Known as “The Duke” in the Golden Age of Hollywood, John Wayne starred in Western and war movies and television shows, delivering iconic quotes that have inspired generations. He performed from 1926 until his last role in 1976 as an aging gunfighter fighting cancer in The Shootist. Over the course of his career, John Wayne set a precedent for the industry and was later pronounced one of the greatest male stars of classic American Cinema by the American Film Institute.
While John Wayne went on to achieve worldwide fame, he began humbly as a prop boy and then an uncredited extra, born Marion Robert Morrison. It wasn’t until director Raoul Walsh cast him in The Big Trail (1930) that he landed his first starring role. With Fox Studios chief Winfield Sheehan, Walsh decided on John Wayne as Morrison’s new professional pseudonym and the rest was history. One hundred seventy-nine movies and television shows later, quotes from John Wayne are still motivating and inspiring generations.
“You Take Chances, My Friend.” (Rio Bravo)
A film starring Wayne as a sheriff in the American West has him team up with a drunk, a young gunfighter, and a disabled man to help keep law and order in their small town after someone threatens to break a murderer out of jail. Already an inspiring call to duty and morality, this line comes after a quarrel between Carlos Robante (Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalelz) and Conseulo Robante (Estelita Rodriguez) which Carlos follows up with a patronizing speech that “she will be mad or she will be sorry.” John Wayne’s one-liner is cutting and perfectly timed to remind viewers of what Consuelo is capable of.
“Courage Is Being Scared To Death But Saddling Up Anyway.” (True Grit)
Remade in 2010 by the Coen Brothers starring Hailee Steinfield and Jeff Bridges, the original 1969 True Grit stars Wayne as a U.S. Marshal hired by a teen girl to hunt down her father’s killer. This quote from John Wayne extends beyond the film to encompass daily life for a lot of people and has become a line that many hold onto. Ahead of its time in terms of encouraging people to accept fear instead of repressing it, this line from Wayne is one of his most universal and certainly one of the most inspiring. It’s okay to be scared. Courage is about doing it anyway.
“Well Son, Since You Haven’t Learned To Respect Your Elders, It’s Time You Learned To Respect Your Betters.” (Big Jake)
Jacob “Big Jake” McCandle (John Wayne) is a retired gunfighter who is forced on one last mission when a gang holds his grandson to ransom. Not only does this Western adventure film include a trusty dog sidekick, but it includes lines as kick-in-the-teeth as this. 1964 when this movie was released, John Wayne delivered this line with all the weight of someone who has been in the business for decades, and it certainly stayed with a lot of people.
“Looking Back Is A Bad Habit.” (True Grit)
The lead of an outlaw gang, “Lucky” Ned Pepper, survives a skirmish with Marshal Cogburn (Wayne) while several of his gang are killed, saving him. Afterward, Mattie Ross (Kim Darby) exclaims, “That man gave his life for him and he didn’t even look back,” to which Wayne gives her this line. It’s a firm reminder that, no matter who a person is, it’s living in the present and not focusing on what’s been that keeps us alive. A good rule to live by in an age of constant worry for the future and fear of the past.
“Sorry, Don’t Get It Done, Dude.” (Rio Bravo)
After Dude (Dean Martin), taunted as “town drunk,” hits John T. Chance (Wayne) for the second time, Wayne tells him firmly, “Sorry, don’t get it done, Dude.” While he might’ve been giving a stone warning that Dude never hit him again, this line has stuck with some viewers as a better way of showing others remorse. Words and “sorry” don’t get it done, but actions do. Ensuring it never happens again will get it done.
“Monsewer, Words Are What Men Live By.” (The Comancheros)
Ranger Captain Jake Cutter (Wayne) finds himself teaming up with recently arrested gambler Paul Regret (Stuart Whitman) to take down a renegade arms merchant. Speaking to Regret about swearing oaths, Regret cries, “Words!” which inspires this iconic line from Wayne. “Words they say and mean,” he adds, a lesson in the power of the things we tell ourselves and each other.