BERT―Eddie, you’re a born loser.
EDDIE―What’s that supposed to mean?
BERT―First time in ten years I ever saw Minnesota Fats hooked, really hooked. But you let him off.
EDDIE―I told you. I got drunk.
BERT―Sure, you got drunk. That’s the best excuse in the world for losing. No trouble losing when you got a good excuse. And winning! That can be heavy on your back too. Like a monkey. You drop that load too when you got an excuse. All you gotta do is learn to feel sorry for yourself. It’s one of the best indoor sports: feeling sorry for yourself — a sport enjoyed by all, especially the born losers.
☛ The Hustler by Robert Rossen, United-States, 1961, around 1 hrs 13 mins. Full script, IMDb.
Two great speeches in this film. The one above is about losing and self-pity. And the one below, delivered by Paul Newman (as “Fast Eddie”), is about feeling great and winning.
