- Perry Mason: It wasn't right, Della. It wasn't right. He knew you'd be there in the morning. He knew you'd... you'd find him and...
- Della Street: Arrange things? I suppose I should thank you.
- Perry Mason: For what? Helping to turn this suicide into a more insurance-friendly demise? Forget it.
- Della Street: It's very easy for you to break the rules, isn't it?
- Perry Mason: Well, the way I see it, there's what's legal and there's what's right.
- Della Street: You know, you can be profoundly irritating.
- Perry Mason: All right.
- Della Street: You drink too much. Your personal habits leave a lot to be desired. Quite frankly, I find it offensive that you choose to mask your intelligence and decency with cynicism and slothfulness.
- Perry Mason: Is that all?
- Della Street: And you never accept any help.
- Perry Mason: I'm letting you help me finish this bottle.
- Debater: My esteemed opponent has a view of our race that I do not... cannot share. We must accept, he says, the segregation that daily confines us to inferior schools, inferior housing, inferior care, if we are injured or sick. We must accept, he says, the humiliation that daily denies us the simple dignity of being human, no more, no less. All the while we're urged to... to help ourselves, right? Educate ourselves. Restrain ourselves, in hopes that one day, one glorious day, the white man will smile upon us and say, "Now, now I respect you." When comes that day, friends? Tomorrow? Next year? Next century? No, the only way to earn our place is to agitate, organize, demand that the promise of the Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal is a spur to justice and not the most galling of hypocrisies.
- Edwina: That second debater though, he was inspiring.
- Louise: Yeah, but I don't think the reverend should be supporting radical views.
- Edwina: Rev's just giving a chance to both sides of the argument.
- Clara Drake: The Bible says, "Render unto Ceasar."
- Louise: Mm-hmm
- Edwina: What's that got to do with it?
- Clara Drake: There's no point in fighting to change what's not going to change.
- Edwina: That's what he's saying. It can't change if we don't fight.
- Clara Drake: Easy to get folks all riled up. Then you're left high and dry, and what good have you done?
- Louise: What do you think of it all, Officer Drake?
- Paul Drake: I think it's best to always agree with my wife.
- Louise: You've got him well trained.
- Edwina: Mm-hmm
- June Pitlick: Is that my Underwood?
- Della Street: [typing] Sorry, June. Emergency.
- June Pitlick: There are people upstairs trying to sleep.
- Della Street: Perry, would you be kind enough to offer Miss Pitlick a drink?
- June Pitlick: Oh, well, I...
- Perry Mason: I'd be honored.
- [passes a cup]
- June Pitlick: Occasionary, I, uh... Purely for medical purposes.
- Perry Mason: Oh, me too. What, uh... What's the emergency?
- Della Street: Finding our lawyer.
- [signs 'Elias Birchard Jonathan' on the document]
- Della Street: Now we just got to get him in front of Emily before Dillon gets to her.
- [passes the paper to Perry]
- Perry Mason: No fucking way.