Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War

Gust Avrakotos: There's a little boy and on his 14th birthday he gets a horse... and everybody in the village says, "how wonderful. The boy got a horse" And the Zen master says, "we'll see." Two years later, the boy falls off the horse, breaks his leg, and everyone in the village says, "How terrible." And the Zen master says, "We'll see." Then, a war breaks out and all the young

men have to go off and fight... except the boy can't cause his legs all messed up. and everybody in the village says, "How wonderful."
Charlie Wilson: Now the Zen master says, "We'll see."

Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War

Charlie Wilson: These things happened. They were glorious and they changed the world... and then we fucked up the endgame.

Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War

Joanne Herring: Why is Congress saying one thing and doing nothing?
Charlie Wilson: Well, tradition mostly.

Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War

Charlie Wilson: You're no James Bond.
Gust Avrakotos: You're no Thomas Jefferson, either. Let's call it even.

Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War

Charlie Wilson: You mean to tell me that the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan is to have the Afghans keep walking into machine gun fire 'til the Russians run out of bullets?
Gust Avrakotos: That's Harold Holt's strategy, it's not U.S. strategy.
Charlie Wilson: What is U.S. strategy?
Gust Avrakotos: Well, strictly

speaking, we don't have one. But we're working hard on that.
Charlie Wilson: Who's 'we'?
Gust Avrakotos: Me and three other guys.

Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War

Charlie Wilson: You know you've reached rock bottom when you're told you have character flaws by a man who hanged his predecessor in a military coup.

Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War

Charlie Wilson: First off, I'd appreciate it if you didn't throw my name around quite so much, because from time to time I use it myself, and I need it in good condition.

Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War

Gust Avrakotos: [after smashing his boss's office window] My loyalty! For twenty four years people have been trying to kill me! People who know how. Now do you think that's because my dad was a Greek soda pop maker? Or do you think that's because I'm an American spy? Go fuck yourself, you fucking child!

Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War

Zvi: You want me to steer Israel towards an arms deal with Egypt, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia?
Charlie Wilson: Yes.
Zvi: Well, just one or two problems with that, just off the top of my head.
Charlie Wilson: Zvi...
Zvi: Afghanistan and Pakistan don't recognize our right to exist, we just

got done fighting a war against Egypt, and everyone who has ever tried to kill me or my family has been trained in Saudi Arabia!
Gust Avrakotos: That's not true, Zvi. Some of them were trained by us.

Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War

Charlie Wilson: I cannot just call up a judge and tell him what to do.
Larry Liddle: Why?
Charlie Wilson: Well cause it's against... a shitload of really good laws Garry...

Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War

Gust Avrakotos: Promises were made!
Cravely: Not by me.
Gust Avrakotos: I've been with the company for twenty-four years. I was posted in Greece for fifteen. I've advised and armed the Hellenic Army. I've neutralized champions of communism. I've spent the past three years... learning *Finnish!* Which would come in handy here in

Virginia, and I'm never ever sick at sea. So I wanna know why... I'm not gonna be your Helsinki station chief.

Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War

Charlie Wilson: Were you standing at the goddamn door listening to me? How could you even - That is a thick door! You stood there and you listened to me?
Gust Avrakotos: I didn't stand at the door. Don't be an idiot. I bugged the Scotch bottle.
Charlie Wilson: What!
Gust Avrakotos: It's got a little

transmitter on it, I've got a little thing in my ear, get past it.

Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War

[last title card]
Title card: "These things happened. They were glorious and they changed the world...
Title card: ...and then we fucked up the end game." - Charlie Wilson

Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War

Charlie Wilson: Do you drink, Mr. Avrakotos?
Gust Avrakotos: Oh God yes.
Charlie Wilson: Well, then, should we try some of this scotch, or is it going to release Sarin gas?
Gust Avrakotos: Well, I don't think so, but do me a favor and open it over there
[points away from him]
Gust

Avrakotos: .

Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War

Joanne Herring: May I ask what it is that I've done to make you dislike me, Mr. Avrakotos?
Gust Avrakotos: I like you just fine, Mrs. Herring, it's just been my experience that when people with money and too much free time get involved in politics, pretty soon, I forget who it is I'm supposed to be shooting at.

Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War

Charlie Wilson: What's the gift for?
Gust Avrakotos: It's from the Afghan desk for doubling the budget for the Mujahadeen.
Charlie Wilson: Well, thank you.
Gust Avrakotos: It was nothing.
Charlie Wilson: It's a nice bottle of scotch. Must have been hard to get.
Gust

Avrakotos: No, doubling the budget was nothing. Ten million dollars for covert ops against the Russian army is meaningless. What are you, an infant?

Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War

Gust Avrakotos: Until the phone rang this morning Charlie, I did not know I never heard of you.
Charlie Wilson: Well, ask around.
Gust Avrakotos: I did.
Charlie Wilson: What'd you find out?
Gust Avrakotos: That your greatest legislative achievement in six terms, is getting reelected

five times.
Charlie Wilson: Anything else?
Gust Avrakotos: That you hold more IOU's than any member of the House.
Charlie Wilson: [laughs and smiles] How about that.

Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War

Zvi: This meeting it going to be run professional.
Gust Avrakotos: Oh absolutely. We're going to be talking to the Deputy Defense Minister while his boss gets a belly dance from a friend of Charlie's.
Zvi: What?
Charlie Wilson: A friend of mine is a well known belly dances in Texas. It's always been her dream

to perform in Egypt, so she's our way in. While she's dancing for the Defense Minister, we'll be talking to the deputy.
Zvi: Oh my God.
Gust Avrakotos: No, she's supposed to be pretty good

Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War

Larry Liddle: Miss?
Charlie's Angel #1: Yes sir?
Larry Liddle: It seems to me lookin' around, that it's almost all women workin' here; and that they're all very pretty. Is that common?
Charlie's Angel #1: Well... Congressman Wilson, he has an expression. He says uhh, "You can teach 'em to type, but you can't

teach 'em to grow tits."
Larry Liddle: Well, that's... charming.

Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War

Charlie Wilson: I stood in Harold Holt's office in Islamabad, and I offered him the keys to the safe. I said to him, "What do you need?" And I was apparently annoying him.
Gust Avrakotos: Well, that's because Harold Holt is a tool. He's a cake-eater, he's a clown, he's a bad station chief, and I don't like to cast aspersions on a guy, but he's going to get

us all killed.