Quotes and Words of the Old West

The American Old West, a period steeped in myth and reality, conjures images of dusty plains, bustling saloons, and individuals carving out a life against a backdrop of untamed wilderness. Beyond the gunfights and gold rushes, the era left behind a legacy of distinctive language, reflecting the spirit, humor, and harsh realities of frontier life. This article delves into the captivating Quotes and Words of the Old West, offering a glimpse into the minds and experiences of those who shaped this iconic chapter of American history. From the laconic pronouncements of lawmen to the defiant words of outlaws, these snippets of speech provide a vivid tapestry of the Old West’s character.

"The next best thing to being clever is being able to quote someone who is." – Mary Pettibone Poole’s words ring true even when considering the historical figures of the Old West. Their own words, and the words spoken about them, paint a more complete picture than any textbook could.

One of the most iconic figures of the Old West, Wyatt Earp, a name synonymous with law and order in the tumultuous town of Tombstone, Arizona, famously declared, "For my handling of the situation at Tombstone, I have no regrets. Were it to be done again, I would do it exactly as I did it at the time." This resolute statement encapsulates the unwavering conviction that defined Earp’s actions during the infamous events surrounding the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

The Younger brothers, notorious outlaws of their time, left their own mark on the history of the Quotes and Words of the Old West. Following a daring raid in Northfield, Minnesota, Bob Younger bluntly told a newspaper reporter, "We are rough men and used to rough ways." This stark declaration reveals the hardened reality of life on the fringes of society, where survival often meant resorting to violence and disregard for conventional morality.

The chaotic atmosphere of frontier towns is vividly captured in a statement from the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper about Cimarron, New Mexico, during the Colfax County War: "Cimarron is in the hands of a mob." This concise observation highlights the breakdown of law and order that plagued many communities in the Old West, where vigilante justice and mob rule often prevailed.

General George Crook, known for his campaigns against Native American tribes, delivered an unusually blunt obituary for General Philip Sheridan, revealing the complex and often contentious relationships within the military ranks of the West. "The adulations heaped on him by a grateful nation for his supposed genius turned his head, which, added to his natural disposition, caused him to bloat his little carcass with debauchery and dissipation, which carried him off prematurely," Crook stated, exposing a layer of professional rivalry and personal dislike beneath the veneer of military camaraderie.

General George Custer, a figure of both admiration and controversy, offered a colorful description of Wild Bill Hickok, one of the most celebrated scouts and gunfighters of the era. "Wild Bill was a strange character; add to this figure a costume blending the immaculate neatness of the dandy with the extravagant taste and style of a frontiersman, and you have Wild Bill, the most famous scout on the Plains," Custer wrote, painting a vivid portrait of Hickok’s unique persona and legendary status.

Even the words of criminals found their way into the Quotes and Words of the Old West. John Dillinger, a notorious bank robber, presciently observed, "A jail is just like a nutshell with a worm in it; the worm will always get out," shortly before he famously bluffed his way out of the Lake County Jail in Crown Point, Indiana.

Abilene, Kansas, a bustling cattle town, earned a reputation for lawlessness and vice, prompting the New York Tribune to remark, "There is no law, no restraint in this seething cauldron of vice and depravity." This stark assessment reflects the challenges of maintaining order in boomtowns fueled by the cattle trade and attracting a diverse and often unruly population.

Bat Masterson, a renowned lawman and gambler, offered a simple yet potent piece of advice: "Never run a bluff with a six-gun." This pragmatic statement underscores the high stakes of life in the Old West, where a miscalculation could have deadly consequences.

Lillie Langtry, a celebrated actress who captivated audiences across the West, displayed her fearless spirit when she declared, "I’m not afraid. I never liked long-lasting acts." Her words capture the sense of adventure and willingness to embrace the unknown that characterized many individuals drawn to the frontier.

