Glengarry Glen Ross
by David Mamet
Glengarry Glen Ross Manipulation Quotes
How we cite our quotes: Act.Scene.Line
MOSS: Look at Jerry Graff. He's clean, he's doing business for himself. (1.2.111)
Watching Moss manipulate Aaronow is like watching a master play the violin or something. He's so good at creating images of success and happiness for Aaronow before he asks for what he wants. Despite his pitch though, Moss proves unsuccessful with Aaronow. Maybe it's because Aaronow, unlike the other guys, doesn't seem willing to cast his moral compass aside just to get ahead.
MOSS: You hear a lot of things. He's doing well. He's doing very well. (1.2.134-135)
Moss Manipulation Tip #1: If the other person says something that pokes holes in your argument, just brush it off and get back on message. This is a classic move for Mamet men—they have goals and they need to achieve them, and a lot of times they need to use words to achieve them. They cannot let things like the truth or reason throw them off track.
MOSS: What do you, George, let me tell you what you do: you find yourself in thrall to someone else. (1.2.163-164)
Along with being great at painting images of what's out there, Moss is also really good at making Aaronow's current situation seem like the worst possible situation in the world.