Eula : [as Rooster first arrives at the mission]  You're too late, lawman. Rooster Cogburn : Too late to stop 'em, but not too late to hang 'em.

Eula : [referring to her bible quotation]  I will confess, Reuben, it is of my own invention. I just made it up! Rooster Cogburn : Hallelujah and jubilee, that is one quotation I will remember! Eula : And will you remember us, too, Reuben? Rooster Cogburn : Longer than I'll remember that quotation, Miss Eula.

Rooster Cogburn : Well, out in the territory, we prize a dead shot more'n we do a lady's charms. Eula : Then I've come to the right place, haven't I? You mean the men in the West do not mind if their women outshoot and outsmart them? Rooster Cogburn : If they're quiet about it. No, here we value a spirited woman almost as much as we do a spirited horse.

Rooster Cogburn : How old are you? Eula : Shall we say it has already struck midnight?

Eula : [the Gatling gun falls in the river]  The gun. The gun, Reuben! We've lost the gun! Rooster Cogburn : Well, now, sister, just what the hell can I do about it?

Rooster Cogburn : That shows you know more about the Lord and His Good Book than you know about men! Eula : That's my good fortune. I know enough about men to steer clear of them.

Eula : [Rooster is getting ready to take a swig of whiskey]  Reuben, have you ever seen an enlarged picture of a drunkard's liver? Rooster Cogburn : Damnation! Even in her sleep. [hits head on bottom of wagon]  Rooster Cogburn : Ow! [shouts]  Rooster Cogburn : Good night, Ms. Goodnight! Eula : [whispers]  Good night, Reuben.

Eula : I do not fear a skunk. I simply do not care for its odor.

McCoy : Do you know anything about rafts? There's rough water down river. Rooster Cogburn : I can ride. Can't be much different. McCoy : You ain't no sailor. I can see that. Water is like a woman: sly and fickle. You gotta watch it every minute. Rooster Cogburn : You a sailor? McCoy : I was once. Shanghai McCoy's my name. Been around the Horn, sailed the seven seas, seen everything, done everything, that's how I know people are rotten. I've seen 'em all. Eula : You're wrong, old man. We're made in God's image, and goodness is in us. Even in you. McCoy : Amazing! I never took you for a Bible-thumper. Rooster Cogburn : Hold it. She is what she is 'cause she wants to be. That's the way you take her. Like me. McCoy : You're wastin' your time preachin'. You too, Sister. I'm a ship that can't be salvaged.

Rooster Cogburn : Say, uh, there's one thing I would like to get straight. Eula : Hmm. Rooster Cogburn : We both know that the Lord brands lyin' a sin. You think He'll still smile on you after them whoppers you told in there? Eula : And if thy words stray from the truth for the good of God's own, if thy intent be pure, thou shall not then be judged sinful. Rooster Cogburn : Beautiful quotation. What book? What chapter? Eula : I will confess, Reuben, it is of my own invention, I just made it up.

Eula : Just to whom do you think you are talking, Mr. Marshall? Rooster Cogburn : You is to whom I think I am talking, Ma'am. Eula : It's true that you are larger than me... but only physically. Rooster Cogburn : In this case, my dear lady, that is enough. Eula : Do you mean to tell me that you are prepared to use brute force? Rooster Cogburn : That is exactly what I mean. Eula : [pause]  Oh.

[last lines]  Eula : Reuben, I have to say it. Livin' with you has been an adventure any woman would relish for the rest o' time. I look at cha, with your burned out face and your big belly and your bear-like paws and your shining eye, and I have to say you're a credit to the whole male sex, and I'm proud to have ya for my friend. Rooster Cogburn : I'll be damned if she didn't get the last word in again. Well...