--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Don't ever for a minute make the mistake…" description: "\"Don't ever for a minute make the mistake of looking down your nose at westerns. They're art - the good ones, I mean. They deal in life and sudden death..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f0/john-wayne-2572_art_don-t-ever-for-a-minute-make-the-mistake_11567.jpg" --- # Don't ever for a minute make the mistake of looking down… ![“Don't ever for a minute make the mistake of looking down your nose at westerns. They're art - the good ones, I mean. They deal in life and sudden death and primitive struggle, and with the basic emotions - love, hate, and anger - thrown in. We'll have westerns films as long as the cameras keep…” quote by John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f0/john-wayne-2572_art_don-t-ever-for-a-minute-make-the-mistake_11567.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f0/john-wayne-2572_art_don-t-ever-for-a-minute-make-the-mistake_11567.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f0/john-wayne-2572_art_don-t-ever-for-a-minute-make-the-mistake_11567.jpg) > “Don't ever for a minute make the mistake of looking down your nose at westerns. They're art - the good ones, I mean. They deal in life and sudden death and primitive struggle, and with the basic emotions - love, hate, and anger - thrown in. We'll have westerns films as long as the cameras keep turning. The fascination that the Old West has will never die. And as long as people want to pay money to see me act, I'll keep on making westerns until the day I die.” [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker defends the artistic merit of western films, emphasizing their timeless appeal and emotional core. **In simple terms:** Westerns endure because they capture primal human emotions. Key Takeaway Western genre remains vital. Themes Artistic value Cultural longevity Human emotion Genre resilience Nostalgia Mood Defiant Passionate Type Opinion Defensive When to use this quote - Film criticism - Genre advocacy - Audience education Key Concepts Narrative archetypes Cinematic tradition Practical Applications - Promoting westerns in film festivals Questions to Reflect On - Why do audiences still gravitate toward stories of the Old West? - What elements make a western 'good' versus 'bad'? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Cameras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Deals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deals/) [Dies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dies/) [Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Fascination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fascination/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Hate And Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate-and-anger/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Looking down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking-down/) [Love & hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-hate-2/) [Love Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-hate/) [Making Westerns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-westerns-368802/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minutes/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Nose Westerns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nose-westerns-368804/) [Noses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noses/) [Old west](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-west/) [Pay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pay/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Primitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/primitive/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Sudden death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sudden-death/) [Thrown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thrown/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/west/) [Westerns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/westerns/) [Westerns Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/westerns-art-368803/) [Westerns Films](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/westerns-films-368801/) ## Related quotes > [I had done some work when I was starting in with photography on westerns, and photographing them was the greatest pleasure I had. 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Its become so difficult and now people cant be themselves and cant even speak up for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine/you-wanna-know-what-this-world-has-become-its-become-so-difficult-and/) [Jasmine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine/) > [Being a victim of oppression in the United States is not enough to make you revolutionary, just as dropping out of your mother's womb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/being-a-victim-of-oppression-in-the-united-states-is-not-enough-to/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [“Because I am terrified by what I want: for him, and worst of all, from him. Because I do want. I'm not even sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/because-i-am-terrified-by-what-i-want-for-him-and-worst-of-all-from/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [I literally used to stare at my face in the mirror with hate and anger. I'd focus on those gigantic zits and just wail…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-beatriz/i-literally-used-to-stare-at-my-face-in-the-mirror-with-hate-and/) [Stephanie Beatriz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-beatriz/) ## More by John Wayne > [When I was a sophomore at USC, I was a socialist, pretty much to the left. But not when I left the university. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/when-i-was-a-sophomore-at-usc-i-was-a-socialist-pretty-much-to-the/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [I'd read up on the history of our country and I'd become fascinated with the story of the Alamo. To me it represented the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/i-d-read-up-on-the-history-of-our-country-and-i-d-become-fascinated/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [This kind of war, you've gotta believe in what you're fighting for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/this-kind-of-war-you-ve-gotta-believe-in-what-you-re-fighting-for/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [I was ashamed to admit I was hipped to the idea of acting. That's why I started in with the props.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/i-was-ashamed-to-admit-i-was-hipped-to-the-idea-of-acting-that-s-why/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [TRUE Courage is when you are scared to death and STILL saddle up and ride in!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/true-courage-is-when-you-are-scared-to-death-and-still-saddle-up-and/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [“The worst part of it has been, I think, the adverse effect on family life. It kills off family conversation. And it’s harder to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/the-worst-part-of-it-has-been-i-think-the-adverse-effect-on-family/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [Nothing is so discouraging to an actor than to have to work for long hours upon hours in brightly lighted interior sets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/nothing-is-so-discouraging-to-an-actor-than-to-have-to-work-for-long/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [I don't have to assert my virility. I think my career has shown that I'm not exactly a pantywaist. But I do take pride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/i-don-t-have-to-assert-my-virility-i-think-my-career-has-shown-that-i/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [Government has no wealth, and when a politician promises to give you something for nothing, he must first confiscate that wealth from you --…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/government-has-no-wealth-and-when-a-politician-promises-to-give-you/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [True grit is making a decision and standing by it, doing what must be done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/true-grit-is-making-a-decision-and-standing-by-it-doing-what-must-be/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [When you come slam bang up against trouble, it never looks half as bad if you face up to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/when-you-come-slam-bang-up-against-trouble-it-never-looks-half-as-bad/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [Life is hard, but it's even harder when you're stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/life-is-hard-but-it-s-even-harder-when-you-re-stupid/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [I never killed a man I didn't have to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/i-never-killed-a-man-i-didn-t-have-to/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [I eat as much as I ever did, I drink more than I should, and my sex life is none of your goddamned business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/i-eat-as-much-as-i-ever-did-i-drink-more-than-i-should-and-my-sex/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [Republic . . . it means people can live free, talk free, go or come, buy or sell, be drunk or sober, however they choose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/republic-it-means-people-can-live-free-talk-free-go-or-come-buy-or/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) [Explore all 160 John Wayne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. 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They're art - the good ones, I mean. They deal in life and sudden death and primitive struggle, and with the basic emotions - love, hate, and anger - thrown in. We'll have westerns films as long as the cameras keep turning. The fascination that the Old West has will never die. 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