Texas Ranger Ira Aten’s grim prediction, "You may hear of a killing if everything works right… but it may be some time yet," illustrates the ever-present threat of violence and the often-protracted nature of law enforcement in the vast and sparsely populated territories of the West.

Elijah S. Briant, a lawman in Sutton County, Texas, faced danger with stoic resolve, stating, "Nothing to fear. Any coward shooting from night ambush will be too nervous to hit me," when warned of a potential assassination attempt.

These Quotes and Words of the Old West are more than just historical snippets; they are windows into a world of opportunity, danger, and the enduring human spirit.

A member of General George Armstrong Custer’s command offered a less flattering assessment of the controversial leader, stating, "He is universally despised by all the officers of his regiment excepting his relatives and one or two sycophants." This critical remark reveals the divisions and resentments that could fester within military units stationed in the West.

Black Jack Ketchum, facing execution in Clayton, New Mexico, displayed a macabre sense of humor, asking, "Can’t you hurry this up a bit? I hear they eat dinner in Hades at twelve sharp, and I don’t aim to be late."

John Wesley Hardin, a notorious gunfighter, downplayed his reputation for violence with a dark jest: "They say I killed six or seven men for snoring. It ain’t true. I only killed one man for snoring."

Chief Red Cloud, a prominent Lakota leader, lamented the devastating impact of buffalo hunting on Native American communities: "Where the Indian killed one buffalo, the hide and tongue hunters killed fifty." This poignant statement highlights the ecological destruction that accompanied westward expansion and the displacement of indigenous populations.

Henry Starr, a bandit who embraced the outlaw life, described his passion for adventure, stating, "I love it. It is wild with adventure," shortly before his death in a gunfight in Arkansas.

A letter published in the Washington D.C. Evening Star in 1878 offered a scathing critique of Dodge City, Kansas: "Dodge City is a wicked little town. Indeed, its character is so clearly and egregiously bad that one might conclude, were the evidence in these later times positive of its possibility, that it was marked for special Providential punishment."

Judge Roy Bean, a self-proclaimed "Law West of the Pecos," delivered a memorable sentence: "But you won’t be here to see any of ’em; not by a damn sight, because it’s the order of this court that you be took to the nearest tree and hanged by the neck til you’re dead, dead, dead, you olive-colored son of a billy goat." His words reflect the often-arbitrary and theatrical nature of frontier justice.

Comedian Will Rogers, known for his folksy humor, quipped, "No," when asked if his ancestors came over on the Mayflower. "But my relatives were here to meet them." This playful remark offers a humorous perspective on the complex history of westward expansion and the displacement of Native American tribes.

Clay Allison, a notorious gunman, attempted to justify his violent reputation, claiming, "I have at all times tried to use my influence toward protecting the property holders and substantial men of the country from thieves, outlaws, and murderers, among whom I do not care to be classed."

Mike Fink, a legendary keelboatman, lamented a tragic accident, stating, "Carpenter, you have spilled the whiskey!" after accidentally killing a friend while attempting a trick shot.

General George A. Custer, brimming with confidence, declared, "The Seventh can handle anything it meets," while declining reinforcements for the Battle of the Little Big Horn, a decision that would prove disastrous.

Lillie Langtry, reflecting on her fame, stated, "They saw me, those reckless seekers of beauty, and in a night, I was famous."

General Philip Sheridan’s infamous phrase, "The only good Indian is a dead Indian," reflects the pervasive prejudice and violence directed towards Native American populations during westward expansion.

Billy the Kid, in a letter to Governor Lew Wallace, expressed his fear of being killed unarmed: "I’m not afraid to die like a man fighting, but I would not like to be killed like a dog unarmed."

These Quotes and Words of the Old West continue to fascinate and inform our understanding of this unique historical period.

Sitting Bull, during the opening ceremonies for the Northern Pacific Railroad, delivered a scathing indictment of white settlers in his native Lakota language: "I hate all white people. You are thieves and liars. You have taken away our land and made us outcasts." The interpreter softened his words, but the sentiment remains a powerful testament to the injustices suffered by Native American tribes.

