The Sandman Quotes on Netflix (TV Series)

Roderick Burgess: I give you a coin made from a stone. I give you a knife from under the hills. And I give you the blood from out of my vein. I give you a song I stole from the dirt. And I give you a feather pulled from an angel’s wing, for you to lift up into the heavens.

Roderick Burgess: I summon you with poison! I summon you with pain! I open the way. I open the gates. I summon you in the names of the old lords. Namtar, Allatu, Morax, Maborym calls you. Horvendile calls you. We summon you together! Come!

Dream: I was powerless, trapped by a spell cast by an amateur, with no concern for the damage he had done to my realm, and to his own. For the following morning, there were some sleepers who could not wake up.

Dream: The sleepy sickness, as it was called, affected nearly one million men, women and children, in every city, town and village in the world.

The Corinthian: Did you think Death was the only one in charge? The Reaper has family, you know. Desire, Destiny, Despair.
Roderick Burgess: Which one have I got then?
The Corinthian: Dream.

Roderick Burgess: What’s the good of a god who governs dreams?
The Corinthian: Not a god. More than a god. And are men not governed by their dreams?

The Corinthian: No one must be allowed to fall asleep in his presence. No one. Or he will escape into your dreams. And you don’t want that.

Roderick Burgess: [referring to Dream] Why are you helping me? What is he to you?
The Corinthian: Well, you could say that he made me what I am today. And if he ever gets free, he could take it all back.

Roderick Burgess: Will I see you again?
The Corinthian: You should hope not.

Roderick Burgess: I know who you are, Dream of The Endless. I captured you according to the laws of magic. But it wasn’t you I wanted. I wanted Death to return my son Randall, who died in the Gallipoli Campaign. If you give him back to me, alive and well, I’ll release you. Is that in your power, Lord of Dreams? No, I suppose not.

Dream: Day after day, he pleaded for gifts that are not mankind’s to receive nor mine to give. So I remained silent. And ten years later, though my presence there remained a secret, my ruby, sand, and helm brought youth and prosperity to Roderick Burgess and his followers. But for the rest of the world, the suffering continued.

Dream: The savagery of my captors bespoke a world whose dreams in my absence turned darker still. A world which would soon be at war again. A world still ravaged by the disease which doctors named Encephalitis lethargica. Some begged for sleep that would not come. Others lived as perpetual sleepwalkers. Most slept without waking.

Roderick Burgess: [to Dream] The woman who lives with me has gone, and robbed me of my fortune. She’s also robbed you. She’s taken your helm, your sand, and your ruby. Now, I can unlock this, you can go after her, if you give me what I’ve been asking for. Wealth, youth, immortality. Oh, you’re a god. These things are nothing to you. Don’t you want your weapons, and your freedom? Speak to me!

Roderick Burgess: [to Dream, as he’s dying] You’re never getting out of there. Never.

Dream: Out of loss, new love was born, as was new life.

Young Ethel Cripps: My mum used to say that if I was good, when I went to sleep, a man would come, sprinkle sand in my eyes, and make all of my dreams come true. But the Sandman’s not coming. From now on, Johnny, you and I are going to have to make our own dreams come true. And nothing, and no one, is going to stand in our way.

Alex Burgess: Just promise that you won’t harm me or Paul, and I will let you out.
Dream: Should I have believed him this time? Should I have forgiven him for murdering my raven? Perhaps. But in the end, I could not.

Alex Burgess (70): [to Dream] I could have asked you for wealth, or power, like my father did. But all I ever wanted was to be free of you. Surely you want that too.

Guard #1: [referring to Dream] Old Dracula here’s not giving an inch.
Guard #2: Why do you call it Dracula?
Guard #1: Because I think it’s one of them Draculas. What do you think it is?
Guard #2: I try not to.

Alex Burgess: It’s you. You’re free.
Dream: I am. And you have any idea what it was like? Confined in a cage for over a century? Do you understand the damage you’ve done to your world?
Alex Burgess: I’m sorry. I didn’t know. Please.
Dream: Your punishment then shall be a gift. I give you this, the gift of eternal sleep.

Dream: More than a century of tortured sleep, of Dreams and Nightmares running riot was coming to an end.

The Corinthian: He’s free. He’s out of his cage. So, I’m afraid I’m going to have to run. And I’m not going to stop until I’ve reshaped this world to look just like me.

Lucienne: My Lord, you are The Dreaming, The Dreaming is you. With you gone as long as you were, the realm began to decay and crumble.

Dream: I will not have Dreams and Nightmares preying on the waking world. I will bring them all back. I made this realm once, Lucienne. I will make it again.

Cain: Blasted, bulbous, bilge-bubbling bollocks.

Dream: You forget yourself, Cain.
Cain: No, my Lord, you forgot us. Do you have any idea what we’ve already lost waiting for you to come back after all these years?
Dream: What you have lost?
Cain: The answer is no.

Dream: I can only reabsorb that which I have created, and Gregory began as a Nightmare.
Cain: Yes, but he’s one of us now. It’s not fair.
Dream: No, it’s not.

Abel: [to Dream] Good luck, my Lord.
Cain: Simpering suck-up.
[stabs Abel with his pitchfork]

Ethel Cripps: You want me to kill the King of Dreams?
The Corinthian: Right. You can do it. I know you can. You just have to listen and trust me.
Ethel Cripps: Then I’m afraid we’re both dead, because I don’t have them.

Dream: You were right, Lucienne. The Dreams and Nightmares no longer seem to recognize their master. I will remind them, and take from them what I require.

Fate Maiden: Morpheus, it’s been a while.
Fate Mother: You look thin, love. Are you eating? Are you hungry?
Fate Crone: He is, but not for food. Look at him. He wants something.
Dream: You’ve found me out. I do want something. I need your help.

Lucienne: [referring to the Gargoyle egg] My Lord, you didn’t give it to The Fates.
Dream: Because it was not meant for them.

Ethel Cripps: You don’t listen, do you? Attractive men seldom do. I suppose they don’t have to.
The Corinthian: Ethel, are you flirting with me?

