Commisar Danilov: Do you know how to shoot?
Vassili Zaitsev: A little.
Vassili Zaitsev: In the forest, the wolf lives for three years and the donkey for nine.
Tania Chernova: That must be a proverb from the Urals. It makes no sense to me.
Vassili Zaitsev: The donkey lives longer because he's more useful.
Tania Chernova: There aren't any donkeys in the forest. You made it up.
Commisar Danilov: I've been such a fool, Vassili. Man will always be a man. There is no new man. We tried so hard to create a society that was equal, where there'd be nothing to envy your neighbour. But there's always something to envy. A smile, a friendship, something you don't have and want to appropriate. In this world, even a Soviet one, there will always be rich and poor. Rich in gifts, poor in gifts. Rich in love, poor in love.
Koulikov: You see, they're stubborn. That's the good thing about the Germans. Man, you got to admin, when they get an idea in their heads.
Nikita Khrushchev: Write it then - "Vasilli Zaitsev is not dead. This is what he had for breakfast this morning, here's a picture of him reading today's newspaper." You're the poet.
Vassili Zaitsev: He shot him on the run. It was an impossible shot.
Commisar Danilov: Vassili.
Vassili Zaitsev: You've promised people a victory I can't deliver. I don't stand a chance against this man.
Vassili Zaitsev: Sad to have a dream you know won't happen.
Vassili Zaitsev: All these men here know they're going to die. So, each night when they make it back, it's a bonus. So, every cup of tea, every cigarette is like a little celebration. You just have to accept that.
Tania Chernova: I knew you weren't dead.
Vassili Zaitsev: How?
Tania Chernova: Because we've only just met. I prayed for the first time since I was a little girl. When I opened my eyes Sacha was standing there waiting to give me the good news. I think he loves you even more than I do.
Nikita Khrushchev: Vodka is a luxury we have. Caviar is a luxury we have. Time is not.
Nikita Khrushchev: You won't give up the river bank. I don't care if you lost half your men. Lose the other half. Lose yourself.
Vassili Zaitsev: He doesn't know you exist, but at that moment you're closer to him than anyone else on earth. You see his face through the sign. You see whether he shaved or not. You can see whether he's married if he's got a wedding ring. It's not like firing at a distant shape. It's not just a uniform. It's a man's face. Those faces don't go away. They come back and they get replaced by more faces.
Commisar Danilov: Where have you been? We've been looking all over for you.
Vassili Zaitsev: Oh, did you hear? I was dead. At least, Noble Sniper Zeitsev, Vassili was dead.
Major König: Once again, he knew exactly where to find me. Don't you think that's strange? Apart from me, only you knew.
Answer: For the same reason Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman were top billed in Superman. He was a bigger name and his agent was able to negotiate a better deal.