How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Taxi Driver.
Quote #1
PERSONNEL OFFICER: What do you want to hack for, Bickle?
TRAVIS: I can't sleep nights.
PERSONNEL OFFICER: There's porno theaters for that.
TRAVIS: I know. I tried that.
PERSONNEL OFFICER: What do you do now?
TRAVIS: Ride around nights mostly. Subways, busses. Figure if I'm gonna do that, I might as well get paid for it.
When the movie begins, Travis is already in a state of isolation, thanks to his insomnia. Ironically, his attempt to be productive and become a taxi driver ends up making that situation even worse, compounding his isolation with actual craziness.
Quote #2
TRAVIS: All my life needed was a sense of someplace to go. I don't believe that one should devote his life to morbid self-attention. I believe that someone should become a person like other people.
Travis is totally sincere about this and his attempts to become "like other people." However, he's so ill-equipped that he doesn't understand that taking someone to a porno movie on a first date is not something a normal person would do. His attempts to dig himself out just dig him in deeper.