Ethel Cripps: You asked me where the tools are, I told you I don’t have them.
The Corinthian: I find that difficult to believe, given your extraordinary success.
Ethel Cripps: Do you think that the only way a woman can be successful is by using magic? Supernatural and sexist. You really are a Nightmare, aren’t you?

The Corinthian: Oh, come on, you can’t deny the tools have helped you. They’ve certainly kept you from looking your age.
Ethel Cripps: Now who’s flirting?

The Corinthian: You don’t have to lie. In fact, you don’t have to say a word. Your eyes will tell me everything, every thought, every feeling.
Ethel Cripps: You will regret this. I promise you.
The Corinthian: What makes you think that?
Ethel Cripps: I don’t need Dream’s tools. I have my own.

Cain: Who gave you an egg?
Abel: You did.
Cain: I didn’t give you an egg. Why would I give you an egg?
Abel: As an apology for murdering me.
Cain: When have I ever apologized for murdering you?

Abel: I think I’ll call him Irving.
Cain: Irving? You can’t name a gargoyle Irving, you gully-guts.
Abel: I like Irving.
Cain: Gargoyle names always begin with a G. “Gormogon. Gladstone. Ganymede.”
Abel: Alright then. Girving.
Cain: Girving?
Abel: It starts with a G.

Ethel Cripps: How are you, Johnny? Are you well?
John Dee: Same as ever. Slightly bored. Highly medicated. The days are all the same in prison.
Ethel Cripps: Hospital, John, not prison.
John Dee: If it pleases you to think so.

Abel: I’ll call you Goldie for Cain’s sake, but I think of you as Irving really. In my heart.

Abel: [referring to Cain] He can’t help it. It’s not his fault. It’s who he is. It’s who we are. The first murderer, the first victim.

Dream: If this Constantine is anything like her ancestor, she will serve me well enough. She is only human.
Lucienne: As was Roderick Burgess. What could possibly go wrong?

Lucienne: Dreams and Nightmares do not belong in the waking world.
The Corinthian: Oh, turns out I fit right in.

The Corinthian: [referring to Dream] Oh, no. I see him for what he is. He doesn’t give a f*** about you or me. He only cares about himself. His kingdom. Well, he can have it. Because I am leaving, and I am never coming back.
Lucienne: He will come after you.
The Corinthian: Well, then, if he does, he won’t be coming back either.

The Corinthian: [referring to Dream] You can’t change him. You can’t save him either.

The Princess: Are you going to be sick? Kevin? Are you going to be sick during our wedding?

Johanna Constantine: [to Erica] You were right about the demon, wrong about the host.

Johanna Constantine: [to Agilieth] Run along and f*** off back to Hell.
Dream: You have no idea what you’ve done.
Johanna Constantine: I do though. I’ve just tripled my fee.

Ethel Cripps: Look, let’s just say that I have it on good authority that the ruby’s owner is coming for it, and for the people who stole it from him.
John Dee: Then he’s coming for you. You’re the one who stole it from him.
Ethel Cripps: And you’re the one who stole it from me. You’re the only one who knows where it is.

John Dee: Every time, every time you moved us to a new town, and changed our last name, it wasn’t because your boyfriend of the time was beating the s**t out of us, it was because the f***ing Sandman was coming.
Ethel Cripps: I was trying to protect you.

Erica: [referring the Princess] Poor thing. She did seem possessed.
Johanna Constantine: She was. Love f***s you up.

Erica: Your new man is not unfit.
Johanna Constantine: He’s not my man. He’s not even a man.
Erica: What is he then?
Johanna Constantine: He’s Endless.

Mad Hettie: I said the Sandman, and I meant the bleeding Sandman.

Dream: [referring to his sand] Without it, my realm will cease to exist. And if dreams disappear, then so will humanity.
Johanna Constantine: No offense, but I could do without dreams for a while. Haven’t had a decent night’s sleep in ages.
Dream: Nor will you. Until we find the sand.

Dream: We must go, now.
Johanna Constantine: Does this approach generally work for you? You just turn up and order people about?
Dream: Yes.

Ethel Cripps: [referring to the ruby] I want us to give it back to him. Maybe he’ll forgive us.
John Dee: Maybe. But maybe we shouldn’t give away a jewel that makes dreams come true, when we could use it to dream of a world without the Sandman. We could start again.

Dream: Do you know who I am?
Matthew the Raven: Not entirely, but I don’t even know who I am anymore. A couple hours ago, I apparently died in my sleep, and now I’m a bird. I used to have thumbs. Now, I have these things.

Johanna Constantine: How did you find me?
Dream: You were dreaming. But it wasn’t only a dream, was it? It’s a memory. No wonder you do not sleep.
Johanna Constantine: Maybe I don’t deserve to.
Dream: Perhaps not. But I could make it go away.
Johanna Constantine: Only if I help you find your sand.

Dream: Why do you humans love objects so much?
Johanna Constantine: They do come in handy sometimes. You seem pretty attached to your sand.
Dream: It’s not just an object, it’s a part of me.

Dream: [referring to the photos] Is this you?
Johanna Constantine: Why? Do I look that different? Or younger?
Dream: No. Happy.

Johanna Constantine: [referring to the sand] I did not leave it with her. I sort of left it. And her. I was staying at her place for a few months. She interpreted that as us living together, which we weren’t. So, one night, I just went on a job and I never went back.
Dream: Why?
Johanna Constantine: Because it never ends well, does it?
Dream: What? Love? No. I suppose it doesn’t.

Dream: I’m coming with you.
Johanna Constantine: No, you’re not. Do you have any idea how much she probably hates me? Do you have any ex-girlfriends?
Dream: I will not wait long.
Johanna Constantine: You won’t have to. She’s going to slam the door in my face, like I’m about to do with you, right now.

Matthew the Raven: I say this as someone who was recently human. Human beings cannot be trusted.
Dream: No.
Matthew the Raven: If I were Johanna Constantine, I’d be up there cutting a deal with Rachel to keep the sand, then cut the dream sand with real sand, and sell it to the highest bidder. But then, I wasn’t the best person when I was a person. We can’t all be Jessamy, who was apparently perfect in every way.

