6 Years Later, John Dutton's Best Line Is Still The Greatest Quote In Yellowstone History

It's been six years since Kevin Costner said it, but this line from John Dutton III is still the very best quote in all of Yellowstone. As one of Taylor Sheridan's best shows, Yellowstone is filled to the brim with great Western quotes. The entire Dutton family tree gets a chance to deliver a line that will stick with viewers and seems perfect for the situation over the course of the show's five seasons.

Of course, not every line in the show was perfect, and there are even some Yellowstone quotes that don't make any sense at all. Despite those rare bad lines, there are endless great quotes from Yellowstone to choose from. However, only one of them can be considered the best, and one of Kevin Costner's quotes as John Dutton III has stood the test of time since Yellowstone's ending better than the rest.

In picking Yellowstone's best quote, there are some criteria to establish. The quote has to fit the moment and context it's said in, for example. It also has to be applicable in the real world to some extent. Plus, though it's basically a given with an actor like Kevin Costner, it has to be delivered well. As an added bonus, John Dutton's best line also sums the entirety of his character and Yellowstone as a whole up in a neat bow.

John Dutton's "Meaner Than Evil" Line Is Yellowstone's Best Quote

In Yellowstone season 3, episode 9, John Dutton delivers the show's absolute best line. After one of many famously contentious dinner table discussions, John meets Kayce on the porch. John says that he wishes they didn't have to discuss the bloody business of defending the Yellowstone ranch at all, let alone at the dinner table, and then he delivers arguably his most sage advice in the entire show: "be meaner than evil."

You can’t reason with evil, son. Evil wants what it wants and won’t stop until it’s won or you kill it. The only way to kill it is to be meaner than evil. That’s gonna be your last lesson, son: how to be meaner than evil and still love your family. And still enjoy a sunrise.

There's a lot to love about John Dutton's "Meaner than evil" quote. At face level, it's just a great line about having to do uncomfortable or even immoral things to protect the ones you love. Most people can relate to having to do things they'd rather not, which gives the quote a lot of universality. On top of that, Costner does such a great job of delivering this line; you can hear every regret John Dutton has seeping through his voice, but you can also hear the steely determination he has to continue protecting his family and their land.

"Meaner Than Evil" Perfectly Sums Up John Dutton & Yellowstone As A Whole

The best part of John Dutton's "Meaner than evil" quote, however, is how well it sums up him, the Dutton family's dynamics, and Yellowstone at large. John is clearly a man who is willing to do whatever it takes to protect what he cherishes, a fact he reinforces time and again. This quote provides such a great insight into his character and his mindset of rationalizing his own sins by saying they were in service of something greater, of fighting evil. The second half also describes the contradiction in him: he believes a person has to take what they want in life, despite the fact that he inherited his land and fortune from several generations of Duttons before him.

As for the Dutton family, this quote also provides some great insights into them. It perfectly explains why their father is the way he is, and why it's so hard to love him sometimes. It also provides the perfect rationale for the Dutton kids' many crimes and loose interpretation of morality. Every conflict they have, their complicated relationship with their family's legacy and their father, and every part of their moral upbringing bares itself in this quote.

Finally, "Meaner than evil" describes the entire Yellowstone franchise to a T. Every generation of Duttons was mean. They did deplorable things, murdered countless men, branded their own workers, broke the law constantly, and more, all in service of their ranch and their family dynasty. They're not good people, but they're incredibly compelling. They're willing to get their hands dirty to protect what they love, which is a core reason why viewers love watching Yellowstone so much.