Ralph Waldo Emerson’s observation, "Language is the archives of history," underscores the importance of preserving the Quotes and Words of the Old West to understand its complex legacy.

Charles Goodnight, a legendary cattleman, emphasized the importance of navigation skills on the open plains: "Above all things, the Plainsmen had to have an instinct for direction. I never had a compass in my life, but I was never lost."

Calamity Jane, facing death in Deadwood, South Dakota, requested to be left alone: "Leave me alone and let me go to hell by my own route."

A Tombstone lawyer, during a court proceeding, humorously objected to the simultaneous braying of a burro: "If it pleases the court, I object to the two attorneys speaking at the same time."

Sam Bass, an outlaw facing his demise, uttered the cryptic words: "If a man knows anything, he ought to die with it in him."

Billy the Kid, after his capture at Stinking Springs, declared his loyalty to a fellow outlaw: "I wasn’t the leader of any gang. I was for Billy all the time."

Otto Wood, reflecting on his life of crime in his autobiography, advised: "There is only one road away from trouble, and this is along the straight and narrow road."

George Maledon, known as "The Prince of Hangmen," boasted of his proficiency: "Every one of my hangings was a scientific job."

Butch Cassidy, known for his audacious heists, proclaimed: "I have vision, and the rest of the world wears bifocals."

Zane Grey, in Riders of the Purple Sage, described a stranger’s approach with suspense: "The stranger’s slow approach might have been a mere leisurely manner of gait or the cramped short steps of a rider unused to walking; yet, as well, it could have been the guarded advance of one who took no chances with men."

E.C. "Teddy Blue" Abbott observed the complex relationships between cowboys and women: "There were only two things the old-time cowpunchers were afraid of: a decent woman and being set afoot."

Wild Bill Hickok, foreshadowing his fate, remarked: "Perhaps I may yet die with my boots on," a prophecy that would tragically come true.

These Quotes and Words of the Old West offer a rich and nuanced understanding of the era, moving beyond simplistic portrayals of heroes and villains.

A young woman traveling West in 1860 described the emotional toll of the journey: "Starting out ahead of the team and my men folks, when I thought I had gone beyond hearing distance, I would throw myself down on the unfriendly desert and give way like a child to sobs and tears, wishing myself back home with my friends."

Bill Longley’s last words before his execution reflected a sense of isolation and paranoia: "I see a good many enemies around, and mighty few friends."

Geronimo, surrendering to General George Crook, appealed for paternal treatment: "There are many men in the world who are big chiefs and command many people, but you, I think, are the greatest of them all. I want you to be a father to me and treat me as your son… I am now in your hands."

An emigrant recalled the terror of being lost on the prairie: "Of all the eerie, dreary experiences, to be lost at night on the prairie… then to hear the chorus of coyotes, like hyenas, laughing at one’s predicament."

A Lincoln County, New Mexico resident offered a nuanced perspective on Billy the Kid: "Most of those he did kill deserved what they got."

A survivor of the Donner Party, upon being rescued, asked: "Are you from California or Heaven?"

Frank James, another member of the James-Younger Gang, stated: "I want results when I fight."

Lillie Langtry, again highlighting her independent nature, declared: "I have always been willing to take the blame for the things I have done."

Beryl Ethel Hovious, during an interview, praised John Dillinger’s gentlemanly demeanor: "I thought John was the nicest kindest gentleman that I had ever met, why even my parents thought he was polite and well mannered."

Wyatt Earp, confronting Ike Clanton before the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, taunted: "You damn dirty cow thief, if you’re anxious to fight, I’ll meet you!"

"Big Steve" Long’s last words before his hanging revealed a superstitious belief: "My mother always said that I would die with my shoes on," before requesting they be removed.

Clay Allison, after shooting Chunk Colbert at dinner, quipped: "I didn’t want to send him to hell on an empty stomach."