Johanna Constantine: [to Dream, referring to Rachel] What is wrong with you? You want your sand back so that you can save all of humanity, well, here she is! But we’re all just Roderick Burgess to you. All you care about is your sand. Your power. What is the point of you? Well, you got your sand back. Why are you still here if you won’t help?

Ethel Cripps: [referring to her amulet] I am trying to save you, not hurt you. Here. This kept me alive for a hundred and sixteen years so far. I hope it keeps you alive forever. It’s all a mother wants, really. Take it. One last thing. I’m sorry I was such a s**t mum.
John Dee: [as she’s ageing and dying] No. Mother. Take it back.
Ethel Cripps: It’s too late now, love.

Johanna Constantine: [referring to Rachel, after Dream helps her to die] You know, she was actually a good person. There are a few of them out there, you know. They’re not all like me and Roderick Burgess.
Dream: You are not Roderick Burgess.

Matthew the Raven: Don’t ever spy on me again.
Dream: I wasn’t spying. If I were spying on you, you’d never know it.

Matthew the Raven: Where are we going?
Dream: Hell.
Matthew the Raven: Hell. As in Hell-Hell, or were you being metaphorical? Because either way, we should probably check in with Lucienne first, right? See how she’s feeling about it. I’m going to go out on a limb, which is something birds actually do, and say she will not be in favor of Hell-going. But I don’t get a sense that you’re listening. So, f*** it, let’s go to Hell!

Dream: When we first met, Lucifer was the angel Samael.
Matthew the Raven: I forgot the Devil used to be an angel.
Dream: Not just any angel. The most beautiful, wisest, and most powerful of all angels. Saving only the Creator, Lucifer is, perhaps, the most powerful being there is.
Matthew the Raven: More powerful than you?
Dream: By far. Especially now.

Dream: A demon has a hundred motives for anything he does. All of them malevolent.

John Dee: This is going to sound rather odd, but the secret to having compassion for people is knowing that they are fundamentally selfish. And I say this without judgement. It’s how human beings are built. It’s how we’re made. But if you know that going in, if you understand that we are operating out of the biological congenital selfishness, then life begins to make a lot more sense.

John Dee: I was saying, knowing that people are selfish sets you free from having to take their actions, their lies, personally. People lie because they are selfish. They lie because they are human.
Rosemary: They lie because they’re scared. People will say anything. Do anything to keep from being hurt. That’s what I think, anyway.

Lucifer: You look well, Dream. Are you well? And your family, Destiny, Death, Despair, and the others?
Dream: I presume the Ruler of Hell knows this is no social call.

Lucifer: Have you come to join forces then? To ally your realm to ours? To acknowledge the sovereignty of Hell?
Dream: You know my feelings on that, Lightbringer.
Lucifer: Feelings change. Especially when one has been caught and imprisoned by mortals. We expected better of you, sweet Morpheus.

Lucifer: It surprises us how easily you would give up, Dream. We know how you relied upon your tools. But tools are the subtlest of traps. We become reliant upon them, and in their absence we are vulnerable, weak, defenseless.

John Dee: I could use a drink, if you don’t mind.
Rosemary: Sure. What would you like?
John Dee: I don’t know. I haven’t been out in the world for thirty years.
Rosemary: You’ve been in prison for thirty years?
John Dee: No, psychiatric hospital. The beverage options were extremely limited to say the least.

Choronzon: As the challenged, I’ve selected my champion, Ruler of Hell, Lucifer Morning star to represent me in a contest of skill, confidence, and transformation. The oldest game.

Dream: I am a universe. All things encompassing, all life embracing.
Lucifer: I am anti-life. The Beast of Judgement. The dark at the end of everything. What will you be then, Dream Lord?

Lucifer: There are no more moves. What can survive the anti-life?
Matthew the Raven: Hey, boss. Listen to me. You know what can survive the anti-life? You. Dreams don’t f***ing die. Not if you believe in them. And I believe Dream of the Endless would never leave his raven here alone, in Hell with Lucifer.
Dream: I am hope.

Dream: Well, Lightbringer? It’s your move. What is it that kills hope?
Lucifer: Choronzon, give him his helm.

Lucifer: Why should we let you leave? Helmet or no, you have no power here. After all, what power have dreams in Hell?
Dream: You say I have no power here. Perhaps you speak truly. But to say dreams have no power in Hell, tell me, Lucifer Morning star, what power would Hell have if those here imprisoned were not able to dream of Heaven?
Lucifer: One day, Morpheus we shall destroy you.
Dream: Until that day, Lightbringer.

Matthew the Raven: You think Lucifer will come after you?
Dream: Why?
Matthew the Raven: Because you just publicly humiliated the Ruler of Hell.

John Dee: You’re a good person, Rosemary. Unfortunately, good people seldom survive in this world.

John Dee: [referring to the amulet] Here. Take it. Wear it. From now on, no one will be able to hurt you. Not even me. There’s no need to be afraid or tell a lie ever again.
Rosemary: Don’t you need it?
John Dee: No. I have my ruby. The ruby makes dreams come true. And I’m going to use it to save the world.

Bette Munroe: You said you were going to change the world. I didn’t believe you.
John Dee: All I did was take away the lies. You all did the rest. You did what you wanted to.
Bette Munroe: I never wanted this.
John Dee: You didn’t want to be seen, or touched, or loved?
Mark Brewer: I didn’t want to kill anyone.
John Dee: Yes, you did. Or you wouldn’t have done it.

John Dee: I offered you a world where you could be yourselves without having to suffer for it, but it seems you enjoy your suffering. And if that is your truth, then perhaps your suffering will set you free. The truth is a cleansing fire, which burns away the lies we’ve told each other, and the lies we’ve told ourselves. So that love and hate, pleasure and pain, can all be expressed without shame. Where there is no good or bad. There is only the truth.

Bette Munroe: [after everyone in the diner is dead] How is this a better world?
John Dee: You’re still seeing it with your eyes. You need to close them. Embrace the darkness.
[Bette then stabs herself in the eyes]

Bette Munroe: I see the future.
John Dee: Then tell me. Tell me my future.
Bette Munroe: You come from dust. You walk the dust. You go back to dust.
John Dee: That’s everyone’s future. Tell me my future.
Kate Fletcher: There is no future for you, John Dee. It is bound by walls, and guards, and the sour smell of madness.
Bette Munroe: And then the skein of your life is cut, son of your mother.

