- Jules Naudet: When I came back that day, to the firehouse, one firefighter came to me and he said, "You know, yesterday, you had one brother. Today, you have fifty."
- [about Tony, the rookie]
- James Hanlon: Don't get me wrong, there were fires... just not when Tony was on duty. The kid was one VERY white cloud.
- Tony Benatatos: [after lowering the station flag to 1/2 mast] I don't want to ever have to put that thing at 1/2 mast again for the rest of my career. That's it.
- Robert DeNiro: There's a saying in the fire service: When you go too long without any fires, be prepared: Something big is coming.
- Tony Benetatos: I know it's either this... or the Army now. And I like savin' lives, I don't like taking them. But after what I saw... if my country decides to send me... to go kill... I'll... I'll do it now.
- [addressing a classroom full of rookie firemen]
- Instructor: When you get out there, it's the real world. Don't be no hot-dog, show-off jerk. Pay attention to the senior men, and do what you're told.
- [after the firefighters gradually return to the station house]
- John O'Neill: I never got so many hugs in my life... they were "glad to be alive" hugs.
- Tony Benatatos: Right then and there, I knew this was gonna be the worst day of my life as a firefighter.
- [Tony's first day on the job]
- Lt. Walsh: You need to sit down? You wanna stop calling me 'Sir'?
- [Tony gets his first paycheck, which isn't that much money]
- Tony Benatatos: If I wanted to get rich, I would have become a lawyer. I wanted something I'd be able to live with for the rest of my life. This, I can live with.
- Chief Larry Burns (Ret): I told the probie, 'Get your gear, LET'S GO.'
- [Capt. Tardio is inspecting Tony's uniform]
- Capt. Dennis Tardio: You have an iron at home?
- Tony Benatatos: Actually I do not, sir.
- Capt. Dennis Tardio: You don't?
- [Another firefighter jumps into the shot]
- Firefighter: Probie in a lot of trouble. Take two.
- [Jules tries to cook a French meal for the firefighters, but doesn't make enough food]
- Firefighter: Couple more meals like this, we'll be able to share shirts.
- Jules Naudet: Alright, alright, I got a small piece, so what. My mistake.
- [camera cuts to James Hanlon and Gedeon, who burst out laughing]
- Jules Naudet: There was a person that was on fire just out of shot, and I decided that I didn't want to film that. I said, "No one should see this".
- James Hanlon: At the time, we didn't think that there could be anything worse than losing a single firefighter. Looking back, we were all kind of innocent
- Tony Benetatos: [seeing the Pentagon burning] I can't believe the fucking Pentagon... somebody has BALLS.
- Jules Naudet: [head interview] It was just another call. Running with the battalion chief.
- Robert De Niro: [voice over] It was basically camera practice. See, Jules had only been shooting for a few weeks. Before that Gédéon was the main camera man.
- Jules Naudet: [head interview] Every time the battalion goes, I go. You know, just to practice. Why shouldn't? And I don't stop.
- [they get out of the car to do their job, a view of the World Trade Center in the distance]
- Chief Joseph Pfeifer: [head interview] We checked the area with meters. It was kind of routine. Pretty simple.
- Robert De Niro: [voice over] It was 8:46 in the morning.
- Chief Joseph Pfeifer: [head interview] And then, we heard a plane come over. In Manhattan you don't hear planes too often. Especially not loud ones.
- [American Airlines flight 11 flies over, not seen, lieutenant Halloran looks up then turns around, then the camera focuses on the plane as it flies towards and crashes in the North Tower]
- Lieutenant Vincent G. Halloran: HOLY SHIT!
- [explosion in the North Tower, which they hear a little later due to the speed of time]
- Lieutenant Vincent G. Halloran: Holy shit!
- [he pauses as people are horrified]
- Lieutenant Vincent G. Halloran: HOLY SHIT!
- Jules Naudet: [with shock in his voice] Yes.
- Lieutenant Vincent G. Halloran: Holy fucking shit!
- Tony Benetatos: [head interview] Right then and there, I knew that this was gonna be the worst day of my life as a firefighter.
- James Hanlon: As for Jules and Gédéon, it's strange how things work out. In the beginning they came to me and said: 'let's make a documentary about a boy becoming a man, during his nine month probationary period.' Turns out Tony became a man in about nine hours, trying to help out on 9/11.