Take what you can, give nothing back

"They've stashed treasure chests about. Take what you can...give nothing back."

- Jack Sparrow

"Take what you can, give nothing back" was a phrase used when pulling a ship into a dock, meaning to pull in as much slack as you can and don't let it go. It also seemed to be used as a "pirate toast" or to wish luck or good will, generally when individuals parted ways or the object of the expression was facing some sort of imminent challenge.

Behind the scenes
"The toast they do here came from the crew of the Lady Washington. When they're pulling into a dock, 'Take what you can, give nothing back' means pull in as much slack as you can and don't let it go. So it's an actual nautical reference that was a perfect pirate toast."

- Ted Elliott


 * The phrase originally came from the crew of the Lady Washington. Having learned this, as an actual nautical reference, it became a toast used for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

Appearances

 * Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow
 * Pirates of the Caribbean Online
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End