Dream: What is it you think you’re doing?
John Dee: Saving the world from its lies.
Dream: The ruby wasn’t made for that.

John Dee: They’re lying to themselves. It’s all lies.
Dream: Not lies, John. Dreams.

Dream: Kate dreams of running away, where no one will find her. Garry dreams of proving his father was wrong about him. Bette dreams of creating something that matters to people. Their dreams inspired them. Their dreams kept them alive. But if you rob them of their dreams, if you take away their hope, then, yes, this is the truth of mankind.

Dream: You must stop. It is not too late to save yourself.
John Dee: Oh, you think it’s me that needs saving?

John Dee: How does it feel to know I hold your life in my hands?
Dream: You’re hurting the dreamers.
John Dee: Well, it’s time they woke up! Your life and your lies end now.

Dream: Thank you, John.
John Dee: But I killed you.
Dream: You destroyed the ruby and released the power inside it. I would never have thought of that. I’d forgotten just how much of myself I had placed in the jewel.
John Dee: Are you going to kill me?
Dream: I could. Perhaps I will. But the dream stone was not made for mortals. And it came to you through no fault of your own. So, no, John. I will not kill you. Sleep well, John.

Dream: The ruby didn’t do this. John merely used it to reveal wounds that were hidden, but never healed. Tomorrow, the rebuilding will begin. In this realm and in mine. But tonight at least, humanity will sleep in peace.

Dream: I find myself wondering about humanity. Their attitude towards your gift is so strange. Why do they fear the Sunless Lands? It is as natural to die as it is to be born.
Death: People may not be ready for my gift. But they get it anyway. No matter what the circumstance. At the end, each of us stands alone. The Sunless Lands are far away and the journey is hard. Most of us will be glad for the company of a friend.

Death: At the end, I’m there with them. I’m holding their hand, and they’re holding mine. I’m not alone when I’m doing my job.

Death: [to Dream] The only reason we even exist, you and I, and Desire and Despair, the whole family, we’re here to serve them. It isn’t about quests, or finding purpose outside our function. Our purpose is our function. We’re here for them. Since I figured that out, I realized I need them as much as they need me.

Hob Gadling: It’s not like I don’t know what death is. Death is stupid.

Hob Gadling: [1389] Nobody has to die. The only reason people die is because everyone does it. You all just go along with it. But not me. I’ve made up my mind. I’m not going to die.
Man: Hobs, death comes for every man.
Hob Gadling: You don’t know that. I might get lucky. There’s always a first time. There’s so much to do, so many things to see.

Dream: Why would any sensible creature crave an eternity of this?
Death: You could find out.
Dream: How?
Death: I could grant him his wish.
Dream: Do that, and he will be begging for death within a century, I assure you.

Dream: [1489] You live your life as you choose. Then on this day, every hundred years, we will meet.
Hob Gadling: Because you want to know what it’s like. Alright. I’ll tell you what it’s like. It’s f***ing brilliant.

Dream: What will you people think of next?
Hob Gadling: With any luck, something to get rid of fleas.

Will Shakespeare: [1589] I would give anything to have your gifts. To give men dreams that would live on long after I’m dead. I would bargain like your Faustus for that boon.

Dream: Who is he?
Hob Gadling: His name’s Will Shaxberd. Acts a bit. Wrote a play.
Dream: Is he good?
Hob Gadling: No, he’s crap.

Will Shakespeare: Have we met?
Dream: We have. But men forget in waking hours. I heard you talk, Will. Would you write great plays? Create new dreams to spur the minds of men? Is that your will?
Will Shakespeare: It is.
Dream: Then let us talk.

Hob Gadling: Everything to live for. And nowhere to go but up.

Hob Gadling: [1689] I’ve hated every second of the last eighty years, every bloody second. Do you know that?
Dream: So do you still wish to live?
Hob Gadling: Are you crazy? Death is a mug’s game. I got so much to live for.

Dream: [1789] It’s a poor thing for one man to enslave another.
Hob Gadling: It’s just how it’s done.
Dream: I suggest you find yourself a different line of business, Robert Gadling.
Hob Gadling: You’re giving me advice? After four hundred years? What happened to “live your life as you choose”?
Dream: The choice is yours. But would you take that choice away from others?

Dream: The great stories will always return to their original forms.

Hob Gadling: That lad, Will Shakespeare. He turned out to be a half-decent playwright after all. You made some kind of deal with him, didn’t you?
Dream: Perhaps.
Hob Gadling: What kind of deal? His soul?
Dream: Nothing so crude.

Hob Gadling: [1889] Sorry about Lushing Lou.
Dream: Lushing Lou. Is that what they call her?
Hob Gadling: Well, in here, they call her “the Hospital”.
Dream: Why?
Hob Gadling: Because she’s in them a great deal, and because she’s sent so many men into them.

Hob Gadling: That might be the only thing I’ve learned after five hundred years. People are almost always better than you think they are. Not me though. Still the same as ever.

Hob Gadling: I think I know why we still meet here, century after century. It’s not because you want to see whether or not I’m ready to seek death. I don’t think I’ll ever seek death. By now, you know that about me. So, I think you’re here for something else.
Dream: And what might that be?
Hob Gadling: Friendship. I think you’re lonely.

Dream: You dare suggest one such as I might need your companionship.
Hob Gadling: Yes. Yes, I do.
Dream: Then I shall take my leave of you and prove you wrong.
Hob Gadling: I’ll tell you what, I’ll be here in a hundred years time. If you’re here then too, it’ll be because we’re friends. No other reason, right?

Bartender: [1989] You waiting for someone?
Hob Gadling: I think I’ve been stood up. We had a fight. Last time we were here. It was my fault. Wish I could say I was drunk at the time, but I was just an idiot.
Bartender: I’ve seen plenty of friends get in fights in pubs. Even more of them laugh about it together later.
Hob Gadling: Maybe in another hundred years.

Hob Gadling: [present day] You’re late.
Dream: It seems I owe you an apology. I’ve always heard it impolite to keep one’s friends waiting.