A disenchanted Forty-niner from the California Gold Rush lamented: "All I hope for is to get home, alive, as soon as possible so that I can forget it."

Paulita Maxwell, referring to Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, stated: "I knew them both well and, in my opinion, Garrett was just as cold and hard a character as the Kid."

Butch Cassidy, asserting his authority, commanded his associates: "Listen, you’re job is to back me up because you’d starve without me. And you, your job is to shut up."

Charles Goodnight expressed his admiration for the cowboys of the Old West: "I wish I could find words to express the trueness, the bravery, the hardihood, the sense of honor, the loyalty to their trust and to each other of the old trail hands."

Davy Crockett, embracing political independence, declared: "I have acted fearless and independent, and I never will regret my course. I would rather be politically buried than to be hypocritically immortalized."

Wyatt Earp, describing Doc Holliday, said: "I found him a loyal friend and good company. He was a dentist whom necessity had made a gambler; a gentleman whom disease had made a vagabond; a philosopher whom life had made a caustic wit; a long, lean blonde fellow nearly dead with consumption and at the same time the most skillful gambler and nerviest, speediest, deadliest man with a six-gun I ever knew."

Tom Horn’s final words as he mounted the gallows were a sardonic observation: "You’re the sickest looking lot of sheriffs I ever seen."

Frank James, reflecting on the outlaw life, asked: "Have you any idea of what a man must endure who leads such a life? No, you cannot. No one can unless he lives it for himself."

Boone Helm, facing execution, shouted: "Every man for his principles. Hurrah for Jeff Davis!"

An unnamed judge in the Old West justified questionable verdicts: "We never did hang the wrong one but once or twice, and them fellers needed to be hung anyhow jes’ on general principles."

George Maledon, Judge Parker’s hangman, maintained: "I never hanged a man that didn’t deserve it."

Crazy Horse, dismissing General Terry, declared: "You come here to tell us lies. Go home where you came from."

W. B. "Bat" Masterson described Wyatt Earp’s defining characteristic: "I think it was the distinguishing trait of Wyatt Earp, the leader of the Earp brothers, that more than any man I have ever known, he was devoid of physical fear. He feared the opinion of no one but himself, and his self-respect was his creed."

Butch Cassidy, ready for action, proclaimed: "Well, if there ain’t going to be any rules, let’s get the fight started."

John Brown, before his execution, declared: "I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood!"

Captain William Fetterman, before the Fetterman Massacre, boasted: "Give me 80 men, and I’ll ride through the whole Sioux Nation."

Poker Alice, known for her gambling prowess, stated: "I would rather play poker with 5 or 6 experts than eat."

Wyatt Earp emphasized the importance of accuracy: "Fast is fine, but accuracy is everything."

Bat Masterson offered a philosophical observation: "There are many in this old world of ours who hold that things break about even for all of us. I have observed, for example, that we all get the same amount of ice. The rich get it in the summertime, and the poor get it in the winter."

Davy Crockett used a colorful metaphor to describe fame: "Fame is like a shaved pig with a greased tail, and it is only after it has slipped through the hands of some thousands that some fellow, by mere chance, holds on to it!"

Belle Starr, reflecting on her eventful life, stated: "I regard myself as a woman who has seen much of life."

General George A. Custer issued a battle cry: "Let’s kick their ass and get the Hell out of here."

John W. "Bet-a-Million" Gates, a barbed-wire salesman, promoted his product with hyperbole: "This is the finest fence in the world. It’s light as air, stronger than whiskey, and cheaper than dirt!"

A Texas cowboy, after being acquitted of horse theft, inquired: "Judge, does this mean I can keep the hoss?"

The Creede, Colorado preacher presiding over Bob Ford’s funeral, unable to find anything positive to say, offered: "Charity covereth a multitude of sins."

Billy the Kid, expressing his desire for vengeance, vowed: "People thought me bad before, but if ever I should get free, I’ll let them know what bad means."

