He’s an unlikely hero pulled into a fanatical caper, when all the Dude wanted was his rug back: “It really tied the room together.” When he links up with Walter and Donny to take on Jackie Treehorn, nihilists and the real Lebowski, quotable hilarity ensues:
Walter Sobchak: “Smokey, this is not ‘Nam. This is bowling. There are rules. You mark that frame an 8, and you’re entering a world of pain.”
Jesus Quintana: “You said it, man. Nobody f___s with the Jesus.”
The Dude: “Let me explain something to you. Um, I am not Mr. Lebowski. You’re Mr. Lebowski. I’m the Dude. So that’s what you call me. You know, that or, uh, His Dudeness, or uh, Duder, or El Duderino if you’re not into the whole brevity thing.”
The Stranger: “The Dude abides. I don’t know about you, but I take comfort in that, knowin’ he’s out there. The Dude. Takin’ ‘er easy for all us sinners.”