Unity Kincaid: In my dreams, I had the most glorious life. I took over my father’s business. And I met a man with golden eyes. And we had a baby. But it wasn’t until I woke up that I found out that none of it was real. Except for the baby. Apparently, while I was asleep in hospital, I had a baby girl. They hushed it up at the time, but Mr. Holdaway found out that she was adopted by a fine family. And that she grew up to have a daughter of her own. Called Miranda. Miranda Walker. Your mother. I’m your great-grandmother, Rose.

Fun Land: [referring to the Corinthian] What do you think he does with the eyes?
The Good Doctor: He’s a collector. Same as us.

The Good Doctor: If we want to get his attention, we have to think like him. Act like him.
Nimrod: Are you suggesting we…
Fun Land: Copycat the Corinthian?
The Good Doctor: Might be fun.
Nimrod: We do not plagiarize one another’s work. We have a code.
The Good Doctor: We also have over a hundrded serial killers coming to this thing.
Nimrod: “Collectors”. Please.

Fun Land: Do you think the Corinthian has a type?

Carl: And you are?
The Corinthian: I guess you could say I’m kind of a headhunter.

Fun Land: Why would the Corinthian even care about a copycat?
Nimrod: Well, I’d care. If someone was out there taking credit for my work, I’d find them, and I’d make sure they never did it again.
Fun Land: That’s another good reason not to do it.

Fate Crone: You are at a crossroads, Rose Walker.
Rose Walker: How do you know my name? Who are you?
Fate Crone: Names, names, names.
Fate Maiden: Each name is but a single aspect of the whole.
Fate Mother: Be satisfied with the trinity you have, love. You wouldn’t want to meet us as the Kindly Ones.

Unity Kincaid: But it’s never enough years though, is it? It seems we’ve all had our lives terribly interrupted, haven’t we?
Rose Walker: Maybe that’s what life is. Just a series of interruptions.
Unity Kincaid: And reconnections.

Unity Kincaid: [as she gives Rose a ring] It’s a gold annulet. What? What’s wrong?
Rose Walker: I had a dream in the car, on the way here, about an annulet.
Unity Kincaid: Did you? Well, then, may all our dreams come true.

Carl: You a big reader?
The Corinthian: I prefer people.
Carl: That’s good news for people.

Merv Pumpkinhead: You’ve been here for five minutes. Do you even know what to watch for?
Matthew the Raven: No. Do you want to go?
Merv Pumpkinhead: I do not.
Matthew the Raven: Then tell me what to watch for.
Merv Pumpkinhead: Oh. Any unusual behavior.
Matthew the Raven: Said the pumpkin to the talking bird.

Lucienne: So, look for any signs of shock or trauma.
Merv Pumpkinhead: [referring to Rose] Anything that could trigger her into killing us all.
Matthew the Raven: So, basically anything.
Lucienne: Basically, yes.

Ken: I’m Ken.
Barbie: I’m Barbie.
Ken: It’s terrible.
Barbie: We know.

Chantal: We possess the largest collection of stuffed spiders in private hands on the Eastern Seaboard.

Rose Walker: [referring to Chantal and Zelda] Are they…
Hal Carter: Sisters? Mother? Daughter? Lovers? Nobody knows. But I feel knowing would somehow ruin it.

Fun Land: [as he places eyes on the table] I figured if one copycat crime doesn’t get the Corinthian’s attention, two will.
Nimrod: Make that three. Though I consider mine to be more of an homage.
The Good Doctor: You both said this was a terrible idea.
Nimrod: In the absence of a better one.

Nimrod: I mean, why the eyes, or why only the eyes?
The Good Doctor: They are the window to the soul.
Fun Land: And they’re really hard to get out without popping them.
The Corinthian: [shows up at their table] The trick is to use your thumbs.

The Good Doctor: We hoped that since you are the current Corinthian, you might deliver the keynote speech.
The Corinthian: “The current Corinthian.”
The Good Doctor: Well, you don’t look a hundred and thirty years-old to me.
The Corinthian: Thank you.

Dream: All humans are connected to the Dreaming. They spend a third of their life here. Breaking that connection would require knowledge, and power.

Rose Walker: Matthew, is that you?
Matthew the Raven: No, that’s a crow. I’m a raven. Common mistake.
Rose Walker: You’re real?
Matthew the Raven: Technically I’m a dream, but sure.

Rose Walker: [as the Corinthian is watching them] And is Morpheus watching right now?
Matthew the Raven: He is. I can feel him in the back of my head. It’s the weirdest feeling.

Hal Carter: Rose, do you think I want to be here? Cleaning up after Barbie and Ken? Don’t get me wrong, I love them, they’re great. But if Broadway called tomorrow, I would sell this f***ing house. And I would never think about any of these people ever again. Go to grad school, write a novel, about me. But do it now while I’m still cute enough to play myself in the movie. Because this was never my dream.

Chantal: [in her dream] I am having a relationship with a sentence. It was just one of those things. It was a chance meeting that grew into something more important for both of us. Everybody knows about me and the sentence. And now, I have the pleasure of reading it into the Library of Congress.

Rose Walker: So, what is a dream vortex? What is it for? What does it do?
Dream: I confess, there are some questions to which even I do not have an answer. But I can tell you that a vortex has the power to dream entire worlds, or destroy them.

Child Zelda: [in her dream] Nobody understands me. Nobody cares. Nobody understands but Chantal. Chantal comes along, shows me she’s my soul sister. Me and her are gothic heroines, secret brides to the faceless slaves of the nameless night of the castle of dread desire.

Rose Walker: [referring to young Zelda in her dream] Is she lost?
Dream: She’s at home here. That is what most people seek when they dream.
Rose Walker: Home?

Hector Hall: You being here, in my dream, means something is different. Something has shifted. So, if you can choose to be here, maybe you can choose to stay. Think about it. We can have the life we always wanted. Have a baby. Start a family. Lyta. This is a dream. Anything is possible.

Dream: Humans cannot live in dreams. As long as he stayed there, the child had no life, nor the chance for one.
Gault: [referring to Jed] The boy is being abused. He’s suffering.
Dream: You abused that suffering to build a Dreaming you could rule.
Gault: I had no wish to rule. I merely wish to be a Dream and not a Nightmare. To inspire rather than to frighten.
Dream: The choice is not yours to make.

