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What is John Wayne’s Most Famous Line?

By John McGran

Legendary leading man John Wayne stood 6-foot-4 but his on-screen persona grew larger than life thanks to starring roles in The Searchers, Rio Bravo, True Grit and a herd of other classic Westerns. It takes a great script to trigger a great film and the Duke, as Wayne was fondly known, will forever be remembered for uttering great lines in a distinctively slow and gravelly voice.

Wayne’s most iconic lines of dialogue have been mimicked by entertainers and everyday Joes for decades. While many of them include the word “pilgrim,” truth is Wayne only used that term in two of his movies.

“Whoa, take ‘er easy there, pilgrim!”

Yes, Wayne did indeed mouth that oft-mimicked line in the 1962 film The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. In fact, he repeats the word “pilgrim” another time or 10 in various iterations, including:

“You can make it pilgrims.”

“Pilgrim, you’re going to need a couple of stitches.”

“I hate tricks, pilgrim!”

and…

“Just one more question, pilgrim. How far up your ass do you want my boot?”

Spoiler alert: Wayne only ever uses “pilgrim” in one other flick, the eponymous McLintock! in 1963.

Wayne’s first leading role was in the 1930 western The Big Trail. Over the next several decades, he would appear in close to 200 feature films, about 75 of which were westerns. While what he said—and how well he said—is open for debate, there is no disputing that Wayne remains one of cinema’s most iconic cowboys.

Before you engage in an argument over Wayne’s most favorite movie line, you may want to consider this quote spoken by Wayne himself in his Oscar-winning 1969 role of the grizzled, eye-patch wearing sheriff Reuben J. “Rooster” Cogburn in True Grit:

“Young fella, if you’re looking for trouble, I’ll accommodate you. Otherwise, leave it alone.”

So what is John Wayne’s most famous line? Well, that depends on who you ask.

For the final word on John Wayne and his famous lines, check out INSP’s Top 10 John Wayne Quotes.

About John McGran

Veteran author and web content creator John McGran has spent the past 40 years blazing trails in the fields of news, food and sports. The guy who grew up binge-watching black-and-white Westerns like The Rifleman, Gunsmoke and Bonanza has joined the posse of INSP writers to provide a colorful new look at the characters, shows and movies you know and love. 

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