Parenting

Got Panther Pride? These Friday Night Lights Quotes Can't Lose

by Deirdre Kaye
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
Friday Night Lights quotes
NBC

From the moment we met the Dillon Panthers, we were in love with Friday Night Lights. Even people who weren’t football fans found themselves reeled in by the friendships, the growing pains, and the delicious drama. Unlike shows like The West Wing or Gilmore Girls, the dialog was deep without being over anyone’s head or too fast to catch. Even when we were much too old to be swooning over high school football players, we found ourselves falling for the “troubled” Tim Riggins or his best friend, golden boy Jason Street. We loved watching the dreamy, artistic Matt Saracen connect with his aging grandma and score big with the coach’s daughter. We ached when Coach T and Tami Taylor found themselves and their marriage in a dark place. And, yeah, we were itching to make it to State, too. So, each time we take another pass through the seasons, we relive the glory through all of the truly lovely (and often funny) Friday Night Lights quotes.

For several action-packed seasons, we watched the kids of Dillon — and then East Dillon — grow, struggle, and experience success. If there was ever a show we’d like to see rebooted, it’s definitely FNL. Too soon? Probably. But we want to know that Riggins thrives post-prison. We need to know what happens with Matt, Julie, Tyra, Lyla, and Landry. Of course, we also want to know how Coach and Mrs. Coach do in their new environment. Alas, we may never get those answers, so we’re stuck living in the past. But, hey, at least we can rewatch those wonderful episodes over and over (and over and over and over). Plus, we can read through Friday Night Lights quotes anytime we want. These are our favorites… so far.

Best Friday Night Lights Quotes

  1. “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.” — Literally everyone
  2. “Success is not a goal; it’s a byproduct.” — Coach Taylor
  3. “Champions don’t give up. Champions don’t complain. Champions give 200 percent. You’re not champions until you’ve earned it.” — Coach Taylor
  4. “Opportunity does not knock. It presents itself when you beat down the door.” — Coach Taylor
  5. “A few will never give up on you. When you go back out on that field, those are the people I want in your minds. Those are the people I want in your hearts.” — Coach Taylor
  6. “You listen to people that love you, and you listen to people that you trust. Most of all, you listen to yourself.” — Coach Taylor
  7. “Marriage requires maturity. Marriage requires two people that will listen, really listen, to each other. Marriage, most of all, requires compromise.” — Coach Taylor
  8. “You give 110 percent all the time, not just when you feel like it.” — Coach Taylor
  9. “Every man at some point in his life is gonna lose a battle. He’s gonna fight, and he’s gonna lose. But what makes him a man is that, in the midst of that battle, he does not lose himself.” — Coach Taylor
  10. “No matter what happens, no matter where you go, no matter what you do, I’m always gonna be behind you. Always and always and always.” — Coach Taylor
  11. “I said you need to strive to be better than everyone else. I didn’t say you needed to be better than everyone else. But you gotta try. That’s what character is: It’s in the try.” — Coach Taylor
  12. “You get one chance in life, fellas. You can either take advantage of it, or you can piss it away. You do that latter, and you’re gonna regret it the rest of your lives.” — Coach Taylor
  13. “You can’t beat yourself up because you’re taking chances on things.” — Coach Taylor
  14. “Son, everything I know about women, you could fit in this coffee cup here.” — Coach Taylor
  15. “Well, you’re gonna win, or you’re gonna lose. Either way, the sun’s still gonna come up tomorrow morning.” — Tami Taylor
  16. “Barbecues build morale. That’s why you have them.” — Tami Taylor
  17. “Honey, hypocrites are everywhere.” — Tami Taylor
  18. “The big deal is that it’s part of my job to make sure that you don’t grow up stupid. It’s bad for the world.” — Tami Taylor
  19. “I’m right 100 percent of the time. You can ask my husband.” — Tami Taylor
  20. “I believe in you with every cell of my being.” — Tami Taylor
  21. “There’s no weakness in forgiveness.” — Tami Taylor
  22. “But honey, when a door closes, God opens a window. He don’t never fumble the ball, baby. He always gets the touchdown.” — Mama Smash
  23. “Does God love football? I think everyone loves football.” — Jason Street
  24. “If I ever so much see you look at this kid the wrong way, I’m gonna find you, and I’m gonna punch a hole in your chest and rip your heart out.” — Tim Riggins
  25. “Texas forever.” — Tim Riggins
  26. “I’m starting to see a W in my eyes.” — Tim Riggins
  27. “Maybe one day our dreams will merge together.” — Tim Riggins
  28. “Billy, would you pass me that violin, please? You’re hoggin’ it!” — Tim Riggins
  29. “I’m tired of overthinking every single thing, you know?” — Tim Riggins
  30. “My mother never took me shopping for a pageant gown. And because of that, I never placed at Miss Texas. That’s why I got into football.” — Tim Riggins
  31. “Ya know, to be honest, I just know you try to sleep with a lot of girls that I’ve previously slept with, so I just left town for a bit to give you a break. Seven, you lose that virginity yet? I, uh, I apologize to everyone here. And if you can find it within yourselves to let me make it up to you in the showers, I’d appreciate it.” — Tim Riggins
  32. “I’m gonna need you to shut up because I’m incredibly hungover right now.” — Tim Riggins
  33. Matt Saracen: “What are you gonna do?”

