How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from The Sting.
Quote #4
LUTHER COLMAN: You're a conman, and you blew it like a pimp. I didn't teach ya to be no pimp.
Luther is disappointed with Johnny for blowing his most recent con money on a single game of roulette. In Luther's mind, Johnny is totally wasting all of his cleverness as a grifter by being a terrible gambler.
Quote #5
LUTHER COLMAN: It's nothin' compared to what you could be makin' on the Big Con. You're wastin' your time workin' street marks.
As a seasoned conman, Luther knows talent when he sees it. And for him, Johnny is one of the best he's ever seen. That's why he thinks it's sad that Johnny is wasting so much of his talent on tiny scores. He thinks Johnny should put his energy into one giant con that can set him up for the rest of his life.
Quote #6
HENRY GONDORFF: Aw, I conned a Senator from Florida on a stocks deal. A real lop-ear. He thought he was gonna take over General Electric. Some Chantoozie woke him up, though, and he put the Feds on me.
Henry shows us that even the smartest conmen can get caught if someone betrays them. Conning involves a lot of cleverness, but it also involves a ton of trust in your fellow con artists. And if one of them sells you out, there's not much you can do.