Some Yellowstone lines sound cool, and people are immediately drawn to them. However, they are also essential to the character study that Yellowstone so cleverly builds throughout its five seasons. Even with the farfetch setting of a high-stakes cowboy life in the middle of a corporate agenda, these quotes remain familiar, inspiring, and iconic.
10. “Well, If You’re Marrying Beth, You’ve Already Proved You’re Not Scared of Anything.”
John Dutton in Season 3, Episode 8 of Yellowstone, “I Killed a Man Today”
One of the most remarkable aspects of Yellowstone is that, despite the intense drama and petty conflicts, there is a lot of humor. Beth Dutton is a scary woman, full of surprises. This is her biggest strength, and a problematic flaw. However, both John and Rip admire and respect her. The conversation reveals a more casual side to this relationship as John makes it clear that he approves of Rip and Beth, providing the fandom with a hilarious moment.
9. “When the Misery Is Bad Enough, Tomorrow Is Rarely Factored into Decisions.”
Monica Dutton in Season 2, Episode 4 of Yellowstone, “Only Devils Left”
Monica’s comment addresses the root of the systemic issues in a capitalistic society. It’s easy for middle-class students to question a person on a reservation about using a drink that will eventually kill them. However, living in precarious conditions leads people to take immediate decisions with permanent consequences. People who live in survival mode can’t afford to think about the future, which eventually becomes an endless cycle. The death of a person drinking ocean water is not their fault, but the consequence of an unfair reality and an indifferent society.
8. “I’d Rather Kill a Thousand Men Than Shoot Another Horse.”
Rip Wheeler in Season 3, Episode 10 of Yellowstone, “The World Is Purple”
Rip Wheeler is the utmost morally ambiguous character in Yellowstone. He is John Dutton’s muscle, but he also has a heart of gold. Throughout the seasons, the audience sees him kill an outstanding number of people without even feeling remorse. However, his weak spot is killing horses.
Rip’s heart truly shines in this quote. Horses are defenseless, innocent, loyal creatures, and he finds empathy and love for them. Not only because he’s a cowboy, and he values nature and animals, but also because they are his companions. Rip knows a lot of people have it coming when he has to hurt them, but horses never do anything wrong.
7. “I Like Having Somebody To Fight for, Rather Than Some Thing.”
Kayce Dutton in Season 3, Episode 10 of Yellowstone, “The World Is Purple”
I like having somebody to fight for, rather than some thing. 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.
6. “I Made Two Bad Decisions in My Life Based on Fear, and They Cost Me Everything.”
Beth Dutton in Season 5, Episode 3 of Yellowstone, “Cowboys and Dreamers”
At the beginning of Yellowstone, Beth was lost. She used to drink a lot, avoid intimacy, and find solace in isolation and control. As the show progresses, Beth turns her bravado into actual courage. She faces life-and-death situations and emerges stronger from them. Beth understands that fear doesn’t make her weak, but taking decisions based on that fear can significantly alter the course of her life. The two decisions Beth talks about in this quote are her fear of horses, which ended in her mother’s death, and her fear of having a baby, which ended in an involuntary hysterectomy, and her avoidance of a relationship with Rip.
Interestingly, Beth wasn’t to blame in any of those events, but the fear and shame shaped her narrative and the person she became after those moments. When Beth stops running from herself, she finds the courage to embrace a loving relationship and overcome self-sabotaging behaviors. Beth’s type of strength, loyalty, and tenacity might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but her example should inspire people to live their best lives.
5. “I Can’t Think of a Better Medicine Than The Stars for a Ceiling.”
Monica Dutton in Season 3, Episode 2 of Yellowstone, “You’re the Indian Now”
Nature proves to be a safe space for Tate to overcome the traumatic experience. That beautiful land, which everyone craves to make money, possess, or vacation in, is powerful and healing. Monica understands it better than its owners. John uses that place as a weapon, but Monica knows that humanity belongs in open spaces as a community. Fortunately, Tate gets a happy ending with his family, living on a small ranch with safety and love, without taking anything away from others.
4. “Lady, You Crave Trouble. You Just Don’t Want Resistance.”
Beth Dutton in Season 4, Episode 3 of Yellowstone, “All I See Is You”
Beth’s reaction to the social norm creates a sense of accountability. If the lady was genuinely concerned, she would have intervened, defended Carter, or even talked to Beth. This woman was looking for trouble, of course, but in a way she felt would not get consequences. Beth’s comment highlights a significant social issue, where people are using social media to create or expose chaos, rather than attempting to solve a problem by exposing themselves.
3. “You Know, When You Boil Life Down, It’s Funny Just How Little You Need, Isn’t It?”
Rip Wheeler in Season 3, Episode 3 of Yellowstone, “An Acceptable Surrender”
The most ironic part is that Rip was born with nearly nothing and lost the rest to his father’s violence. In the end, it makes sense that Rip finds it sort of absurd how little people need compared to the amount of effort he has to put into taking care of the ranch. The quote effectively explains the premise of Yellowstone, a show that shows how catastrophic greed can be in a world that doesn’t need to be that complicated.
2. “People Talk About Making a Difference, but They Don’t Because They Don’t Try.”
Thomas Rainwater in Season 3, Episode 8 of Yellowstone, “I Killed a Man Today”
People talk about making a difference, but they don’t. Because they don’t try. They don’t risk. You risked … everything. Today you made a difference.
While Monica should never have been in that situation, no one else would have taken the risk. This horrible man would have continued killing women on the reservation, so her actions had a genuinely positive impact on the world. As Thomas said, others talk about doing good, especially politicians, but Monica actually went out and helped her community.
1. “You Build Something Worth Having, Someone’s Gonna Try and Take It.”
John Dutton in Season 2, Episode 9 of Yellowstone, “Enemies by Monday”
This is probably the most iconic quote in Yellowstone, and it encapsulates the entire franchise, including spin-offs. In 1883, the Duttons settled down in Montana, and James Dutton built a modest cottage on the land. Usurpers killed him, and Jacob Dutton took over, expanding the family business, as seen in 1923. However, he had to fight against local businesses and corporations, and most of his family died. John’s father had the same experience, and John himself continued to protect the land, no matter the consequences. So, yes, John is right: people will try to take anything magnificent in the world, if it was built by someone else.