Dream: We do not choose to be created. Nor do we choose how we are made.
Gault: That is true. But we can change.
Dream: No. We are, each of us, born with responsibilities. Even I am not free to choose to be other than I am. Nor is anyone.

Gault: I’m not afraid.
Dream: You should be. A Nightmare’s purpose is to reveal a dreamer’s fears, that they may face them. Perhaps a few thousand years in the darkness will reveal your fears.
Gault: Better that than to make others afraid. Even a Nightmare can dream, my lord.

Lucienne: [to Dream] We all change, sir. Even you, perhaps. One day.

Gilbert: You know, to me, the object of travel is not to set foot in a foreign land, but at last to set foot in your own country as a foreign land.
Rose Walker: So, it’s all about going home?
Gilbert: Yes. I suppose it must be, in the end.

Hector Hall: I guess if earthquakes happen in real life, they can happen in dreams too, right?
Lyta Hall: Yeah. We call those nightmares.

Rose Walker: [referring to Jed] What if he doesn’t like me? Or worse, what if I don’t like him? What?
Gilbert: I’m just so impressed. You allowed yourself to be happy for nearly a minute there before inventing some new problems for yourself.

The Corinthian: [referring to the cereal convention] It’s just a bunch of boring grown-ups down there.
Jed Walker: Then why are you going?
The Corinthian: I’m going to make it less boring.

Gilbert: What fascinates me about humanity is that so many people are looking for reasons to be unhappy. It’s only when they’re mired in their self-made misery that they are truly content.

Gilbert: I do love a paradox. Chesterton did too. Take charity for example. Charity usually means one of two things, pardoning an unpardonable act, or loving an unlovable person. Or take love. Love’s an even better one. To love means loving the unlovable. To forgive means pardoning the unpardonable. Faith means believing the unbelievable. And hope means hoping even when everything seems hopeless.

Dream: [to Hector and Lyta] A ghost cannot escape his fate by hiding in The Dreaming. Nor can a living human being escape her grief here.

Dream: Your husband died a long time ago. He was a ghost and this is a dream. The baby is yours, for now.
Lyta Hall: What do you mean?
Dream: The child was conceived in The Dreaming. It is mine.
Rose Walker: What?
Dream: And one day, I will come for it.

Grass Widow: I’m sorry, but you are too young and too hot to be The Corinthian.
The Corinthian: You’re too kind.
The Hammer of God: I’ve always been curious. Is the name biblical? A reference to Paul?
Adonai: Or to Corinth? The Roman city of vice?
Grass Widow: Or are you just into leather?
The Corinthian: You know, all of the above.

Gilbert: No children at a cereal convention? That seems a bit of a missed opportunity. Or is it maybe sort of more of a porridge and muesli affair?

Gilbert: [as he takes the name tag Dutch Uncle] How exciting! I’ve never been an uncle before.

The Good Doctor: The “Chaste” blog is written by an apparent fanboy named Philip Sitz. Who, as you can see, looks exactly like our Boogieman.
Nimrod: Since you’re our guest, would you care to collect Mr. Sitz?
The Corinthian: Oh, I thought we don’t s**t where we eat.
The Good Doctor: Except when we have to.
Nimrod: Needs must when the Devil drives.

Dream: Why? Why did you leave? I trusted you. You were the heart of The Dreaming.
Gilbert: No, sir. You were the heart of The Dreaming. And you were gone. I was curious. And it turns out that life as a human contains substance I never even imagined when I was here.

Philip Sitz: I want to understand, that’s why I had to get here. To see you all. To learn.
The Corinthian: Okay, then let us teach you. The Good Doctor. She likes to kill her victims by removing their organs, one by one. Nimrod is a hunter. He can skin, bone, joint, and gut just about any animal in minutes. And as for me, well, I like the eyes.

Gilbert: Lucienne, he came to you and told you he was wrong. It was very nearly an apology. The Morpheus I knew was incapable of that.
Lucienne: Then perhaps he will be merciful to you since you came back on your own.
Gilbert: Oh, it doesn’t matter what happens to me. What matters is that Dream stops The Corinthian, and saves Rose Walker.
Lucienne: There is no saving Rose Walker.

The Corinthian: [after he kills Fun Land in front of Rose and Jed] Hello, Rose. Don’t worry. You’re safe with me.

Dream: A knife against a dream?
The Corinthian: Oh, you don’t think dreams can die? Let’s find out.

The Corinthian: He can’t kill you if you kill him first.
Dream: Killing me may save your life, but it won’t save the lives of those you love.
The Corinthian: I’m trying to keep you alive here.
Dream: I’m trying to keep your world alive.
The Corinthian: You have to choose one of us, Rose.

Dream: You’re not going back. I brought you into this world to serve humanity. Not to feed upon it.
The Corinthian: Do you know why I do it? So I can taste what it’s like to be human

The Corinthian: And you don’t care about humanity. You only care about yourself, and your realm, and your rules.
Dream: I contain the entire collective unconscious. Without my rules, it would consume me. Humanity would be consumed.
The Corinthian: Or you might actually feel something.

The Corinthian: I am not the problem, Dream.
Dream: You’re right. This was my fault. Not yours. I had so much hope for you. But I created you poorly then. So I must uncreate you now.

Dream: [after he destroys Corinthian] Next time I make you, you will not be so flawed and petty, little Dream.

Dream: And you, who call yourselves “collectors”, until now, you have sustained fantasies in which you are the victims, comforting daydreams in which you are always right. But no more. The dream is over. I have taken it away. For this is my judgment upon you, that you shall know from this moment on exactly how craven, and selfish, and monstrous you are. That you shall feel the pain of those you have slaughtered. And the grief of those that mourn them still, and you shall carry that pain, and grief, and guilt with you until the end of time.

Rose Walker: [over phone] I woke you up. I’m sorry.
Unity Kincaid: Oh, Rose, the one thing I do not need more of in my life is sleep.

Dream: [to Rose] Death is not always such a bad thing. You could stay here if you like.

