Widow: For three nights Ive been up at 1:00am to cook. Think Im tired? — La Strada

"Shes not like Rosa. But shes a good girl, poor thing. Shell do what shes told. She just came out a little strange. But, if she eats every day, maybe shell get better."

"What if I asked you to come with me? Ill teach you to walk the tightrope, way up in the air, with all the lights on you. I have a car. Wed be traveling all the time. Wed have a world of fun. Would you like that? But no. "Nothing." You have to stay with Zampanò and perform his ridiculous stunts and let him beat you like a donkey. Such is life."

"Aldo Silvani - Il Signor Giraffa, the circus owner"

"Marcella Rovere - La Vedova, the widow"

"[reciting his act by rote before a crowd] Here we have a piece of chain that is a quarter of an inch thick. It is made of crude iron, stronger than steel. With the simple expansion of my pectoral muscles, or chest, that is, Ill break the hook. [collecting money from the crowd] Thank you, thank you. Now, to do this feat, I must fill myself up like a tire. If a blood vessel should break, I would spit blood. For instance, in Milan a man weighing 240 pounds lost his eyesight doing this trick. That is because the optical nerves take a beating, and once you lose your eyes, you are finished. If theres any delicate person in the audience, I would advise him to look away cause there could be blood. [with seemingly great effort, he breaks the chain]"

"Quiet flame, bright flame, quiet flame, night cries."