Roy Bean Quotations

You have been tried by twelve good men and true, not of your peers but as high above you as heaven is of hell, and they have said you are guilty.

And finally Winter, with its bitin', whinin' wind, and all the land will be mantled with snow.

And Fall, with her yeller harvest moon and the hills growin' brown and golden under a sinkin' sun.

Time will pass and seasons will come and go.

Gentlemen, I find the law very explicit on murdering your fellow man, but there's nothing here about killing a Chinaman. Case dismissed.

I know the law... I am it's greatest transgressor.

Hang 'em first, try 'em later.

And finally Winter, with its bitin', and whinin' wind, and all the land will be mantled with snow.

Spring with its wavin' green grass and heaps of sweet-smellin' flowers on every hill and in every dale.

I find this corpse guilty of carrying a concealed weapon and I fine it $40.

A decent cowboy does not take what belongs to someone else and if he does he deserves to be strung up and left for the flies and coyotes

Don't interfere with something that ain't bothering' you none.

You can't tell how good a man or a watermelon is 'til they get thumped.