Memorable Quotes from
Lord of War (2005)
Yuri Orlov: There are over 550 million firearms in worldwide circulation. That's one firearm for every twelve people on the planet. The only question is: How do we arm the other 11?
Yuri Orlov: Without operations like mine it would be impossible for certain countries to conduct a respectable war. I was able to navigate around those inconvenient little arms embargos.
Yuri Orlov: The first and most important rule of gun-running is: Never get shot with your own merchandise.
Yuri Orlov: I sell to leftists, and rightists. I sell to pacifists, but they're not the most regular customers.
Simeon Weisz: Bullets change governments far surer than votes.
Yuri Orlov: They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
Andre Baptiste Sr.: Welcome to Democracy!
Yuri Orlov: Democracy? What have you been drinking Andy?
Andre Baptiste Sr.: Heh, you have not seen the news. You know, they accuse me of rigging elections. But after this -
[holds up a newspaper with the headline "U.S. Supreme Court Reverses Recount Ruling"]
Andre Baptiste Sr.: - with your Florida and your Supreme Court of Kangaroos, now, the U.S. will shut up forever!
[laughs]
Yuri Orlov: Every faction in Africa calls themselves by these noble names - Liberation this, Patriotic that, Democratic Republic of something-or-other... I guess they can't own up to what they usually are: a federation of worse oppressors than the last bunch of oppressors. Often, the most barbaric atrocities occur when both combatants proclaim themselves freedom-fighters.
Yuri Orlov: Thank God there are still legal ways to exploit developing countries. The only problem with an honest buck is they're so hard to make - the margins are too low, too many people are doin' it.
Simeon Weisz: The problem with gun runners going to war, is that there is no shortage of ammunition.
Yuri Orlov: After the Cold War, the AK-47 became Russia's biggest export. After that came vodka, caviar, and suicidal novelists.
Yuri Orlov: Of all the weapons in the vast soviet arsenal, nothing was more profitable than Avtomat Kalashnikova model of 1947. More commonly known as the AK-47, or Kalashnikov. It's the world's most popular assault rifle. A weapon all fighters love. An elegantly simple 9 pound amalgamation of forged steel and plywood. It doesn't break, jam, or overheat. It'll shoot whether it's covered in mud or filled with sand. It's so easy, even a child can use it; and they do. The Soviets put the gun on a coin. Mozambique put it on their flag. Since the end of the Cold War, the Kalashnikov has become the Russian people's greatest export. After that comes vodka, caviar, and suicidal novelists. One thing is for sure, no one was lining up to buy their cars.
Yuri Orlov: Back then, I didn't sell to Osama Bin Laden. Not because of moral reasons, but because he was always bouncing checks.
Yuri Orlov: You know who's going to inherit the world? Arms dealers. Because everyone else is too busy killing each other.
Yuri Orlov: Where there's a will, there's a weapon.
Yuri Orlov: The reason I'll be released is the same reason you think I'll be convicted. I *do* rub shoulders with some of the most vile, sadistic men calling themselves leaders today. But some of these men are the enemies of *your* enemies. And while the biggest arms dealer in the world is your boss - the President of the United States, who ships more merchandise in a day than I do in a year - sometimes it's embarrassing to have his fingerprints on the guns. Sometimes he needs a freelancer like me to supply forces he can't be seen supplying. So. You call me evil, but unfortunately for you, I'm a necessary evil.
Andre Baptiste Sr.: Personally, I blame MTV.
