"Mildred."
The very first word spoken in the film by a man who has just been shot and is about to die. His final utterance raises the question: Is Mildred the shooter? The entire film takes off from this one mysterious quote.
“I’m so smart, it’s a disease.”
Wally is a bit of a wise-cracking know-it-all, both silver-tongued and predatory. He says this to describe himself and it seems like a harmless enough remark. What seems a bit of an offhand and meaningless quote, however, will take on a darker meaning near the end of the movie when we see the depth of Wally’s craftiness and malice.
"With this money I can get away from you. From you and your chickens and your pies and your kitchens and everything that smells of grease. I can get away from this shack with its cheap furniture. And this town and its dollar days, and its women that wear uniforms and its men that wear overalls."
After Veda and Ted get their marriage nullified, Veda cons the Forresters out of $10,000, pretending to be pregnant to get the money. At home, Mildred confronts Veda about lying and Veda says this, as a way of justifying her deceitfulness by taking down her mother. This quote reveals the extent of Veda's ruthlessness, her cruelty and ability to wound, as well as her horrible snobbishness.
“Being a detective is like, well, like making an automobile.”
Peterson says this to Mildred when she first comes into his office. He suggests that the task of solving a murder mystery is as methodical and logical as constructing a car. Thus, he outlines his confidence in his ability to solve the murder accurately. If solving a mystery is like making a car, then there are clear right and wrong answers, and little room for error.
“It’s taken me years to find out, but now I know I was wrong.”
Mildred says this to Inspector Peterson when he tells her that they think Bert is the one who killed Monte. She reveals that she feels she made a mistake divorcing Bert, and displays a tenderness and affection for him, not wanting him to take the fall. The only problem with her defending Bert is that it makes Mildred look like she knows who the actual killer is.
“She plays the piano like I shoot pool.”
In the first scene between Bert and Mildred, Mildred tries to justify spending so much money on Veda by alluding to how talented she is. Bert fires back with this insult to his daughter, suggesting that Veda isn't a good enough piano player to justify spending so much money on her.
“I’m awful tired of men talking to me man to man.”
When Mildred returns from traveling, after kicking Veda out of her house, she has a heart-to-heart with Ida about how disappointing men are. Ida complains about the fact that men never take her seriously as a romantic prospect and always treat her more like "one of the guys."
“You’re not the kind of woman to get along by herself.”
Wally is consistently chauvinistic and predatory towards Mildred, in spite of also helping her start her own business. He says this to her when he first learns that Bert has left her, as a way of offering his help in the form of marriage. She has told him she wants to get a job and go it alone, but he condescends to her, telling her that she doesn't seem like "the kind of woman" who would do that.
“In the Beragon family, there is an old Spanish proverb: One man’s poison is another man’s meat.”
After Bert finds Monte kissing his ex-wife at her restaurant, Monte says this to Bert, as if it would be some kind of consolation. It is, in fact, rude and vile, and drives Bert to knock his drink out of his hand and leave in a rage. This line shows that, as charming as Monte may be, he is also dastardly and disrespectful.
“Veda has convinced me that alligators have the right idea: they eat their young.”
Here, Ida insinuates to Mildred that she doesn't like Veda very much, by suggesting—through an anecdote about the behavior of alligators—that Mildred ought to do away with Veda. While Mildred falls prey to Veda's antics, Ida sees them for what they are: manipulations.
