30 quotes
A Warning from Rooster Cogburn
Rooster" Cogburn
LaBoeuf, if you get crosswise of me you'll think a ton of brick had fell on you! You'll wisht you was back at the Alamo with Travis!
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Pride in Military Service
Ranger La Boeuf
I served under General Kirby Smith. And I don't have to hang my head when I say it.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Determined Spirit in the Face of Adversity
Rooster" Cogburn
Baby sister, I was born game, and I mean to go out that way.
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Desire for Justice and Revenge
Mattie Ross
I want Tom Chaney hanged for killing my father! It's little to me how many dogs and senators he's killed in Texas.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
La Boeuf's Take on Name Pronunciation
Ranger La Boeuf
The French is La Bourf'. I say La Beef'.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Determination in the Face of Adversity
Mattie Ross
If in four months I could not find Tom Chaney, with a mark on his face like banished Cain, I would not advise others how to do so.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Understanding Ned's Justification for Violence
Rooster" Cogburn
Ned doesn't go around killing people for no reason. Had he a reason, he'd kill them.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Identity and Injustice in Yell County
Mattie Ross
My name is Mattie Ross, of Near Dardanelle in Yell County. My family owns property, and I don't know why I'm being treated like this!
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Urgent Need for Medical Attention
Rooster" Cogburn
We've got to get you to a doctor or you'll be deader than he is!
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Courage in Confrontation Over Retreat
Ranger La Boeuf
You can't take men by watching them run away!
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Nature of Belonging and Dependence
Rooster" Cogburn
General Price don't belong to me. He just rooms with me. Cats don't belong to nobody. Course, I depend on him.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Confrontation and Choice in True Grit
Rooster" Cogburn
Young fella, if you're looking for trouble, I'll accommodate you. Otherwise, leave it alone.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Consequences of Justice in Unusual Circumstances
Rooster" Cogburn
Mr. Rat, I have a writ here that says you are to stop eating Chen Lee's cornmeal forthwith. Now, It's a rat writ, writ for a rat, and this is lawful service of same! See? He doesn't pay any attention to me. You can't serve papers on a rat, baby sister. You either kill him or let him be.
[to Mattie; shoots the rat]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Little Blackie's Speed Against Heaviness
Mattie Ross
Those horses can't outrun Little Blackie! They're loaded down with fat men and iron!
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The Utility of a Big-Bore Carbine
Rooster" Cogburn
A fella that carries a big-bore Sharps carbine might come in handy… if we get jumped by elephants, or buffalo, or something.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Blunt Observation on Personal Hygiene
Mattie Ross
If I smelled as bad as you I wouldn't live near people.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Regret for a Young Boy's Lost Leg
Rooster" Cogburn
It's a shame, a kid like Moon losing his leg. He's too young to be hoppin around on a raw peg. Loves to dance too much, and sport!
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Determined Pursuit of Justice and Vengeance
Mattie Ross
I won't rest until Tom Chaney is barking in Hell.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Confrontation of Justice and Revenge
Rooster" Cogburn
I mean to kill you in one minute, Ned. Or see you hanged in Fort Smith at Judge Parker's convenience. Which'll it be?
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Defiance and Independence in Mattie Ross's Journey
Mattie Ross
I'm going! And it's not because you say I can't, and it's not because you say I can. I paid good cash money to be here, and I'm on my own business! Now, we'll have no more talk about it.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Observations on Texas Men and Their Style
Mattie Ross
I also notice that the men of Texas gouge their mounts with great brutal spurs and cultivate their hair like lettuce!
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Questioning Rooster Cogburn's Loyalty and Grit
Mattie Ross
Rooster Cogburn is no good friend of mine! He led us straight into your hands, and now he has left me with a gang of cut-throats! Is that what they call "grit" in Fort Smith? We call it something else in Yell County.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Defiant Challenge in the Face of Danger
Rooster" Cogburn
Fill your hand, you son of a bitch!
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Defiance in the Face of Danger
Ranger La Boeuf
I ain't dead yet, you bushwhacker!
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Demanding Change for Papa's Marker
Mattie Ross
Papa's marker is not what was ordered. I will make that wool-hatted fool of a stone man change it.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Self-Reflection in True Grit
Rooster" Cogburn
By God! She reminds me o me!
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Taking One Step at a Time
Ranger La Boeuf
I only take one step at a time. That's why I was given two feet.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Frustration Over Abandonment in Crisis
Rooster" Cogburn
Damn that Texican! When you need him, he's dead.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Disdain for Whistling Men
Rooster" Cogburn
DAMN a man that whistles!
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Value of a Prepared Weapon
Rooster" Cogburn
Well, a gun that's unloaded and cocked ain't good for nothin'.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.