The Silence of the Lambs quotes

View Quote Dr. Lecter: Plum Island Animal Disease Research Center. Sounds charming.
Clarice: That's only part of the island. There's a very, very nice beach. Terns nest there. There's beautiful ...
Dr. Lecter: Terns? If I help you, Clarice, it will be "turns" for us too. Quid pro quo – I tell you things, you tell me things. Not about this case, though. About yourself. Quid pro quo. Yes or no?
[Pause]
Dr. Lecter: Yes or no, Clarice? Poor little Catherine is waiting.
Clarice: Go, doctor.

View Quote Reporter: Buffalo Bill's real name?
Dr. Chilton: That is now a matter of record with the proper authorities. My name is Dr. Frederick Chilton. C-H-I-L-T-O-N ...

View Quote Dr. Lecter: You know what you look like to me, with your good bag and your cheap shoes? You look like a rube. A well-scrubbed, hustling rube with a little taste. Good nutrition has given you some length of bone, but you're not more than one generation from poor white trash, are you, Agent Starling? And that accent you've tried so desperately to shed? Pure West Virginia. What's your father, dear? Is he a coal miner? Does he stink of the lamp? You know how quickly the boys found you ... all those tedious sticky fumblings in the back seats of cars ... while you could only dream of getting out ... getting anywhere ... getting all the way to the FBI.
Clarice: You see a lot, doctor. But can you point that high-powered perception at yourself? What about it? Why don't you – why don't you look at yourself and write down what you see? Or maybe you're afraid to.

View Quote Dr. Lecter: Tell me, Senator, did you nurse Catherine yourself?
Senator Ruth Martin: What?
Dr. Lecter: Did you breast-feed her?
Krendler: Now, wait a minute ...
Sen. Martin: Yes, I did.
Dr. Lecter: Toughened your nipples, didn't it?
Krendler: You son of a bitch!
Dr. Lecter: Amputate a man's leg, and he can still feel it tickling. Tell me, ma'am, when your little girl is on the slab, where will it tickle you?
Sen. Martin: Take this thing back to Baltimore!
Dr. Lecter: Five foot ten, strongly built, about a hundred and eighty pounds; hair blonde, eyes pale blue. He'd be about thirty-five now. He said he lived in Philadelphia, but may have lied. That's all I can remember, Mom, but if I think of any more, I will let you know. Oh, and Senator, just one more thing: love your suit.

View Quote Dr. Chilton: What you are doing? Miss Starling is coming into my hospital to conduct an interview, and refusing to share information with me, for the third time.
Clarice: Sir, I told you, this is just a routine follow-up on the Raspail case.
Dr. Chilton: He is my patient. I have rights.
Clarice: I understand that, Sir.
Dr. Chilton: Look, I am not just some turn-key, Miss Starling.
Clarice: This is the number for the US attorney's office. Please, either you discuss this with him or you let me do my job, understand?

View Quote Murray: [assessing the mutilated "Sergeant Pembry"] He's alive. Sergeant Tate, he's alive!
Sgt. Tate: Get a hold of him more and feel his hand, son, talk to him.
Murray: What do I say?
Sgt. Tate: It's Jim Pembry, now, talk to him, damn it!

View Quote Roden: Sphingid ceratonia, maybe. [cuts open cocoon] Agent Starling, meet Mr. Acherontia styx.
Pilcher: Weird.
Roden: Better known to his friends as the Death's-head moth.

View Quote Clarice: Good afternoon. Sorry to bother you. I'm looking for Mrs Lippman's family.
Jame Gumb: No, Lippmans don't live here any more.
Clarice: Excuse me. I really need to speak with you.
Jame Gumb: What's the problem, officer?
Clarice: I'm investigating the death of Fredrica Bimmel. Your name is?
Jame: Oh, uh, Jack Gordon.
Clarice: Mr. Gordon, good, uh ... well, Frederica used to work for Mrs. Lippman. Did you know her?
Jame: No, nuh-uh. Oh, wait ... was she a great, big, fat person?
Clarice: Yeah, she was a big girl, sir.
Jame: Yeah, I may've ... no, I read about her in the newspaper. Um, Mrs. Lippman had a son, though, maybe he could help you. I got his card in here someplace. Do you wanna come in while I look for it?
Clarice: May I?
Jame: Yeah, sure. Are you close to catching somebody, you think?
Clarice: Yes. We may be. Did you ... take over this place after Mrs. Lippman died, is that right?
Jame: Yeah, I – I bought this house ... two years ago.
Clarice: [looking around] Did she leave any records? Any business records, tax forms, lists of employees?
Jame: No, nothing like that at all. Say, does the FBI learn something? The police around here don't seem to have the first clue.
[Clarice notices a moth]
Jame: ... I mean, have you got, like, a description, fingerprints, anything like that?
Clarice: No. No, I don't.
[Clarice unbuttons her gun holster]
Jame: Oh, here's that number!
Clarice: Very good, Mr. Gordon. May I use your phone, please?
Jame: [starts laughing] Sure you can use me phone.
Clarice: [draws her gun] Freeze! Put your hands over your head and turn around! Spread your legs! Spread your legs! Put your hands in the back ... thumbs up – freeze!
[Jame runs off]

View Quote [Last lines]
Dr. Lecter: [on telephone] Well, Clarice, have the lambs stopped screaming?
Clarice: Dr. Lecter?
Dr. Lecter: Don't bother with a trace, I won't be on long enough.
Clarice: Where are you?
Dr. Lecter: I have no plans to call on you, Clarice. The world's much more interesting with you in it. So you take care now to extend me the same courtesy.
Clarice: You know I can't make that promise.
Dr. Lecter: I do wish we could chat longer, but ... [eyeing Dr. Chilton] I'm having an old friend for dinner. Bye.
Clarice: Dr. Lecter? ... Dr. Lecter? ... Dr. Lecter? ... Dr. Lecter? ...

View Quote There are three major centers for transsexual surgery – Johns Hopkins, University of Minnesota, and Columbus Medical Center.