How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from The Sting.
Quote #4
HENRY GONDORFF: Yeah, kid, it really stunk. No sense in being a grifter if it's the same as being a citizen.
Henry likes being a grifter, and part of the enjoyment of it for him is the fact that it's risky. In his mind, there's not much point in grifting if there's no risk involved. He doesn't want to feel like he's the same as everyone else, and the deceit of his job is a big part of what attracts him to grifting.
Quote #5
HENRY GONDORFF: Nice con, Hickey. I thought you were Feds myself, when you first came in.
Henry can't help but admire how good a liar his buddy Hickey is. In fact, this sort of mutual admiration is exactly what holds a lot of the conmen together. The better the liar you are, the more you're respected. But the moment you lie to your fellow grifters, your name ain't worth much.
Quote #6
NILES: No good, J.J. You're not gonna con stocks to a banker. Lonnegan's too smart for that.
As Niles points out, there's no way that the conmen are going to be able to fool Lonnegan on a phony stock market grift. The guy is simply too smart. This scene is definitely one of the best in the movie, since it shows us how grifters get together to figure out a specific person's weaknesses and go after them.