Butch Cassidy, questioning a companion’s actions, asked: "Is that what you call giving cover?"

Bat Masterson emphasized the importance of decisiveness: "Shoot first and never miss."

Poker Alice, reflecting on her age, quipped: "At my age I suppose I should be knitting."

Tom Horn, matter-of-factly stated: "Killing men is my specialty. I look at it as a business proposition, and I think I have a corner on the market."

Charles M. Russell offered a cynical view of westward expansion: "A pioneer is a man who turned all the grass upside down, strung bob-wire over the dust that was left, poisoned the water, cut down the trees, killed the Indian who owned the land and called it progress."

Will Rogers observed: "This thing of being a hero, about the main thing to it is to know when to die. Prolonged life has ruined more men than it ever made."

Virgil Earp recounted an encounter with Ike Clanton: "I asked him [Ike Clanton] if he was hunting for me. He said he was, and if he had seen me a second sooner, he would have killed me."

Billy the Kid, anticipating his fate, warned: "If mob law is going to rule, better dismiss, judge, sheriff, etc., and let’s all take chances alike. I expect to be lynched in going to Lincoln [New Mexico.] Advise persons never to engage in killing."

General William Tecumseh Sherman, expressing his disdain for Native Americans, stated: "The more Indians we can kill… the less will have to be killed the next war, for the more I see of these Indians, the more convinced I am that they all have to be killed or be maintained as a species of paupers."

Quince Forrest, in The Log of a Cowboy, asserted: "Poker is a science; the highest court in Texas has said so."

An observer described the fleeting moment of witnessing a Pony Express Rider: "Away across the endless dead level of the prairie, a black speck appears against the sky… In a second or two, it becomes a horse and rider… and the flutter of the hooves comes faintly to the ear – another instant… a man and horse burst past our excited faces and go winging away like a belated fragment of a storm."

Sam Bass, expressing his confidence, declared: "I got the world by the tail with a downhill pull."

Belle Starr, highlighting the importance of firearms, stated: "A pair of six-shooters beats a pair of sixes."

Judge Isaac Parker, justifying his role in capital punishment, claimed: "I’ve never hanged a man. It is the law that has done it."

Davy Crockett, after losing his congressional seat, famously declared: "You all can go to hell. I am going to Texas."

The Dodge City Times, in 1877, described Wyatt Earp’s ability to maintain order: "He had a quiet way of taking the most desperate characters into custody, which invariably gave one the impression that the city was able to enforce her mandates and preserve her dignity. It wasn’t considered policy to draw a gun on Wyatt unless you got the drop and meant to burn powder without any preliminary talk."

John Wesley Hardin, explaining his deadly disposition, quipped: "I take no sass but sarsaparilla."

Stuart N. Lake, described Dodge City: "Dodge boomed with a roar that split the nation’s ears and still echoes in her memory."

Daniel Boone, reflecting on his life in the wilderness, stated: "I was happy in the midst of dangers and inconveniences."

Meriwether Lewis, documenting his expedition, complained: "The mosquitoes continue to infest us in such a manner that we can scarcely exist. My dog even howls with the torture he experiences."

Wild Bill Hickok advised: "Whenever you get into a row, be sure and not shoot too quick. Take time. I’ve known many a feller slip up for shootin in a hurry."

Billy the Kid, expressing his reluctance to be hanged, stated: "I like to dance, but not in the air."

Captain Jack Crawford, describing Wild Bill Hickok, said: "… Wild Bill had his faults, grievous ones, perhaps … He would get drunk, gamble, and indulge in the general licentiousness characteristic of the border in the early days, yet even when full of the vile libel of the name of whiskey which was dealt over the bars at exorbitant prices, he was gentle as a child, unless aroused to anger by intended insults. … He was loyal in his friendship, generous to a fault, and invariably espoused the cause of the weaker against the stronger one in a quarrel."