Rose Walker: You? You’re a Dream?
Gilbert: I am. I left my post here to experience life as a human being. A life which I humbly offer in exchange for yours.
Dream: I’m afraid that’s not possible. For the Dreaming and the waking world to live, the vortex must die.
Rose Walker: Then what’s the point of a vortex? Why do we even exist?

Gilbert: When a human is at the center of the Dreaming, is it not to remind us that we exist because humans dream, not the other way around? The miracle of humanity itself should always be more vivid to us than any marvels of power.

Rose Walker: What was your role? Who were you?
Gilbert: Oh, my dear. Fiddler’s Green is not a “who”, it is a where. I was not a person. I was a place. And, after your death, if you stay in the Dreaming, visit me. Walk in my meadows and my green glades. Rest beneath my trees. Farewell, Rose Walker. It was a privilege being human with you.

Dream: I do not wish to take your life. But we all have responsibilities, and this is one of mine. I am sorry.
Rose Walker: Just do it. Whatever it takes to save my brother and my friends. I’m ready.

Unity Kincaid: [to Dream] You’re not very bright, are you?

Unity Kincaid: What happened?
Dream: You died. So that Rose might live.

Unity Kincaid: I was meant to have died a long time ago, Rose. But if I had, I would never have met my golden-eyed man, and we would never have had our beautiful baby girl, and you would not have been born.

Dream: [to Rose] You and your brother are children of the Endless. You have suffered enough. You may leave this place.

Jed Walker: You ever notice how people only ever use your name when you’re in trouble? Rose?
Rose Walker: That’s true, actually.
Jed Walker: See? So, as long as you don’t have a name, you can’t get in any trouble.

Dream: [to Desire] My sibling. We of the Endless are the servants of the living, not their masters. We exist only because they know deep in their hearts that we exist. We do not manipulate them. If anything, they manipulate us. And you, and Despair, and even poor Delirium would do well to remember that.

Dream: Mess with me or mine again, and I shall forget you are family. Do you believe yourself strong enough to stand against me? Against Death? Against Destiny?
Desire: No.
Dream: Remember that next time you’re inspired to interfere in my affairs.
Desire: Oh, poor Dream. I really got under your skin this time, didn’t I? Next time, I’ll draw blood.

Lucienne: Are you making new Nightmares to replace Gault and the Corinthian?
Dream: The world does not need a new Corinthian quite yet.

Gault: May I ask what made you change your mind about me, sir?
Dream: I had no right returning here after over a century expecting everything to be just as I left it. Lucienne tried to tell me that. So did you. But now I’m listening. Or trying to. New Dreams. New Nightmares. A new age.

Mazikeen: Your Majesty. Shall I ring for your attendants to help you dress? There are several demon battles scheduled for your entertainment.
Lucifer: I can think of nothing I’d enjoy less.
Mazikeen: In which case Lord Azazel would like a word.
Lucifer: Except that.

Azazel: I come at the bidding of the assembled Lords of Hell.
Lucifer: You’ve stopped fighting each other long enough to assemble?

Mazikeen: What are you going to do?
Lucifer: Something that I have never done before. Something that will make God absolutely livid, and bring Morpheus to his knees.

The Prophet: I have come for justice. For revelation. For wisdom.
Crow: Justice is a delusion. And wisdom has no place here either. But revelation, that is the province of Dream, if your heart is strong, and you are not afraid.
The Prophet: I am afraid of nothing.

Crow: A little cat could come to much harm, if she strays from the path.
The Prophet: Cats walk their own paths.

The Prophet: I walked through the Wood of Ghosts, where the dead and lost whispered to me. I heard my children calling me. But I walked forward. I walked through the Cold Places, where every step was pain, every movement torment. I walked through the Wetness that numbed my paws, drenched my fur. But still, I walked forward.

The Prophet: I walked through the Darkness, through the void, where everything was sucked from me. Everything that makes me what I am. And even when I no longer knew why, I walked forward. After a time, myself returned to me, and I found myself at the mountain.

The Prophet: I’ve come too far to be turned away. I will state my business to the one I came to see, and only to him. I am a cat. I keep my own counsel.
Wyvern: Enter then, proud cat. But be warned. Dreams have a price.

The Prophet: I am here.
Dream: And who are you?
The Prophet: A cat. A walker in the night places.

The Prophet: I want to know why could they take my children from me? Why do we live as we do? I don’t understand.
Dream: The cat may look at a king. Or so they say. Look into my eyes then, little sister. Look into my eyes.
The Prophet: And in his eyes, I saw everything. I saw the truth. Our truth. And it transcended anything I had imagined.

The Prophet: Many, many seasons ago, cats truly ruled this world. We were larger then. Everything made for us. Humans were tiny creatures. No larger than we are now. They would groom us, feed us. When the moon shone full, we would hunt them. For they were more delightful to catch than even birds. Oh, the joy of those days I saw in his eyes, the game of cat and man.

Golden Haired Man: [to the other humans] Dreams shape the world. Dreams create the world anew, every night. Do not dream the world the way it is now. Dream of a new world. A world where we are no longer hunted, no longer prey. A world we rule. If enough of us dream it, it will happen. Dreams shape the world.

The Prophet: [referring to humans] They dreamed. And the next day, things changed. We were prey to them, to dogs, their metal machines. We were tiny, and they were huge.

The Prophet: [referring to humans] So, they changed the world? Made it like it is now?
Dream: Not exactly. They dreamed the world, so it was always the way it is now. There was never a world where cats reigned. They changed it from beginning of all things to the end of time. It was ever thus.

Dream: Then you know what your task must be. The burden you must bear. Are you strong enough?
The Prophet: Yes. I hope so.
Dream: Then wake, child. With my blessing.

The Prophet: You see, I had seen the soft underbelly of what he had shown me. I left that night to spread the good news. And now I travel from place to place. I have preached to feral cats in empty places, shouting my message to the stars. I have whispered it to cats in alleyways. And wherever I have gone, my message is the same. Dream it. If enough of us dream, a bare thousand, we can dream a world where no cat suffers, where no kittens die, cold and alone. Where all cats are queens and kings of creation. That is my message. And I shall keep moving, repeating it until I die, or until a thousand cats hear my words and believe them and dream. And we come again to paradise.

