Syriana Quotes

Bob Barnes: Intelligence work isn't training seminars and gold stars for attendance.
Fred Franks: What do you think intelligence work is Bob?
Bob Barnes: I think it's two people in a room and one of them's asking a favor that is a capital crime in every country on earth, a hanging crime.
Fred Franks: No Bob,

it's assessing the information gathered from that favor and then balancing it against all the other information gathered from all the other favors.

Bennett Holiday: Lawyers are saying, "Hey if you can't trust a Big 5 accounting firm." And the accountants are saying, "Hey we aren't lawyers." Legal didn't understand. Accounting didn't understand. And nobody understood anything. The regulatory bodies had to scratch their heads for a minute that nobody at Connex or Killen was at fault. But this merger is so balance-positive for

American consumers that ultimately Justice wants it. Federal Courts wants it. Everybody wants it. Our real client, is, after all, us, the American people and we are increasing American access to oil in Kahazakstan. So all they ask is that we give them a little something meaningful - which we did - and they got out of our way.

Bennett Holiday: Lawyers say, "Hey, if you can't trust a Big Five accounting firm", the accountant say "Hey, we're not lawyers". Legal didn't understand. Accounting didn't understand. Nobody understood anything. Regulatory bodies scratched their heads for a minute that nobody at Connex or Killen was at fault. But this merger is so balance-positive for American consumers that,

ultimately, Justice wants it. Federal courts want it. Everybody wants it. Our real client, after all, is us, the American people. And we are increasing American access to oil in Kazakhstan. So all they ask is that we give them a little something meaningful, which we did. And they got out of our way.
Leland Janus: Something besides Dalton?
Bennett

Holiday: Unfortunately, yes. And the best option seemed to be a secret deal for a excess Iranian pipeline capacity that I uncovered during the diligence. A little side deal benefiting the lead lawyer involved in the Connex-Killen merger approval process.
Sydney Hewitt: What... do you think you're doing?
Bennett Holiday: Of course, it's

illegal for an American to control these rights.
Sydney Hewitt: Stop right now!
Leland Janus: Is there uh something that you wanna tell me, Syd?

Jimmy Pope: No, I wanna talk about the Gulf and how a goddamn Emir... What is an Emir, anyway?
Tommy Barton: King, it's a king.
Jimmy Pope: Well, how some Podunk king tossed you out on your ass! Every company in the world wanted into Kazakhstan, into the Tengiz, but Killen got it. And then Connex wanted Killen, and here we are. I

made investments. Investments that'll bear fruit for this company. Hell, Tommy we've all got the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act committed to memory. I got a little copy of it taped to the wall of my head. Right here.

Stan: I like consulting. No, I love it. Love it. And I'll say this for it: "Private business is efficient." There, I've said it. Fucking cliché. And the CIA is like, what, a 30-billion-dollar-a-year business, so anybody who wants to sell anything, a pencil, a computer, they gotta interface through a security clearance. Don't give me shit. I got two kids in college and we're doing

our kitchen.
Bob Barnes: Stan, I got a chance to go back to Beirut. I wanna go back. Is it safe for me?
Stan: Are we talking about with your wife or with the wackos?
[long pause]
Stan: Clear it with Hezbollah.