Seth Bregman Quotes in Margin Call (2011)

Will Emerson: Jesus, Seth. Listen, if you really wanna do this with your life you have to believe you're necessary and you are. People wanna live like this in their cars and big fuckin' houses they can't even pay for, then you're necessary. The only reason that they all get to continue living like kings is cause we got our fingers on the scales in their favor. I take my hand off and then the whole world gets really fuckin' fair really fuckin' quickly and nobody actually wants that. They say they do but they don't. They want what we have to give them but they also wanna, you know, play innocent and pretend they have no idea where it came from. Well, thats more hypocrisy than I'm willing to swallow, so fuck em. Fuck normal people. You know, the funny thing is, tomorrow if all of this goes tits up they're gonna crucify us for being too reckless but if we're wrong, and everything gets back on track? Well then, the same people are gonna laugh till they piss their pants cause we're gonna all look like the biggest pussies God ever let through the door.

Seth Bregman: Do you think we're gonna be wrong?

Will Emerson: [long pause] No, they're all fucked.

Seth Bregman: Will, did you really make two and a half million last year?

Will Emerson: Yeah, sure.

Seth Bregman: How did you spend it all?

Will Emerson: It goes quite quickly. You know, you learn to spend what's in your pocket.

Peter Sullivan: Two and a half million goes quickly?

Will Emerson: All right, let's see. So the taxman takes half up front, so you're left with one and a quarter. My mortgage takes another 300 grand. I send 150 home for my parents, you know, keep 'em going. So what's that?

Peter Sullivan: 800?

Peter Sullivan: All right, 800. Spent 150 on a car. About 75 on restaurants. Probably 50 on clothes. I put 400 away for a rainy day.

Seth Bregman: That's smart.

Will Emerson: Yeah, as it turns out, 'cause it looks like the storm's coming.

Peter Sullivan: You still got 125.

Will Emerson: Yeah, well I did spend 76,520 dollars on hookers, booze and dancers. But mainly hookers.

Peter Sullivan: 76,5?

Will Emerson: I was a little shocked initially, but then I realized I could claim most of it back as entertainment. It's true!

Seth Bregman: Who is that guy?

Will Emerson: Sam's boss.

Seth Bregman: He looks like he's fifteen years old.

Will Emerson: He's forty.

Seth Bregman: Yeah, how does that happen?

Will Emerson: Oh, it happens all the time. Except to me.

[first lines]

Seth Bregman: Just like that? Jesus Christ! Are they going to do it right here?

Will Emerson: You guys ever been through this before?

Seth Bregman: No.

Will Emerson: It's best to keep your head down and ignore it. Keep your head down and go back to work.