"Together for the first time"
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - Movie Quotes
Memorable Quotes
This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.
— Maxwell Scott
Context:
The newspaper editor says this after hearing Stoddard's true account of the shooting and deciding not to publish it.
Meaning:
The central thesis of the film, suggesting that national myths are more important to society than the messy, unheroic truth.
Whoa, take it easy, Pilgrim.
— Tom Doniphon
Context:
Doniphon's recurring address to Stoddard throughout the film.
Meaning:
Highlights the divide between the experienced frontiersman and the naive newcomer.
I'm not going to be a part of it! I don't want a political career that was started by... murder!
— Ransom Stoddard
Context:
Stoddard yelling at Doniphon at the territorial convention after realizing the truth.
Meaning:
Reveals Stoddard's internal crisis when he believes his success is founded on an act of violence he spent his life opposing.