"The most devastating detective story of this century."
All the President's Men - Movie Quotes
Memorable Quotes
Follow the money.
— Deep Throat
Context:
Spoken during a tense, shadowy meeting in the underground parking garage, Deep Throat refuses to give Woodward direct answers, instead giving him this cryptic but crucial directive to track the CREEP slush fund.
Meaning:
This iconic line encapsulates the fundamental strategy of investigative journalism: complex political conspiracies can usually be unraveled by tracing the financial trails of corruption.
Nothing's riding on this except the, uh, first amendment to the Constitution, freedom of the press, and maybe the future of the country.
— Ben Bradlee
Context:
Bradlee says this to Woodward and Bernstein late at night on his front lawn, warning them of the dire consequences if their story is wrong, while ultimately giving them his full support to proceed.
Meaning:
A dark, sarcastic, but entirely accurate summary of the immense stakes of their reporting. It underlines the sheer weight of responsibility the journalists carry.
I don't mind what you did; I mind the way you did it.
— Bob Woodward
Context:
Woodward confronts Bernstein after discovering that Bernstein took his notes from his desk and rewrote his story without asking for permission.
Meaning:
This line establishes Woodward's moral boundaries and demands professional respect, forming the foundation of the reporters' eventual partnership.
These are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.
— Deep Throat
Context:
Deep Throat explains the origins of the Watergate break-in and the subsequent massive cover-up during one of his clandestine meetings with Woodward.
Meaning:
It demystifies the aura of the government, portraying the conspirators not as evil geniuses, but as arrogant, incompetent men corrupted by power.