A collage of John Wayne stills from his movies.
Warner Bros./Via YouTube.com

Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), professionally known by people all over the world as John Wayne, was an acclaimed American actor and all-around icon. Wayne starred in movies that were produced throughout Hollywood’s infamous “Golden Age.” He arguably made his biggest splash in Western and war movies. His career really skyrocketed during the era of silent films in the 1920s. He would end up appearing in 179 film and television productions. Throughout the films Wayne starred in, and the interviews he appeared in, he left the world with many unforgettable quotes. We’ll now take a look at some of his most legendary quotes.

1. On courage

A still image of John Wayne in a movie.
warner bros/via youtube.com

“Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway.”

2. On always learning

A still image of John Wayne talking to other western characters.
warner bros/via youtube.com

“Tomorrow hopes we have learned something from yesterday.”

3. On individuality

A still image of John Wayne talking.
warner bros/via youtube.com

“All I’m for is the liberty of the individual.”

4. On Western movie characters

A still image of John Wayne
warner bros/via youtube.com

“In westerns, you meet a hardy bunch of characters. There is no jealousy on such pictures.”

5. On second chances

A still image of John Wayne next to a couple other cowboys.
warner bros/via youtube.com

“A man deserves a second chance, but keep an eye on him.”

6. On self-respect

A still image of John Wayne talking to his crew of cowboys.
warner bros/via youtube.com

“I won’t be wronged. I won’t be insulted. I won’t be laid a hand on. I don’t do these things to other people and I require the same from them.”

7. On living with a creed

A still image of John Wayne talking seriously.
warner bros/via youtube.com

“A man’s got to have a code, a creed to live by.”

8. On the secret of success

A still image of John Wayne talking.
warner bros/via youtube.com

“What’s the secret of success? Right decisions. How do you make a right decision? Experience. How do you get experience? Wrong decisions.”

9. On sincerity

A still image of John Wayne looking off into distance next to a woman on a horse.
warner bros/via y0utube.com

“I suppose my best attribute, if you want to call it that, is sincerity. I can sell sincerity because that’s the way I am.”

10. On not talking too much

A still image of John Wayne next to a female on a horse.
warner bros/via youtube.com

“Talk low, talk slow and don’t say too much.”

11. On working long hours as an actor

A still image of John Wayne next to a female on a desert plain.
warner bros/via youtube.com

“Nothing is so discouraging to an actor than to have to work for long hours upon hours in brightly lighted interior sets.”

12. On not listening

A still image of John Wayne talking seriously.
warner bros/via youtube.com

“You’re short on ears and long on mouth.”

13. On never giving up

A still image of John Wayne next to a female on a desert plane.
warner bros/via youtube.com

“Life is getting up one more time than you’ve been knocked down.”

14. On seizing the moment

A still and close-up image of John Wayne.
warner bros/via youtube.com

“Hurry it up. We’re burning daylight.”

15. On the value of dignity

A still and close-up image of John Wayne on a horse at nighttime.
warner bros/via youtube.com

“You can take everything a man has as long as you leave him his dignity.”

Meet the Writer

Matt has spent over the last 8 years as both a writer and editor, working in Seattle and Brooklyn, where he is now based. He loves escaping the tirelessly fast pace of the “Mad Apple” that is NYC by taking walks and runs through parks where he’s able to catch up on the latest tea about society from the city’s ever chatty, always hungry, occasionally maniacal, pigeons. They always have a lot to say. When he’s not taking his urban nature strolls, or dutifully combing the deepest rabbit holes of the internet to find the content that’s worth sinking your mind’s teeth into, he’s likely holed up at a dark-lit dive bar with a new book and/or some friends, or just as easily he could be on the hunt for the next addition to his steadily growing plant family.

These days Matt’s caught up in trying to provide folks as many vivid glimpses into the days long since passed as he can, through fun and engaging collections of hand-picked vintage photos.