How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from The Sting.
Quote #7
JOE ERIE: No... I never played no Big Con before. But Luther Coleman was a friend a mine. I thought maybe there was something I could do.
Joe Erie isn't the best conman in the world, but he's very loyal to his dead friend Luther and wants to do whatever he can to help avenge his death. And if this means lying to one of the most powerful and dangerous gangsters in America, he's up for it.
Quote #8
DOYLE LONNEGAN: Your boss is quite a card player, Kelly. How does he do it?
JOHNNY HOOKER: He cheats.
We might be shocked at first when Johnny reveals that Henry has cheated Lonnegan in cards. But in terms of deceit, this is exactly the kind of thing that helps you fool a person. You give that person just enough truth to make them think they're in control of a situation. Then you play them for the long con and poof, they realize one day that their money is gone.
Quote #9
JOHNNY HOOKER: You were set up, Lonnegan. Shaw's been planning to beat your game for months. He was just waiting for you to cheat him so he could clip ya.
Hooker tells Lonnegan all about Henry's cheating tactics in poker, and at first, the revelation almost gets him killed by Lonnegan. But once Lonnegan calms down, he's very willing to hear out Johnny's plan of taking down Henry. This just goes to show that a big lie involves quite a lot of risk, because taking risks helps prove to the other person how committed you are to your lie and it makes it harder to call you on it.