- Paladin: I want to see Phyllis Thackeray. And I want to see her now. And if she's been harmed in any way, you two men can toss coins to see which one I take apart first.
- Paladin: It's easy enough to talk, to find the right words, the common words that men exchange with women. But you and I have grown too close for that.
- Dr. Phyllis Thackeray: That's a frightening thought.
- Paladin: It is. Because we're the kind of people we are. We're neither one of us ready for marriage, are we.
- Dr. Phyllis Thackeray: You're certainly keeping me awake.
- Fred Cooley: You got a specialty?
- Paladin: I use a little of everything.
- Fred Cooley: In the end it comes down to that.
- [the gun]
- Paladin: If there are no alternatives.
- Dr. Phyllis Thackeray: I'm confused. Are you proposing to me?
- Paladin: No. I've been explaining why I haven't proposed.