The New York Times described the Birdcage Theater in Tombstone, Arizona: "The wildest, roughest, wickedest honky-tonk between Basin Street and the Barbary Coast."

Josephine Sarah Marcus, actress and future wife of Wyatt Earp, described Tombstone’s violent reputation: "The grimly humorous phrase about our town was that Tombstone had ‘a man for breakfast every morning.’"

A Texas Ranger, Pat Dooling, upon arriving to quell a riot, responded to inquiries about the rest of his company: "You’ve only got one riot, haven’t you?"

Pat Garrett, when asked if he was nervous when he killed Billy the Kid in the dark, responded: "No. A fellow with nerves wouldn’t last long in the business I’m in."

John C. Calhoun, on his deathbed in 1850, lamented the future of the South: "The South! The poor South! God knows what will become of her."

Jesse James, in a letter to a frontier editor, claimed: "The past is sufficient to show that bushwhackers have been arrested… charged with bank robbery, and they most all have been mobbed without trials… I have lived as a respectable citizen and obeyed the laws of the United States to the best of my knowledge."

A newcomer near Fort Smith, Arkansas, remarked: "All this country needs is a little more water and a better class of people to move in," to which a cowboy responded: "Yeah, they say that’s all Hell needs."

Lillie Langtry, again embracing her experiences, declared: "I do not regret one moment of my life."

John Dillinger, expressing his satisfaction with his criminal career, stated: "All my life, I wanted to be a bank robber. Carry a gun and wear a mask. Now that it’s happened, I guess I’m just about the best bank robber they ever had. And I sure am happy."

Judge Roy Bean, claiming his authority, declared: "I know the law… I am its greatest transgressor."

Black Bart, in a poem left at a robbery scene, wrote: "I’ve labored long and hard for bread/For honor and for riches/But on my corns too long you’ve tread/You fine-haired sons of bitches."

Mark Twain quipped: "All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure."

Cole Younger, talking about his late brother, who had been wanted for the murder of a deputy sheriff, whom he killed in a jailbreak, said: "Poor John, he has been hunted down and shot like a wild beast and never was a boy more innocent."

Daniel Boone joked: "I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks."

After a horse thief had been arrested and tried, a jury found him innocent. When they filed back into the courtroom, and the foreman stated the verdict, he liked the sound of his voice so much that it took him over an hour of fancy talking to tell the court that the defendant had been found innocent of all charges. When he was finally done pontificating, the judge shook his head and said: "You’ll have to reconsider; the defendant was hung a couple of hours ago."

Judge Roy Bean, delivering a verdict in a murder case, stated: "The deceased came to his death at the hands of an unknown party who was a damned good pistol shot."

Wyatt Earp, reflecting on Wild Bill Hickok’s reputation, said: "Bill Hickok was regarded as the deadliest pistol shot alive as well as being a man of great courage. The truth of certain stories of Bill’s achievements may have been open to debate, but he had earned the respect paid to him."

Francis "Two Gun" Crowley, just before his electrocution, exclaimed: "You sons of bitches. Give my love to Mother."

Jesse James, declaring his commitment to the outlaw life, stated: "Surrender had played out for good with me."

Calamity Jane, describing her role as a rider, claimed: "It was considered the most dangerous route in the Hills, but as my reputation as a rider and quick shot was well known, I was molested very little, for the toll gatherers looked on me as being a good fellow, and they knew that I never missed my mark."

Doc Holliday, confronting Ike Clanton, challenged: "Hey, you damn sonofabitch cowboy. Go get a gun and get to work."

John Clum, in his first editorial in the Tombstone Epitaph, wrote: "Tombstone is a city set upon a hill, promising to vie with ancient Rome in a fame different in character but no less important."

After robbing a bank, Henry Starr walked three miles out of town and ate supper at a farmer’s house when the telephone rang. When the farmer answered it, he turned to Starr and said, "The sheriff says the bank was held up, and he wants to know if I’ve seen a suspicious character out this way." To this, Starr responded: "Tell him the robber is at your house eating supper and for him to come on out and get me." With that, he finished his meal, paid for it, and left.

