16 Quotes From 'The Wire' That Prove It's Prestige TV (2024)

Who Said It: Lester Freamon

The Wire is a show that thrives on attention to detail, where one seemingly innocuous piece of dialogue makes sense in an enormous way later on. This scene centers around a conversation between detectives Lester Freamon and Roland Pryzbylewski who have just finished listening to a bugged conversation that doesn’t produce any real leads. Roland is ready to chalk it up as a meaningless endeavor, but Lester reminds his colleague that no conversations are pointless, as they might make more sense down the line.

“All the pieces matter” is the mantra to which this series abides, and it makes a lot of sense when the detectives get deeper into the weeds of Baltimore's drug scene.

Who Says It: Omar Little

This is one of the most iconic lines from one of the crime drama's most definitive and complex characters.The Wire changed the moment Omar arrived and held up Avon Barksdale's stash house, distributing its contents like a shotgun-wielding Robin Hood.

This scene sees Stinkum and Weebay planning to drop Scar, but Omar isn’t having it. He emerges from the shadows and unleashes shots at the would-be assailants, but he's merciful. After killing Stinkum, he taunts the night with a ghostly whistle then tells an injured Weebay that he “better not miss” if he has this opportunity again. It's good advice. Omar isn’t the type of guy you want to have coming after you.

Who Says It: Omar Little

The great Omar Little is more than a stick-up man, he’s a philosopher. Unlike Plato and Socrates, however, he expresses his ideas in a way that most people can understand. This is a slick line he uses after robbing a poker game, prompting the ruthlessly ambitious criminal Marlo Stanfield to say, “That’s my money.” Is it, though?

Omar’s wisecrack puts the criminal in his place, but there is thought-provoking wisdom behind his quip. Omar is saying that money is a commodity that controls everyone, and anyone who thinks they have power over it is a fool. Furthermore, Marlo eventually discovers that there's such a thing as too much money (and power), so maybe he should have listened to the man who robbed him here.

Who Said It: Omar Little

Omar drops some emphatic wisdom, proving that he’s the coolest dude in the room. The dialogue exchange occurs during a conversation between Omar and the corrupt attorney Maurice Levy in the courtroom, and it doesn’t go the way the latter expects.

Levy acts all high and mighty, accusing the stick-up man of being a no-good leech who profits from blood money by robbing drug dealers. Omar then reminds the attorney that they aren’t different, as Levy is also profiting through these means, albeit without getting his hands dirty. The moment also illustrates the similarities between the streets and the white-collar world in this universe: the drug trade runs the city, and everyone wants a piece of the action.

Who Said It:Bunk Moreland

Bunk and Omar operate on different sides of the law, but they have one thing in common: a desire to protect innocent people. During their first meeting, Omar tells the detective that he only kills people in the drug game, and Bunk admires his morals. You could even say that they hit it off during this scene as they discover that they went to the same high school. Interactions between cops and robbers are rarely this heartwarming.

Who Said It: D'Angelo Barksdale

The criminal underworld is like a game of chess. The rulers are akin to kings on the board, forever protected and the most difficult pieces to capture. Meanwhile, the pawn pieces are easiest to eliminate during a game because they’re the most disposable, similar to the lower-tier criminals at the bottom of the drug dealer totem pole in Baltimore. This is the lesson D’Angelo Barksdale teaches to young Bodie and Wallace in the first season ofThe Wire.

D’Angelo, Bodie, and Wallace are all pawns in the criminal game, and the former’s speech is eerily prescient as all three characters experience terrible fates before the series ends. D’Angelo was right - the pawns will always get capped.