The Tabby Kitten: Mistress? I believe.
The Prophet: Then there is hope, child.

The Tabby Kitten: Do you think it will happen, like she said?
The Grey Cat: I’d like to see anyone, prophet, God or king, persuade a thousand cats to do anything at the same time.

Don: [referring to the Tabby Kitten] I think she’s dreaming.
Laura: I wonder what cats dream about.
Don: The way she’s twitching, she’s probably hunting something. Oh, look at her. Isn’t that cute?
Laura: It is. It’s really cute.

Calliope: An artist prays to the Muses. He offers vows of service and devotion to the goddesses in exchange for divine inspiration. An artist does not hold a Muse against her will.
Richard Madoc: You gave Erasmus Fry what he wanted.
Calliope: I did not. He took it from me.

Richard Madoc: I’m drowning, Calliope. Please. I am begging you.
Calliope: Ask me again, when I am free.

Calliope: Is there nothing you can do? No one who can intercede on my behalf?
Fate Maiden: There are few of the old powers who are willing, or able to meddle in mortal affairs in these days, Calliope.
Fate Mother: Many gods have died, my daughter. Only The Endless never fade.
Fate Crone: And even they have been having a difficult time of late. Still, every little bit helps, as the old woman said when she pi**ed in the sea.

Calliope: The Dream King will never help me. Not after what I did to him. He hates me for that, and I despise him. I would not accept his help.
Fate Mother: Foolish child.

Fate Crone: Oneiros is in no position to help you even if he wished it, which is unlikely.
Fate Maiden: Like you, your former husband has been ensnared by mortals. He’s immured beneath the ground.
Fate Mother: Leaving this realm gripped by sleeping sickness.
Fate Crone: And a plague of Dreams and Nightmares wreaking havoc.

Emanuela: [referring to Richard’s new book] It’s a gorgeous book. Quite remarkable. I mean, the sheer richness of the material.
Lara: Yes. But why has he gone and changed this name?
Emanuela: How do you mean?
Lara: From Richard to Ric, without the K?
Emanuela: I think it probably speaks to the novel’s theme of reinvention.
Lara: I think it probably speaks to the author’s pretension.

Richard Madoc: Can you not allow yourself to enjoy our success? Even for a second? We are telling stories that move and inspire people. Isn’t that what Muses were made for?
Calliope: My sister goddesses and I were born. We were not made.

Calliope: I call to you, Oneiros, that you may hear me, and come to my aid when I say your name out loud.
Richard Madoc: [interrupts her and takes her letter] Morpheus? What does it mean?
Calliope: It is the name of the God of Dreams.
Richard Madoc: You’re writing him a letter?
Calliope: Something like that.

Richard Madoc: [to Calliope] You’re mine. By law. The God of Dreams can’t save you.

Calliope: You came.
Dream: You called.
Calliope: They told me you had been imprisoned, just like me.
Dream: Not like you. My suffering was nothing compared to yours.
Calliope: Don’t say that. Comparing our suffering only compounds it. It pained me to hear of your misfortune.

Calliope: I know that you cannot free me. Only he can do that. But perhaps you might inspire him? To let me go?
Dream: I will do all that, and more.

Dream: He must be punished.
Calliope: How? What punishment could be enough? Even his death would not bring back what he has taken from me. He’s nothing. He’s just a man.

Dream: I cannot allow him to go free.
Calliope: Why? Because I was once yours?
Dream: Because he hurt you.

Dream: The last time I saw you, you said you would never speak to me again.
Calliope: I’m sorry. I did not know where else to turn.
Dream: You misunderstand me. When I heard you call to me, even after all this time… Let me help you. Please. I owe you that much.

Dream: You’re keeping a woman here against her will. I’ve come to request that you set her free.
Richard Madoc: Are you out of your mind? There’s no woman here. I’m calling the police. Do you know who I am?
Dream: I know precisely who and what you are, Richard Madoc.

Dream: [to Richard] She has been held captive for more than sixty years. Demeaned, abused, defiled. And you will not set her free because you need ideas? Well, if it’s ideas you want, then you shall have them, in abundance.

Richard Madoc: What did you do to me? Are you giving me nightmares now? Tell me!
Calliope: I have done nothing to you, Richard Madoc. You have met Morpheus, who the Romans called The Shaper of Form. He was once my husband. And the father of my son.
Richard Madoc: I didn’t know you had a son.
Calliope: You know nothing about me. But it is too late to let any of that concern you now.

Sofia: Your work spans so many genres, so many worlds, so many different kinds of characters. May I just ask, where does all that come from?
Richard Madoc: For me, ideas don’t come from anywhere. They’re all around us, all the time.

Nora: What’s happened to your hands?
Richard Madoc: Oh, my God. I’m just having so many ideas. I didn’t have a pen, or any paper, so I just used my hands. I said I needed the ideas, but they’re coming too fast.

Calliope: It is over. Thank you.
Dream: I merely answered your call.

Dream: What will you do now?
Calliope: I think what I must do is to try to make sure that this never happens to anyone else ever again.
Dream: How?
Calliope: I do not know. By inspiring humanity to want better for themselves and each other.

Calliope: You have changed, Oneiros. In the old days, you would’ve left me here to rot without turning a hair. Do you still hate me for leaving you? For blaming you for what happened?
Dream: No. I’ve learned much in recent times, and… No matter. I do not hate you.

Calliope: I think you should release the mortal now. He has set me free, and without forgiveness, wounds will never heal.
Dream: You would forgive him for what he has done?
Calliope: I will not forgive what he has done, but I must forgive the man. Not for him. For me. Will you free him?
Dream: If that is what you wish, it shall be done.

Richard Madoc: [referring to Calliope] She’s gone. And it’s all gone with her. The ideas, the stories. They were all hers.
Nora: Whose? Who are you talking about?
Richard Madoc: I have no idea. No idea.

Calliope: May I visit you in the Dream Realm sometime, so that we may finally talk about our son, and grieve him properly?
Dream: One day, perhaps, but…
Calliope: I understand. Thank you, Oneiros. I will not forget this. Fare you well. Fortune be with you.
Dream: Goodbye, Calliope.