Western drama Yellowstone has become one of the most-watched shows on TV, with millions of viewers following its story following the Dutton family—patriarch John and his adult children—on their ranch in Montana, the largest in the United States, as they deal with the various outsiders looking to take the land for themselves. The series premiered in 2018 and ends with its fifth season, although the Dutton family and their legacy will live on through the show's many spin-offs, including the upcoming series The Madison. It was created by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson.
With intense, dramatic plots and strong characters, Yellowstone has featured plenty of memorable quotes throughout its five seasons, from the Duttons' views on family and business to words of wisdom worth living by. The best of them perfectly encapsulate the show's characters and themes.
10 "A man who puts a hand on a member of my family never puts a hand on anything else."
Jamie Dutton (Season 3, Episode 3)
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Jamie (Wes Bentley) was in charge of damage control with livestock agent Hendon in the Yellowstone Season 3 episode “An Acceptable Surrender,” starting with meeting with him in jail after he was arrested for killing horse thieves. To prove his loyalty when speaking with the father of a girl who had been the victim of assault, Jamie stated in no uncertain terms what would happen to anyone who hurt a member of his family.
Despite their issues with each other, the Duttons are still fiercely protective of each other and will band together against common enemies, and few quotes demonstrate that better than Jamie’s in “An Acceptable Surrender.” Jamie made it clear that harming any of his family was unacceptable and that doing so would have harsh and likely lethal consequences, and Jamie’s status as the black sheep of the family made his position that much more powerful.
9 "You can't unmake family, Jamie, but you can take their gold card."
Beth Dutton (Season 1, Episode 8)
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In the two-part Season 1 finale, Jamie was suspected of being involved in a cover-up on the ranch involving Rip (Cole Hauser) and the death of two tourists and a bear, all while a reporter was working for his campaign undercover in an attempt to get dirt on the Dutton family. John (Kevin Costner) demanded that Jamie suspend his campaign for attorney general, and Beth (Kelly Reilly) demanded Jamie turn over his credit card, bank card, and the keys to his truck.
The episode dealt with how far John was willing to go to get what he wanted, including interfering with Jamie’s political career. Beth’s quote to Jamie about family spoke to the blood ties that connect a family to each other and how those ties are unbreakable—but how there are still ways to cut family out. She made it clear that although someone may always be family, they can still face difficult consequences for their actions.
8 "You are the trailer park. I am the tornado."
Beth Dutton (Season 3, Episode 5)
Roarke (Josh Holloway) and Beth butted heads often, including in Season 3’s “Cowboys and Dreamers,” in a confrontation about her shorting his stock. As the conversation got more heated, she warned him she was not to be messed with, offering up vague threats and references to what had happened to others who had tried it before. As Roarke began to leave, Beth compared herself to a tornado destroying a trailer park.
Beth has always been a force of nature—her comparing herself to a tornado destroying a trailer park was particularly apt, and her icy delivery only helped reinforce the analogy. It’s a quote that not only perfectly summed up the dynamic between Beth and Roarke but also Beth as a character, known for her sharp comebacks and for being one of the toughest, most ruthless members of the Dutton family.
7 "It's the one constant in life. You build something worth having, someone's gonna try to take it."
John Dutton (Season 2, Episode 9)
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Much of the plot of Yellowstone revolves around the various outside forces trying to take control of the Duttons' ranch. In the Season 2 episode “Enemies by Monday,” the Duttons prepared for a final showdown against the Becks, with Kayce (Luke Grimes) placing a bomb in the fuel tank of the brothers’ plane. Kayce then informed John that their plan was in motion and it was too late to back out.
John Dutton isn’t exactly an optimistic man, proven by his attitude towards the ranch—he created something other people wanted, and they were willing to do just about anything to get it, something he sees as inevitable. And given the seemingly never-ending parade of people trying to do just that, it’s easy to see why John feels that way and why he’s so determined to hold on to the ranch.
6 "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."
Chief Rainwater (Season 3, Episode 8)
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In the Season 3 episode “I Killed a Man Today,” Monica (Kelsey Asbille) used herself as bait for a serial killer in a string operation she called “volunteer work”—she accepted a ride from the man after her car broke down while she was driving through the reservation, who then drove her to the site of his killings with the intent of killing her, too. After the man was shot and killed, Chief Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) praised Monica for the risk she took in trying to take the killer down.
