The life of John Henry “Doc” Holliday was a short but fascinating one. In his 36 years on this earth, Doc had gambled, drank, gotten into fights, lived, and laughed. In fact, his life was so incredible, that it inspired countless movies and books, with the most successful one being “Tombstone” from 1993.
To honor this incredible man’s legacy, I’ve compiled this list of the best 37 Doc Holliday quotes that will either put a smile on your face or fear in your bones.
37 Best Doc Holliday Quotes
Notorious Doc Holliday Quotes
#1. “Conflict follows wrongdoing as surely as flies follow the herd.” — Doc Holliday, 1883
#2. “Dave Rudabaugh is an ignorant scoundrel! I disapprove of his very existence. I considered ending it myself on several occasions, but self-control got the better of me.” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#3. “Why should I obtain by force that which I can obtain by cheating?” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#4. “Why, Johnny Ringo. You look like someone just walked over your grave.” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#5. “I enjoyed about as much of this as I could stand.” — Doc Holliday, 1877
#6. “I’m not traveling about the country in search of notoriety, and I think your newspaper fellows have already had a fair hack at me.” — Doc Holliday, 1882
#7. “You tell ’em I’m coming, and hell’s coming with me, you hear? Hell’s coming with me!” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#8. “Make no mistake, it’s not revenge he’s after. It’s a reckoning.” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#9. “We started a fight we never got to finish. Play for blood, remember?” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#10. “And you must be Ringo. Look, darling, Johnny Ringo. The deadliest pistoleer since Wild Bill, they say. What do you think, darling? Should I hate him?” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#11. “You’re no daisy! You’re no daisy at all. Poor soul, you were just too high strung.” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#12. “If you fellows have been hunted from one end of the country to the other as I have been, you’ll understand what a bad man’s reputation is built on. I’ve had credit for more killings than I ever dreamed of.” — Doc Holliday, 1886
Insightful Doc Holliday Quotes
#13. “There is no normal life, there’s just life. Get on with it.” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#14. “Credat Judaeus Apella, non ego.” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#15. “I said poker’s an honest trade. Only suckers buck the tiger. The odds are all with the house.” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#16. “Say goodbye to me. Go grab that spirited actress and make her your own. Take that beauty from it, don’t look back. Live every second. Live right on to the end. Live Wyatt. Live for me. Wyatt, if you were ever my friend, if you ever had even the slightest of feelin’ for me, leave now. Leave now. Please.” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#17. “In vino veritas.” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#18. “A man like Ringo has got a great big hole, right in the middle of him. He can never kill enough, or steal enough, or inflict enough pain to ever fill it. He wants revenge. Revenge for being born.” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#19. “When will you wake up? You wouldn’t know a normal life if it bit you in the ass.” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#20. “You’re the only human being in my entire life that ever gave me hope.” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#21. “Weave a circle round him thrice, and close your eyes with holy dread. For he on honey-dew hath fed and drunk the milk of Paradise.” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
Funny Doc Holliday Quotes
#22. “You know why I’m here. My hypocrisy only goes so far.” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#23. “Forgive me if I don’t shake hands.” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#24. “I have not yet begun to defile myself.” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#25. “Ed, what an ugly thing to say. Does this mean we’re not friends anymore? You know, Ed, if I thought you weren’t my friend, I just don’t think I could bear it.” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#26. “Why, Ike, whatever do you mean? Maybe poker’s just not your game, Ike. I’ve got an idea! Let’s have a spelling contest.” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#27. “I have two guns. One for each of ya’.” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#28. “I’m dying, how are you?” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#29. “Why, Kate, you’re not wearing a bustle. How lewd.” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#30. “I feel it’s about to get weird.” — Doc Holliday, Wynonna Earp, Season 3
#31. “Oh, Johnny, I’m sorry. I forgot you were there. You may go now.” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#32. “It appears he missed an excellent chance to keep his mouth shut.” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#33. “Yes, it’s true. You are a good woman. Then again, you may be the Antichrist.” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#34. “Damn it, you’re the most fallible, stubborn, self-deluded, bullheaded man I’ve ever known in my entire life.” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#35. “Yes, but there’s just something about him. Something around the eyes, I don’t know, reminds me of, me. No. I’m sure of it, I hate him.” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#36. “Evidently, Mr. Ringo’s an educated man. Now, I really hate him.” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
#37. “It appears my hypocrisy knows no bounds.” — Doc Holliday, Tombstone
Conclusion
Doc Holliday was a truly remarkable man with a captivating life story. In his short, but thrilling life, he’s built lasting friendships and deadly rivalries. But through it all, he’s always been only who he is — a charming dentist with a passion for gambling.
In the immortal words of his best friend, Wyatt Erp, “Doc was a dentist whom necessity had made a gambler; a gentleman whom disease had made a frontier vagabond; a philosopher whom life had made a caustic wit.”
That being said, I hope these Doc Holliday quotes to inspire you to live your life to the fullest and to never hide who you are.
image source: kold.com
