The Best Lines from Aaron Sorkin’s “Trial of the Chicago 7”

The most memorable lines from Sorkin’s instant classic.

On Friday, Netflix released the latest and much-anticipated new film from writer-director Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7. Below, we’ve compiled some of the most memorable lines from Sorkin’s latest instant classic.

“Indict us… or shut the hell up.”

“History isn’t written in pencil. It’s written in ink.”

“If you haven’t seen Tom Hayden lead a protest, then you haven’t seen Shakespeare the way it was meant to be done.”

“If you guys were the inventors of the Chicago 7, you’d have invented the Chicago 7.”

“Prosecuting you is like prosecuting a StairMaster!”

“We can do that ourselves. I’m 6'5, 220, and there’s seven of me.”

“The prosecution could buy Grant Park, take the bandshell, and turn it into our ping-pong room.”

“You want the Chicago 7?! You can’t handle the Chicago 7!!!”

“Drop the ‘The.’ Just ‘Chicago 7.’ It’s cleaner.”

“I think if your clients want to sit on my shoulders and call themselves tall, they have the right to give it a try, but there’s no requirement that I enjoy sitting here listening to people lie. You have part of my attention. You have the minimum amount. The rest of my attention is back at the offices of the Justice Department, where my colleagues and I are prosecuting a war that no one in this room, including and especially your clients, are intellectually or creatively capable of doing. Did I adequately appeal your condescending verdict?”

“A ‘Chicago 7’ isn’t cool. You know what’s cool? A ‘Chicago 8.’”

*Note: I haven’t had time to watch this movie yet, but I believe this review to be accurate to the best of my estimation.