLICEMAN: [laughs] Leads? Yeah, sure. I'll just check with the boys down at the crime lab. They've got four more detectives working on the case. They've got us working in shifts!
The takeaway from this: the cops couldn't care less about The Dude or his problems. Is it because they have more important things to worry about in Los Angeles? Or because The Dude looks like a loser and his car is a piece of junk?
Quote #8
WALTER: Oh, no ma'am, we didn't want to give the impression that we were the police, exactly. We're hoping we don't have to call the police. But that's up to little Larry here. Isn't it, Larry?
Walter is the king of exacting vigilante justice. All it takes is a deep distrust of anyone's authority that isn't your own.
Quote #9
SHERIFF: Mr. Treehorn draws a lot of water in this town. You don't draw s***, Lebowski.
The scene between The Dude and the Malibu sheriff makes you wonder: what's the use of law and order if cops only care about what happens to the rich people? The Dude has just been drugged and beat up by Treehorn's people, and he's the one getting thrown out of town?
Quote #10
THE DUDE: You thought that Bunny had been kidnapped, and you were f***ing glad, man. It was an excuse to make some money disappear, and all you needed was a sap to pin it on. You just met me, you … you human paraquat.
Paraquat is an herbicide that The Dude might know about because the U.S. sprayed it on marijuana fields in Mexico in the '70s. (Source) So this is a huge insult from his point of view. The Dude lets Big have it for all his lying and scheming that dragged the poor Dude out of his comfortable life and into the world of lawlessness and disorder.