From gunslinging one-liners to angry cop retorts, Clint Eastwood quotes keep his characters iconic decades later. Eastwood is a seasoned Hollywood legend with dozens of classic films under his belt, both as a leading man and a sharp-eyed director. Throughout his career, Eastwood has played such unforgettable roles as vigilante cop Harry Callahan in the Dirty Harry series and vengeful bounty hunter “The Man with No Name” in the Dollars trilogy. These antihero characters are full of quotable lines.

In his Oscar-nominated career as an actor, Eastwood has delivered quotes written by John Milius, Paul Haggis, and William Goldman. Their scripts have given him plenty of great one-liners and imioned speeches to work with, and he’s nailed every on-camera delivery to create some fan-favorite quotes. From Walt Kowalski’s quippy grumblings in Gran Torino to William Munny’s grizzled monologues about the many regrets from his gunfighting days in Unforgiven, there are a ton of classic quotes from Eastwood’s beloved characters.

30 "It's Not Real Easy To Like Something You Know Nothing About."

The Man With No Name — A Fistful Of Dollars

In A Fistful of Dollars, Clint Eastwood's Man with No Name rides into the town of San Miguel on the U.S. and Mexico border. There, he learns about a feud between two smuggler families wanting to take control of the town. The Man with No Name decides to play both sides of the war and find a way to play the families against each other. This works out well, and, at one point, he talks to two of one of the families, Don Miguel and Ramón. This is when he explains his thoughts on peace.

He doesn't believe in peace and would rather move on than stick around and profit from peace.

Ramón said life is precious and there is room for everyone in the town. He said he was ready to hang up his gun and stop fighting. His brother, Don Miguel, said that he is also tired of all the killings and wants to stop fighting as well. Clearly, this is not what The Man with No Name wants to hear, and he mocks their ideals. They ask why he doesn't like peace, and he delivers this quote. He doesn't believe in peace and would rather move on than stick around and profit from peace.

29 "God Is Not On Our Side 'Cause He Hates Idiots."

The Man With No Name — The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

There are a lot of great Clint Eastwood quotes in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, and most of them show that he takes no nonsense and has little room to care for ideals that don't line up with reality. His Man with No Name lets the men he is working with know that he is in charge and won't suffer fools, leading to a big battle. There is one point earlier in the movie where The Man with No Name is speaking to Tuco about some approaching troops and the danger they possess.

The Man with No Name delivers this line, revealing God will never be on their side.

Tuco tells The Man with No Name that they are wearing grey (Confederacy colors) like they are. He feels they can say hi and then go on their way as long as they don't cause any problems. He even hints that they could just talk about how great the Confederacy is and get to leave. He then claims he can tell them that God hates the "Yanks" and they can use that to convince the troops they are on their side. However, The Man with No Name delivers this line, revealing God will never be on their side.

28 "Everybody's Got A Right To Be A Sucker Once."

Hogan - Two Mules For Sister Sara

Tow Mules for Sister Sara is a 1970 Western by Don Siegel (Dirty Harry), with Clint Eastwood starring as Hogan, a former Northern soldier right after the Civil War. The film starts with him riding up on some bandits about to rape a naked woman. He kills the bandits and saves the woman, only to have her put on a habit and show that she is a nun - Sister Sara. She asks for his protection since she is a Juarista, raising money to help Mexican revolutionaries fight against French occupation.

He tells her he is only interested in money and doesn't care about anyone's causes, not even his own.

He finally agrees to help her, and the two have an odd couple pairing as they encounter danger. He fights to keep her alive, but she keeps asking him if there is any cause he stands for. He tells her he is only interested in money and doesn't care about anyone's causes, not even his own. She asked why he fought in the Civil War if he felt that way, and this was the answer he gave her, explaining he was allowed to be suckered into a cause once, but not again.

27 "When An Adult Male Is Chasing A Female With Intent To Commit Rape, I Shoot The Bastard. That's My Policy."

Harry Callahan - Dirty Harry

Dirty Harry Callahan is a product of a forgotten era. When Dirty Harry came out in 1971, the idea of a tough cop willing to shoot down the bad guys was something that people got behind. While that is not a trait that works out well in today's society, at the time, it made Dirty Harry a hero to many moviegoers. In the first film, he also explains why he does what he does, and from his way of thinking, it makes plenty of sense. During this scene, his superiors tell him the new policy of not killing criminals.

That leads to this quote. For Callahan, he doesn't just shoot any criminal, but when someone goes as far as this one did, planning to sexually assault a woman, he will do whatever he can to make sure it won't happen again. Quotes like this are why Harry could never stay out of trouble with his superiors or the press after his more violent outbursts, but, for him, it is what makes him a cop who will do what no one else would to protect his city.

26 "Yes You Do."

The Stranger - High Plains Drifter

There has always been a big mystery to the identity of The Stranger from High Plains Drifter. Some theories indicate that he is Death incarnate, coming to the corrupt town to rid it of evil. Other theories indicate that The Stranger is actually the reincarnation of murdered U.S. Marshal Jim Duncan, who was whipped to death by outlaws. These are the men that he comes to the town to eliminate. There is another theory that The Stranger is Duncan's brother, seeking vengeance.

When Mordecai says he never did know The Stranger's name, the man delivers this line.