Rainwater recognized that what set Monica apart from most other people was her willingness to act as opposed to sitting on the sidelines, waiting for something to happen—but above all, what really made Monica different was her willingness to take a huge risk in the name of justice. She put her own life on the line, with no guarantees the situation would go in her favor, and by doing so, she stopped a man who would’ve continued to harm innocent women.
5 "When the misery is bad enough, tomorrow is rarely factored into decisions."
Monica Dutton (Season 2, Episode 4)
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Life on the ranch isn’t easy—pretty much every member of the Dutton family has experienced some intense struggles. In “Only Devils Left” in Season 2, in the midst of a deadly attack on the Duttons’ cows, Monica taught one of her classes about “ocean water,” a combination of Lysol and water sometimes consumed on the reservation due to alcohol being illegal. As part of the lesson, she mentioned how short-sighted people can be while they are struggling.
Monica’s lesson, and specifically her quote, were a direct parallel to the events on the ranch. She understood how all-consuming the bad times could be—it can be hard to look ahead and see a way out when one is focused on what’s happening in the present, which can possibly lead to rash decisions that can’t be undone. It can also be hard to look ahead when one is in survival mode and taking things day by day.
4 "You're either born a willow or you're born an oak. That's all there is to it."
Lloyd Pierce (Season 3, Episode 5)
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In the Season 3 episode “Cowboys and Dreamers,” Lloyd (Forrie J. Smith) had a conversation with Monica about her son, Tate (Brecken Merrill), and his resilience during an outing on horseback. Toughness can’t be taught, Lloyd told her, and he offered up this observation about two different types of people in the world—those who are strong and immovable and those who are more flexible—by comparing them to two very different types of tree, the oak and the willow.
It’s an interesting way of looking at the world, and it’s not a surprise that someone like Lloyd—known for his words of wisdom—would have had people’s toughness distilled down into something as simple as a tree analogy. In a storm, the willow bends and moves with the wind and is able to snap back afterward, while the oak, despite being strong, can break. And, like the tree, which one a person is is already determined when they’re born.
3 "I like having somebody to fight for, rather than something. 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."
Kayce Dutton (Season 3, Episode 10)
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In the Season 3 finale “The World Is Purple,” the heads of the Stock Growers Association suggested to Kayce that he run for governor in two years. Later, after having made a life for himself on the ranch, he was asked how he liked it and replied that he liked having someone to fight for, as opposed to something. At the end of the episode, Kayce was attacked in his office by masked assailants with guns.
For Kayce, a fight had more meaning if it was for a person rather than something more abstract because people actually care, whereas a thing doesn’t. Kayce’s quote about what he was fighting for also highlighted his competing loyalties between his father and his own family, as well as a major difference between him and his father, John—while Kayce was in it for his family, John was fighting for the ranch itself.
2 "I believe in loving with your whole soul and destroying anything that wants to kill what you love. That’s it. That’s all there is."
Beth Dutton (Season 3, Episode 10)
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While John negotiated for the future of Yellowstone in the Season 3 finale, Rip returned home to Beth, who jokingly asked who he’d killed, only to learn he actually had killed someone. He warned her never to ask him that again, and she told him she believed in “loving with your whole soul and destroying anything that wants to kill what you love.” He replied simply, “I believe in the same thing.”
Beth’s idea of love was just as intense as her character, and it framed her and Rip as a couple united against the world, willing to take on anyone or anything trying to tear them apart, similar to the way the Dutton family is united against the forces trying to take the ranch. Rip’s reply was just as good—it was a great moment between the Yellowstone couple, one that showed Beth’s toughness and vulnerability all at once.
1 "You know, when you boil life down, it's funny just how little you need, isn't it?"
Rip Wheeler (Season 3, Episode 3)
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In the Season 3 episode “An Acceptable Surrender,” Rip joined Beth on their front porch one morning as she looked out onto the ranch. After he noted how little a person needs in life, she lamented the possibility that the ranch wouldn’t exist decades in the future, meaning future generations of Duttons—or others—wouldn’t be able to enjoy it. Rip disagreed, however, and pointed out that such predictions had been made for generations and hadn’t come true.
Rip has provided some great insight over the years on Yellowstone, and here, he made the point that people don’t need much to survive. But the quote can be interpreted another way—that what people really need in life is the people and things they love and whatever makes them happy and fulfilled. It’s also a good summary of life on the ranch. It’s simple, at least on the surface, just like Rip himself.
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