Dennis Hopper Quotes – R.I.P., Man

Sad news out of Hollywood, as the legendary Dennis Hopper has passed away at the age of 74. An important figure in the cinematic counter-culture movement, Hopper would find success in film, television, and the world of art, although battles with drug addiction plagued him for two decades. Married five times, he’s survived by four children.

These 11 Dennis Hopper quotes are meant as a humble tribute to a man who entertained me for years, whether he was playing a sadistic villain or sympathetic drunkard. No matter what the role, Dennis Hopper brought a refreshing honesty to the part.

(Note: Sensitive readers may find a few of these quotes offensive, so please be warned. The one from True Romance contains the dreaded N-word, but I included it because it’s one of his best-remembered scenes in the last 20 years.)

• “Hey, man. All we represent to them, man, is somebody who needs a haircut.” (Billy from Easy Rider)
• “Hey, man, you don’t talk to the Colonel. You listen to him. The man’s enlarged my mind. He’s a poet warrior in the classic sense. I mean sometimes he’ll… uh… well, you’ll say ‘hello’ to him, right? And he’ll just walk right by you. He won’t even notice you. And suddenly he’ll grab you, and he’ll throw you in a corner, and he’ll say, ‘Do you know that ‘if’ is the middle word in life? If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, if you can trust yourself when all men doubt you’… I mean I’m… no, I can’t… I’m a little man, I’m a little man, he’s… he’s a great man! I should have been a pair of ragged claws scuttling across floors of silent seas…” (Photojournalist from Apocalypse Now)
• “No, your mother… is not crazy. And neither, contrary to popular belief, is your brother crazy. He’s merely miscast in a play. He was born in the wrong era, on the wrong side of the river… with the ability to be able to do anything that he wants to do and findin’ nothin’ that he wants to do. I mean nothing.” (Father from Rumble Fish)
• “I’m the Lord of the Harvest!” (“Lefty” Enright from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2)
• “I killed a girl, it was no accident. Put a gun to the back of her head and blew her brains right out the front. I was in love.” (Feck from River’s Edge)
• “Fuck you, you fucking fuck!” (Frank Booth from Blue Velvet)
• “Alright, boys, this is the last shot we got! We’re gonna run the picket fence at ‘em! Jimmy, you’re solo right! Everett, Merle should be open on the other side of that fence! Now, boys, don’t get caught watchin’ the paint dry!” (Wilbur “Shooter” Flatch from Hoosiers)
• “I’ll kill that plumber.” (King Koopa from Super Mario Bros.)
• “Ya know, I read a lot. Especially about things… about history. I find that shit fascinating. Here’s a fact I don’t know whether you know or not. Sicilians were spawned by niggers.” (Clifford Worley from True Romance)
• “Pop quiz, hotshot. There’s a bomb on a bus. Once the bus goes 50 miles an hour, the bomb is armed. If it drops below 50, it blows up. What do you do? What do you do?” (Howard Payne from Speed)
• “You know, I thought you were stupid, friend. But I underestimated you; you’re a total freakin’ retard!” (Deacon from Waterworld)

I hope you’ve enjoyed these 11 Dennis Hopper quotes as much as I enjoyed watching all the films listed above. And as for Dennis Hopper…rest in peace, man.

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