TV
By Judy Bass |
The Dutton family from Yellowstone really knows how to sling a phrase or two. On the verge of the wildly popular Paramount+ TV series' long-awaited return on Sunday, November 10, we decided to revisit some of the most memorable badass Yellowstone quotes they have uttered over the course of the drama's run.
Table of Contents
Videos by Wide Open Country
The core of any show's (or film's or play's) excellence - or deficit thereof - is the writing, of course along with the acting. The people who pen Yellowstone deserve sincere kudos for the way they delineate each character by the words they meticulously craft for them. Patriarch John, Beth, Kayce, and the other folks in the Dutton ranching dynasty come alive in each episode largely because of what and how they spit their words out to each other.
We can't wait to hear what the Duttons, modern frontier philosophers all, have to say this season before they ride off into the sunset.
Here are some of my favorite Dutton pronouncements. There are even some quotes about love here and there interspersed with all the tough talk! If you are a Yellowstone follower, you know that the Duttons love as fiercely and wholly as they hate. Period.
In their ironclad value system, family reigns supreme, then comes their land, and their heritage.
Quotes I Really Love From 'Yellowstone'
John Dutton
Tough, mean, and shrewd, this guy does not mince words. He is Vito Corleone in a saddle, decked out in cowboy boots and spurs. Nobody messes with John. He understands and wields power like he was born with it. These sharp-edged John Dutton quotes definitely convey that!
- Tate: "Well, if ranching is so hard, why do we do it? John: Because it's one hell of a life, Tate, one hell of a life."
- "It's the one constant in life. You build something worth having, someone's gonna try to take it."
- "Well, if you're marrying Beth, you've already proven you're not scared of anything."
- "Why do all my children have to find happiness"
- "Learn to be meaner than evil and still love your family and enjoy a sunrise."
- "I've come to think perfection only lives in little moments, you know. Can't be sustained over hours, just instances, you know. Little wisps of time and the world becomes imperfect again. This day damn near proved me wrong."
- "It wasn't a move. I'm just meaner than you."
- "You're just pourin' gas on the fire, Rip. Just dumpin' it right on the damn fire."
- "All the angels are gone, son. There's only devils left."
- "We're enemies now."
- "Lawyers are the swords of this century. Words are weapons now. I need you to learn how to use them."
Beth Dutton
She has her daddy's fearlessness, single-minded intensity, and tough streak. Her barbed put-downs make me wince. I wish I had some of her backbone! It must be like a steel spear. You wouldn't ever want Beth as an enemy. Ever. She makes Lady Macbeth look like a Girl Scout troop leader.
- "I have been down this road many, many times before, buddy. And no one who tried it is alive to tell you how poorly that worked out for them."
- "Just tell me who to fight."
- "Every so often, you say something that makes me think you're smart. and then I look at you, and that thought fades."
- "You are the trailer park. I'm the tornado."
Rip Wheeler
Cowboy Rip is the perfect counterpoint to his ferocious wife, Beth. He has been aptly described as "just a hot-headed, take-no-s___ cowboy," and I agree. His words convey that implacable image and reinforce it. Rip seems to relate better to anything with four legs than anything with two. These Rip Wheeler quotes are some for the ages.
- "Jimmy, cowboys don't say goodbye."
- "You know, when you boil life down, it's funny just how little you need, isn't it?"
- 'I'd rather kill a thousand men than shoot another horse."
- "There's sharks and minnows in this world. If you don't know which you are, you ain't a shark."
- "It's hard to measure almost, 'cause almost doesn't matter."
- "I wish that they'd come back to life so I could kill 'em again." (Not sure if he is referring to people or cattle!)
- "'I'm sorry' are two words you never have to say to me." (Remember in Love Story when Ali MacGraw tearfully tells Ryan O'Neal that "Love means never having to say you're sorry"? Maybe that is Rip's favorite weepy flick that he watches with Beth while they munch popcorn!)
Kayce Dutton
Kayce has a mercurial relationship with his father, John. A former Navy SEAL, he is married to Monica and they have a child. He inherited the Duttons' thick skin and "pointed way" of expressing himself. His references to a Higher Power who is not a Dutton give us a glimpse of Kayce's soul. Unlike other members of the family, he seems to have one. I guess we'll give them all the benefit of the doubt.
- "It's gonna be a s___ show no matter what we do. May as well do it fast."
- "We got so much to talk about, why aren't we talking?"
- When you fight for a thing, the thing doesn't care if you win or lose because the thing ain't alive. But when you fight for people, they care."
- "God sure finds interesting ways to put people out of business."
- "God wouldn't let you love somethin' that can't love you back."
- "Soldiers don't tell war stories anymore, dad, because wars these days, it's just about trying to live through them."
- "Yeah, well, the list of things I don't want to do is endless. You telling me what to do is one of them... If I'd have known there were sides, I wouldn't have been there at all."
Jamie Dutton
Jamie is the adopted son of John and his late wife, Evelyn. Like Kayce, he has a complex and evolving relationship with his dad. He himself is complex and evolving.
- "I need you to forget how we feel about each other and remember one thing - we're family."
- "A man who puts a hand on a member of my family never puts a hand on anything else."
- "From now on, what I do is for me."
- "Cancer doesn't have much foresight, so it kills its hosts, which kills it. Cancer is suicide from the inside out. That's what you are, Beth."
Monica Dutton
Monica, Kayce's wife, has had to carve out her place in this rough-and-tumble family. She uses words to her advantage to do it. And she succeeds. It's not always easy to be a wife and a female in the Dutton clan.
- "I can't think of a better medicine than the stars for a ceiling."
- "Can you tell me the definition of power, Trent? Hmm? It's the ability to direct or influence another's behavior or course of events. That's what I have."
- "When the misery is bad enough, tomorrow is rarely factored into decisions."
- "Baby, nothing's easy with you, and I've given up everything I've got."
- "Don't stop lovin' me to go kill something."
FAQs
What was John Dutton's best quote?
"Leverage is knowing that if someone had all the money in the world, this is what they'd buy."
What was Jamie Dutton's best quote?
"If hating me keeps you from hating yourself, I'll be that for you, Beth. That's what family's for."
You Might Also Like
TV
All 5 Seasons of 'Yellowstone,' Ranked From Worst to Best
Entertainment
18 Best Beth Dutton Quotes That I Love
TV
The Top 10 Most Important Moments in 'Yellowstone,' Ranked
