This page contains memorable quotes from “Pilot”.
"You need a purpose"[]
Reese: Do I owe you money? 'Cause I'm, uh...Running a little short at the moment.
Finch: You don't owe me anything, Mr. Reese. That's the name you prefer, isn't it? I know you've had several. Don't worry, I'm not gonna tell anybody about you.
Reese: You don't know anything about me.
Finch: I know exactly everything about you, Mr. Reese. I know about the work you used to do for the government. I know about the doubts you came to have about that work. I know that the government, along with everybody else, thinks you're dead. I know you've spent the last couple of months trying to drink yourself to death. I know you're contemplating more efficient ways to do it. So you see, knowledge is not my problem. Doing something with that knowledge... That's where you'd come in. And you can call me Mr. Finch. I think you and I can help one another. I don't think you need a psychiatrist or a support group, or pills...
Reese: What do I need?
Finch: You need a purpose. More specifically, you need a job.
"I have a list"[]
Finch: Eight million people. You know what they all have in common? None of them knows what happens next. Someone is murdered in New York City every 18 hours. At the end of the day, one of these people will be gone.
Reese: Bad things happen to people every day. You can't stop that.
Finch: What if you could? Not the things that happen in the heat of the moment. But so many crimes are planned days, weeks in advance. What if you could stop those? I've got a list. A list of people who are about to be involved in very bad situations. Murders, kidnappings. The people that are on my list, they have no idea that anything's about to happen to them. Most of them are just ordinary people.
"I said I'd tell you the truth"[]
Finch: You have a decision to make.
Reese:The machine gave you another number.
Finch: The numbers never stop coming. You should know that up front.
Reese: Why me?
Finch: I've been watching you for a long time, John. We have more in common than you might think. The world thinks we're both dead, for starters.
Reese: You programmed the machine to delete those irrelevant numbers. Now you're trying to save them. What changed your mind?
Finch: Let's just say you're not the only one that's lost someone. If you wanna leave, I'll give you enough money to get as far as you need. Disappear.
Reese: And if I stay?
Finch: Sooner or later both of us will probably wind up dead. Actually dead this time. I said I'd tell you the truth. Didn't say you'd like it.