John Wayne Quotes

If everything isn't black and white, I say, 'Why the hell not?'

I want to play a real man in all my films, and I define manhood simply: men should be tough, fair, and courageous, never petty, never looking for a fight, but never backing down from one either.

Senator Joseph McCarthy was one of the greatest Americans who ever lived.

I am an old-fashioned, honest-to-goodness, flag waving patriot.

Never apologize, mister, it’s a sign of weakness.

You're going to think I'm being corny, but this is how I really feel: I hope my family and my friends will be able to say that I was an honest, kind and fairly decent man.

A long time ago, I made me a rule. I let people do what they want to do.

There's right and there's wrong. You got to do one or the other. You do the one and you're living. You do the other and you may be walking around, but you're dead as a beaver hat.

I would like to be remembered, well... the Mexicans have a phrase, 'Feo fuerte y formal'. Which means; he was ugly, strong and had dignity.

Courage is being afraid and going on the journey anyhow.

Men forget everything; women remember everything.

A man's got to do what a man's got to do.

The fire is not discriminating. It burns anything in its path for whatever reason.

Most men hate to shop. That's why the men's department is usually on the first floor of a department store, two inches from the door.

If a man says, "I'll call you," and he doesn't, he didn't forget. . . . he didn't lose your number. . . . he didn't die. He just didn't want to call you.

Republic. I like the sound of the word.

America is the land of freedom and that’s the way I enjoy living.

That's why men need instant replays in sports. They've already forgotten what happened.

Ahh, women! I never met one yet that was half as reliable as a horse!

Well, there are some things a man just can't run away from.

We built your fort. We will not have it used against us.

Contrary to what people think, I'm no politician, and when I have something to say I say it through my movies.

Hell, the truth is that I was named after a dog!

One look that works is better than twenty lines of dialogue.

It rankles me when somebody tries to force somebody to do something.

I believe humor nullifies violence.

I'm a greedy old man. Life's been good to me, and I want some more of it.

We're burnin' daylight!

This kind of war, you've gotta believe in what you're fighting for.

courage is being scared to death - and saddling up anyway" "A goal, A love and A dream give you total control over your body and your life

Communism is quite obviously still a threat. Yes, they are human beings, with a right to their point of view . . .

Get off your butt and join the Marines!

I'm an American actor. I work with my clothes on. I have to. Riding a horse can be pretty tough on your legs and elsewheres.

Oscar and I have something in common. Oscar first came to Hollywood scene in 1928. So did I. We're both a little weather-beaten, but we're still here and plan to be around for a whole lot longer.

I never shot nobody I didnt have to.

Out here a man settles his own problems.

Thanking people is dangerous business. A name always slips your mind.

I drink for comradeship, and when I drink for comradeship, I don't bother to keep count.

I'm the stuff men are made of!

I never killed a man I didn't have to.

Any man who'd make an X-rated movie ought to have to take his daughter to see it.

I play John Wayne in every part regardless of the character, and I've been doing okay, haven't I?

General MacArthur told me, "You represent the American serviceman better than the American serviceman himself."

Jesus Christ! I would crawl over the mountains of Beverly Hills on my hands and knees if I could do a movie with Doris Day!

Sometimes I wonder whose side God's on.

A man is no better than he has to be.

Life's tough. It's even tougher when you are stupid.

I don't want ever to appear in a film that would embarrass a viewer. A man can take his wife, mother, and his daughter to one of my movies and never be ashamed or embarrassed for going.

If I depended on the critics' judgment and recognition, I'd never have gone into the motion-picture business.

Cause even grown men need understanding.