The Fort Smith Elevator, in 1891, described the legal system and executioner: "The United States court opened at Fort Smith last week, with many cases on the docket. This court has the most extensive jurisdiction of any in the United States. More prisoners are tried and convicted here of serious offenses than at any other court in this country, and more people are hanged here than at any other place in the Union. Here also resided the most noted executioner in America, George Maledon, who has hanged more people than any other man now in the business and never did a "bad job." Maledon seems to take pride in his profession. Launching a man into eternity appears to have no more effect on his nervous system than castor oil on a graven image."

John Wesley Powell, describing the Grand Canyon, stated: "The wonders of the Grand Canyon cannot be adequately represented in symbols of speech, nor by speech itself. The resources of the graphic art are taxed beyond their powers in attempting to portray its features. Language and illustration combined must fail."

J. Frank Dobie, in A Vaquero of the Brush Country, wrote: "No cowboy ever quit while his life was hardest and his duties were most exacting."

Belle Starr claimed: "I never killed unless I was compelled to."

Tom Horn, when he resigned as a lawman, stated: "I have no more stomach for it."

Kit Carson recalled his youth: "I was a young boy in the schoolhouse when the cry came, Injuns! I jumped to my rifle and threw down my spelling book, and thar it lies."

John Dillinger asked: "I rob banks for a living, what do you do?"

Will Rogers said: "The more ignorant you are, the quicker you fight."

Lillie Langtry exclaimed: "After being so bad I could hear the angels singing."

John P. Clum, Tombstone Epitaph editor, remembered: "I still have a clear vision of that dignified figure walking down Allen Street," speaking of Wyatt Earp.

Senator Mark Hanna referred to Theodore Roosevelt after McKinley’s assassination in September 1901, by saying: "Now look, that damned cowboy is President!"

Buffalo Bill Cody said of Wild Bill [Hickok]: "Wild Bill [Hickok] was anything but a quarrelsome man, yet I have personal knowledge of at least half a dozen men whom he had at various times killed."

Bone Mizell, thinking quickly to avoid violating the rule that cowboys didn’t complain about the food, remarked: "This dern grits is burned, but that’s the way I like it."

The Dallas Weekly Herald reported: "Dr. Holliday and Mr. Austin, a saloon keeper, relieved the monotony of the noise of firecrackers by taking a couple of shots at each other yesterday afternoon. The cheerful note of the six-shooter is head once more among us."

Lillie Langtry stated: "Anyone who limits her vision to memories of yesterday is already dead."

Wyatt Earp described gunfighting: "Shooting at a man who is returning the compliment means going into action with the greatest speed of which a man’s muscles are capable, but mentally unflustered by an urge to hurry or the need for complicated nervous and muscular actions which trick shooting involves."

Billy the Kid, to John Chisum after Billy threatened to kill Chisum if he didn’t pay him for fighting in the Lincoln County War, said: "Aw, you ain’t worth killing."

Bat Masterson said: "[Doc] Holliday had few real friends anywhere in the West. He was selfish and had perverse nature-traits not calculated to make a man popular in the early days on the frontier."

Judge Roy Bean said: "Gentlemen, I find the law very explicit on murdering your fellow man, but there’s nothing here about killing a Chinaman. Case dismissed."

Doc Holliday said: "You get so tight with your players that they can’t let you down."

Jesse James said: "Never expect a handout and never wait for anybody to hand you anything."

Said an Abilene, Kansas citizen about the town and its red-light district: "Money and whiskey flowed like water downhill, and youth and beauty and womanhood and manhood were wrecked and damned in that valley of perdition."

Lillie Langtry stated: "Each little chapter has its place."

Will James said: "The West, where a man can look farther and see less of anything but land and sky."

General William Tecumseh Sherman said: "If I owned Hell and Texas I’d rent out Texas and live in Hell."

