Snowden Movie Quotes

Snowden movie quotes provide the dialogue for the film about the life of Edward Snowden, who, in 2013, leaked classified information from the NSA. The biographical thriller was directed by Oliver Stone using a screenplay he and Kieran Fitzgerald adapted from two books, The Snowden Files by Luke Harding and Time of the Octopus by Anatoly Kucherena. After screening at Comic-Con, Snowden opened in theaters in the United States on September 16, 2016.

In Snowden, the life of Edward Snowden (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is featured, including his time in the Army, where he was forced to accept a discharge after breaking his legs. Feeling an urge to serve his country, Snowden took positions in information security, including at the CIA and NSA. He was quite successful in those positions and quickly trusted to handle more and more sensitive material.

So in 2013, when Snowden learned that the NSA was operating a massive surveillance program which collected data personal data on nearly everyone in the world. Knowing the consequences, including leaving love interest Lindsay (Shailene Woodley), Snowden copied this classified information and shared it with the press, including The Guardian. Those events set off a chain that would change his life, the life of those at The Guardian, and everyone around the world forever.

Snowden movie quotes feature lines from the ensemble cast which also includes Melissa Leo, Zachary Quinto, Tom Wilkinson, Scott Eastwood and Nicholas Cage. Snowden was just one of several highly anticipated summer 2016 films alongside others like Blair Witch, Bridget Jones's Baby, The Wild Life, and The Disappointments Room.

Doctor: Best I can tell, you been walking around on two broken legs for weeks. 
Edward Snowden: When do I go back?
Doctor: You ever again land on those legs again, those bones will turn to powder. There's plenty of other ways to serve your country.

After Edward Snowden is injured in the Army, he learns that his bones lack the strength to continue his military service. But as the doctor mentions in this Snowden movie quote, there are many other ways he can be of service to his country.

Edward Snowden: The Deputy Director of the NSA offered me a new position.
Lindsay Mills: Can you tell me anything about it?
Edward Snowden: You know I can't.

Speaking to love interest Lindsay, Edward Snowden explains that while he has a new job within the NSA, he cannot share any of the details of the position. Protecting the United States' protected information is something Snowden was very familiar with at this point.

Hank Forrester: Find the terrorist in the Internet haystack.
...
CIA Agent Geneva: You ready for a little action?

After Edward Snowden performed so well, he's offered a new task in this Snowden movie quote. As Hank Forrester explains, he will need to find a terrorist on the Internet, a wide world full of haystacks.

Edward Snowden: There's something going on in the government that's really wrong and I can't ignore it. I just want to get this data to the world. I feel like I'm made to do this and if I don't do it, I don't know anybody else that can. I can't turn back from this.

Edward Snowden explains the big decision on his shoulders in this Snowden movie quote. He knows someone need to expose this big, big thing, and doesn't think that anyone else can do it, except him.

Edward Snowden: This is everything I have. They're going to figure out what I've done. They are going to come for me. They are going to come for all of you too.
... 
Corbin O’Brian: Did you access an unauthorized program?
...
Glenn Greenwald: The government knows that we have these documents now.
...
Ewen MacAskill: You're looking at a possible death sentence.

Conversations Edward Snowden had after sharing information with The Guardian are chronicled in this Snowden movie quote. Snowden knows he's now a wanted man for sharing classified information, and by association, so are those at The Guardian who know as well.

Edward Snowden: I'm 29 years old. I work as a private contractor for the NSA, for the CIA. I've worked in various jobs in the intelligence industry for the last nine years. 

In this Snowden movie quote, Edward Snowden introduces himself and how he got into a position where he would find out about the secret NSA spying program. Working for the United States has been his life, as has working in the intelligence industry.

Corbin O’Brian: You wanted to be special forces.
Edward Snowden: Yes, sir
Corbin O’Brian: Why do you want to join the CIA?
Edward Snowden: I'd like to help my country make a difference in the world. 

Edward Snowden is interviewed by Corbin O’Brian, who digs into why Snowden wants to join the CIA. While Snowden's answer is probably a common one for this question, it's truly what he wants with his life.

Corbin O’Brian: We're going to start with an aptitude test. Each of you is going to build a covert communications network in your home city. You're going to deploy it, back up your site. You're going to destroy it and restore it again. The point of this exercise is to keep your infrastructure up and running securely. The average test time is five hours. If you take more than eight, you will fail.
Edward Snowden: Mr. O'Brian, I'm done, sir.
Corbin O’Brian: You don't have to tell me when you've completed a stage. 
Edward Snowden: No, I finished the whole thing. 
Corbin O’Brian: It's been 40 minutes.
Edward Snowden: 38 
Corbin O’Brian: What?
Edward Snowden: 38 minutes... What should I do now?
Corbin O’Brian: Whatever you want 

Just how different and skilled Edward Snowden is compared to his peers is illustrated in this Snowden movie quote. In a test that typically takes five hours, Snowden completes it in under 40 minutes.

Gabriel Sol: This looks a little cheesy.
Edward Snowden: How is this all possible?
Gabriel Sol: Think of it as a Google search instead of searching only what people make public, we're also looking at everything they don't, emails, chats, SMS, whatever.
Edward Snowden: Yeah, but which people?
Gabriel Sol: The whole kingdom, Snow White

When Gabriel Sol shows Edward Snowden the NSA spying program in this Snowden movie quote, Edward Snowden cannot believe what he seeing. The fact that any computer or mobile device can be activated on command is initially terrifying.

Edward Snowden: The NSA is really tracking every cell phone in the world. 
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NSA Dep. Director Lowell: Most Americans don't want freedom. They want security. 
Edward Snowden: Except people, they don't even know they've made that bargain.

In speaking to the NSA Deputy Director Lowell, Edward Snowden argues that people are unaware that they are being tracked, and thus wouldn't approve of this level of "security." It's this disagreement with the program that perhaps led to Snowden leaking this information to the press.