I listened to them fade away till all I could hear was my memory of the sound.

Now, you’re either on the bus or you’re off the bus.

Man, when you lose your laugh you lose your footing.

But the rest are even scared to open up and laugh. You know, that's the first thing that got me about this place, that there wasn't anybody laughing. I haven't heard a real laugh since I came through that door, do you know that? Man, when you lose your laugh you lose your footing.

Because he knows you have to laugh at the things that hurt you just to keep yourself in balance, just to keep the world from running you plumb crazy. He knows there's a painful side; he knows my thumb smarts and his girlfriend has a bruised breast and the doctor is losing his glasses, but he won't let the pain blot out the humor no more'n he'll let the humor blot out the pain.

What can you pay for the way a man lives? What can you pay for what a man is?

He's the sort of guy that gets a laugh out of people.