Meriwether Lewis’ last words in 1809 were: "I am not a coward, but I am so strong. It is hard to die."

Will Rogers said: "Nothing does more for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse."

Wild Bill Hickok, greeting cowboys new to Abilene, Kansas, in 1871, said: "Sure glad to see you, but hand me those guns."

Texas Ranger Jeff Milton described his captain, Bryan Marsh: "He would drink right smart and scrap right smart. He was an old Confederate war colonel with one arm shot off at the shoulder and the other hand almost gone. But he would fight his shadow; wan’t afraid of anything."

Buffalo Bill Cody said: "I thought I was benefiting the Indians as well as the government by taking them all over the United States and giving them a correct idea of the customs, life, etc., of the pale faces so that when they returned to their people, they could make known all they had seen."

John Dillinger said: "My buddies wanted to be firemen, farmers or policemen, something like that. Not me, I just wanted to steal people’s money!"

Bob Kennon, discussing El Paso, Texas in the early 1900s, said: "I never saw so much useless killing."

An anonymous cowboy describing Dodge City said: "Beautiful, bibulous Babylon of the trail."

Carved on a deserted shack near Chadron, Nebraska: "30 miles to water, 20 miles to wood, 10 miles to hell, and I gone there for good."

Billy Clanton, just before the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, said: "Don’t shoot me. I don’t want to fight."

Andy Adams, in The Log of a Cowboy, 1903 said: "Dodge City is one town where the average bad man of the West not only finds his equal but finds himself badly handicapped."

Jesse Mullins, American Cowboy, September/October 2000 said: "For three decades, and perhaps longer, the drift [in America] has been… a downward spiral into blame, finger-pointing, pessimism, self-pity, and litigiousness. It’s been a slide into a culture of whining and rationalizing… It hasn’t been classic American can-do-ism. And it ain’t been cowboy, either."

Charles Goodnight said: "Cowards never lasted long enough to become real cowboys."

Charles M. Russell said: "The cowboy don’t need no iron hoss but covers his country on one that eats grass and wears hair."

Judge Roy Bean said: "Hang ‘em first, try ‘em later."

Anonymous said: "Out West, you lived a long time. Even horse thieves had to hang five minutes longer than anywhere else."

Butch Cassidy said: "Don’t ever hit your mother with a shovel. It will leave a dull impression on her mind."

Theodore Roosevelt in An Autobiography, 1913 said: "It was a land of vast silent spaces, of lonely rivers, and of plains where the wild game stared at the passing horseman. It was a land of scattered ranches, of … long-horned cattle, and of reckless riders who unmoved, looked in the eyes of life or death."

Cole Younger said: "I am aware that my name has been connected with all the bank robberies in the country, but positively I had nothing to do with any one of them. I look upon my life since the war as a blank, and will never say anything to make it appear otherwise."

Nathan A. Baker, Cheyenne Leader, October 1868 said: "Pistols are almost as numerous as men. It is no longer thought to be an affair of any importance to take the life of a fellow being."

The phrase “There’ll be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight” was coined on Myers Avenue, the center of the Red Light District in Cripple Creek, Colorado.

Tom Mix said: "The Old West is not a certain place in a certain time; it’s a state of mind. It’s whatever you want it to be."

Will James said: "The cowboy goes to the school of nature."

Sam Bass’ last words were: "Let me go — The world is bobbing around me."

Louis L’Amour said: "It was a hard land, and it bred hard men to hard ways."

Judge Wells Spicer in 1881 said: "Tombstone has two dance halls, a dozen gambling places, and more than 20 saloons. Still, there is hope, for I know of two Bibles in town."

R. B. Cunninghame Graham in a letter to Theodore Roosevelt in 1917 said: "Every American child should learn at school the history of the conquest of the West. The names Kit Carson, of General Custer and of Colonel Cody should be as household words… Nor should Sitting Bull, the Short Wolf, Crazy Horse… be forgotten. They too