Tim Riggins: “I was thinkin’ hit the museum, yoga, library for a bit. Then again, I might just do the usual… wanna go for a beer?”

  1. Becky Sproles: “So, friends?”

Tim Riggins: “I’d say, family.”

  1. Lyla Garrity: “I was baptized yesterday and accepted Jesus as my lord and savior. What have you done recently, Tim?”

Tim Riggins: “I had a three-way with the Stratton sisters.”

  1. “You don’t have to worry about me. In a fight, I just kinda stand in the back and just yell stuff.” — Matt Saracen
  2. “Fine, I’ll sit on your bench. I’ll come to practice, and I’ll do whatever you tell me to do. But I’m gonna hate it. And you’re gonna hate it. Good talk, Coach.” — Matt Saracen
  3. “My eyes were open, sir. My eyes were wide open!” — Matt Saracen
  4. Grandma: “You’re such a good boy.”

Matt Saracen: “Well, that’s ‘cause I was raised by you.”

  1. “Do you mind if we make a stop at the women’s low self-esteem palace?” — Tyra Collette
  2. “You’re what makes guys like me wanna coach.” — Coach Eric Taylor
  3. “Two years ago, I was afraid of wanting anything. I figured wanting would lead to trying and trying would lead to failure. But now I find I can’t stop wanting. I wanna fly somewhere in first class. I wanna travel to Europe on a business trip. I wanna get invited to the White House. I wanna learn about the world. I wanna surprise myself. I wanna be important. I wanna be the best person I can be. I wanna define myself instead of having others define me. I wanna win and have people be happy for me. I wanna lose and get over it. I wanna not be afraid of the unknown. I wanna grow up to be generous and big-hearted, the way that people have been with me. I want an interesting and surprising life. It’s not that I think I’m gonna get all these things. I just want the possibility of getting them. College represents possibility. The possibility that things are gonna change. I can’t wait.” — Tyra Collette
  4. “You know, it’s kinda like this drug. When you’re out of it, you see it for what it really is. But when you’re in it, it seems like there’s no other possible reality.” — Tyra Collette
  5. “I would not talk about your job at the art gallery — that’s not reassuring for a football coach.” — Landry Clarke
  6. “Please don’t sleep with my sister, Tim. That’s like incest.” — Mindy Collette
  7. “I want you to let yourself off the hook, son.” — Coach Eric Taylor
  8. “Don’t just stand by and watch it happen.” — Coach Eric Taylor
  9. “My dad used to say, ‘It always looks bad before it gets better.'” — Coach Eric Taylor
  10. “Don’t quit on me. Don’t quit on yourself.” — Coach Eric Taylor
  11. “This is not who we are. This is not what we represent. I don’t teach that crap. These coaches don’t teach that crap. Y’all are going to take responsibility for your actions, I guarantee you.” — Coach Eric Taylor

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