This Clint Eastwood quote from the film is one that leaves it up to both the viewers and the little person that he appointed the town's sheriff and mayor, Mordecai. After the final battle, The Stranger is riding out of town on his horse and comes across Mordecai, who is finishing up engraving the tombstone for Marshall Jim Duncan. When Mordecai says he never did know The Stranger's name, the man delivers this line, and Mordecai's expression tells him all he needs to know.

25 "Every Gun Makes Its Own Tune"

The Man With No Name — The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

Eastwood’s Man with No Name is a man of few words in the Dollars trilogy. But, when he does have something to say, it’s usually pretty profound. The line, “Every gun makes its own tune,” from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is indicative of the poetic dialogue that Sergio Leone included to match the operatic feel of his classic spaghetti westerns. It is also a Clint Eastwood quote that shows he is as experienced a gunfighter as anyone in the movie, knowing that no two guns are alike, even if they are the same model.

As the third movie in the Man With No Name trilogy, Eastwood also had Leone's dialogue down pat by this time and when he said something, people listened.

This also shows that he knows whose gun is fired, because Tuco assembled his own gun, and his ear can pick out exactly who he needs to target. Known in this movie as "Blondie," The Man With No Name proves that he is smarter than most of his enemies and that is why he is always able to stay one step ahead of them at all times. As the third movie in the Man With No Name trilogy, Eastwood also had Leone's dialogue down pat by this time and when he said something, people listened.

24 "Mo Cuishle Means 'My Darling, My Blood'"

Frankie Dunn — Million Dollar Baby

Million Dollar Baby is a highly quotable movie where Clint Eastwood plays a boxing trainer who reluctantly agrees to train a female boxer, despite him saying he doesn't train women and that the woman, Maggie (Hilary Swank), is too old to start a boxing career. Frankie Dunn is cantankerous and blunt, and he trains Maggie hard, but the movie is a tragedy. This is emphasized when he uses the Gaelic phrase “mo cuishle.” He finally opens up to Maggie, finally translating the phrase and confirming how he feels about her: “My darling, my blood.”

It is a line to show that, after his training. he cares for her like a daughter. This revelation cuts like a knife because Maggie's story ends with her opponent breaking her neck by sucker-punching her, resulting in her falling and hitting her head on the corner bench. Frankie helps her end her own life, so her pain can end, and it shows that, even when doing something he believes could sacrifice his soul, he wants to protect and care for this woman who he said was like a daughter to him.

23 "A Good Man Always Knows His Limitations"

Harry Callahan — Magnum Force

One of Clint Eastwood's most iconic roles (and quotable ones) is as Detective Harry Callahan, a character he developed in the movie Dirty Harry. This franchise resulted in several movies, and in Magnum Force, Harry delivers a line that has gone down in history as one of the better-known movie quotes. This is the second movie in the franchise and Harry is back with more one-liners, similar to the ones that fans still quote to this day from the first movie.

By the end, his lieutenant is no longer a "good man."

Harry is a cop who will stop at nothing to take down the bad guy. However, he knows there are limitations, as he himself its twice in the movie. Early on, his lieutenant says he never had to pull his gun, and Harry says, “A good man always knows his limitations.” which is basically an insult to his boss. Later, he learns his boss is a dirty cop, and when the lieutenant dies in a car explosion, Harry changes the line to, "A man’s got to know his limitations." By the end, his lieutenant is no longer a "good man."

22 "When A Man's Got Money In His Pocket, He Begins To Appreciate Peace"

The Man With No Name — A Fistful Of Dollars

Sergio Leone introduced his brilliant character of The Man With no Name by remaking Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo in a blood-soaked American Western setting in his seminal masterpiece A Fistful of Dollars. Like Yojimbo, A Fistful of Dollars is a brutal portrayal of a stranger helping a town in the middle of gang warfare. He hits the gangs where it hurts: their money. The unnamed stranger, referred to as "Joe," agrees to help both sides in the gang war — for a price — he then sets them against each other.

This quote is an interesting one that shows his thoughts on Wild West outlaws. As he says, "When a man's got money in his pocket, he begins to appreciate peace." What this means is that, when an outlaw finally gets some money, there is no reason to cause trouble because he has what he wants and doesn't want to place a target on his head. Why look for trouble when a person is living well? It is when they need money that they look for trouble, which this outlaw finds with the gangs in the town.

21 "So Is Being In A Gang, Dips***!"

Walt Kowalski, Gran Torino

Gran Turino is one of Clint Eastwood's most polarizing movies. In this movie, he plays Walt Kowalski, a recently widowed and highly prejudiced man who is a retired factory worker and a Vietnam Vet. What makes the movie so polarizing is that Walt uses constant ethnic slurs throughout the film, and while he softens up somewhat around the people he gets to know — although that doesn't stop his harsh insults. He is even more lethal with the quotes when facing gang in his home in Detroit.

This is a quick one-liner, but later in the movie, Walt does what he can to save Thao from spilling any blood

In this scene, Walt is at home and standing by his car when a gang member starts to talk trash to him. Walt is unphased and easily strikes back. When his neighbor's son Thao, whom a gang has tried to initiate, says that smoking is bad for his health, Walt responds with, “So is being in a gang, dips***.” This is a quick one-liner, but later in the movie, Walt does what he can to save Thao from spilling any blood and gives up his life to convince his neighbors to stand up to the gangs and testify against them for his murder.