Chris Vaughn Quotes in Walking Tall (2004)

Chris Vaughn: Get your tail-lights fixed, sir.

Jay Hamilton: What's wrong with my tail-lights?

Chris Vaughn: [Vaughn smashes the tail-lights with a 4X4] They're broken.

Sheriff Stan Watkins: [after Chris wins the election, he pulls up to address the police force] Sheriff.

Chris Vaughn: Watkins.

Sheriff Stan Watkins: You won the election. Congratulations. But we do have a tradition of professional courtesy up here. And I can personally vouch for each and every one of these men. They're good deputies.

Chris Vaughn: You're all fired.

Chris Vaughn: I grew up in this town, people used to walk tall in this town, they wouldn't have traded the mill for a crooked casino and they wouldn't have stood around while drugs were being sold to kids.

[Chris throws casino guard against a truck]

Chris Vaughn: Search him.

Ray Templeton: Oh.

[he frisks casino guard]

Ray Templeton: Woooo. You've been working out?

Chris Vaughn: I'm not gonna let this stand.

Jay Hamilton: Do you get tired of being all that you can be?

Chris Vaughn: No, I'm still all that I can be.

Jay Hamilton: Oh yeah? We'll just see about that...

[to Hamilton]

Chris Vaughn: You're wrong. This is my town.

Chris Vaughn: [after knocking Hamilton out in the woods] This is my town. You're under arrest.

Chris Vaughn: Ray-Ray!

Ray Templeton: Hello, puddin!

[Ray is visiting the injured Chris' hospital bed]

Chris Vaughn: That was a hell of a homecoming party.

Ray Templeton: Chris, I don't know if you noticed, but this ain't exactly home anymore.

Chris Vaughn: Your tent's gonna take on water. I could show you how to rig it.

Pete Vaughn: It doesn't look like it's gonna rain to me, colonel.

Michelle Vaughn: PETE. Come on, sit down. Have something to eat.

Chris Vaughn: First of all, I was a sergeant. I worked for a living.

Pete Vaughn: Oh, a grunt.

Pete Vaughn: Did you ever smoke anybody?

Michelle Vaughn, Chris Vaughn Sr., Connie Vaughn: Pete!

Chris Vaughn Sr.: Boy!

Pete Vaughn: You know, Poppa's still got your gun locked up in the garage. Think you could teach me how to shoot?

Chris Vaughn: I figured that would be scrap metal by now, Dad.

Chris Vaughn Sr.: No. I'm still hoping you'll melt that thing down on your own.

Chris Vaughn: [speaking to the jury] I don't deny anything that was said here today.

Judge L. Powell: Does that mean you're changing your plea to guilty?

Chris Vaughn: I'm not guilty of anything... except standing up for myself when the law wouldn't.

County Prosecutor: Objection. He's trying to introduce prior events, Your Honor.

Judge L. Powell: Sustained. Mr. Vaughn, stay on point.

Chris Vaughn: [continues to address the jury] I grew up in this town. People used to walk tall in this town. They wouldn't have traded the mill for a crooked casino.

Judge L. Powell: Mr. Vaughn, we're not here to listen to civic speeches.

Chris Vaughn: And they wouldn't have stood around while drugs were being sold to kids.

County Prosecutor: Objection!

Judge L. Powell: Sustained. Mr. Vaughn, you're close to being held in contempt.

Chris Vaughn: I was justified in what I did. And if you acquit me of these charges, then I'm gonna run for sheriff.

Judge L. Powell: Mr. Vaughn.

Chris Vaughn: And if elected, I'm gonna fix this town.

Judge L. Powell: Order! Order!

[pounds the gavel]

Judge L. Powell: Please take your seat!

Chris Vaughn: [starts to unbutton his shirt]

Judge L. Powell: Mr. Vaughn, you are now charged with contempt.

Chris Vaughn: And I will make sure that THIS...

[reveals his brutal scars from a knife]

County Prosecutor: Objection!

Judge L. Powell: Sustained!

Chris Vaughn: ...never happens to anyone again without punishing those who did it.

Judge L. Powell: I'm ordering the jury to ignore what they've just seen!

[Chris has been found innocent in court. He grabs the 2x4 used as evidence in the case and takes the evidence tag off]

Chris Vaughn: This is mine.

[Chris has just lost a football game]

Pete Vaughn: Maybe next time, eh?

[Chris walks over]

Chris Vaughn: Maybe next time, I won't catch you smoking weed in the bleachers.

Sheriff Stan Watkins: Hey, Chris. Good to see you up and about. You're looking spiffy.

Chris Vaughn: I'm here to press charges.

Sheriff Stan Watkins: Oh, this is about that incident at the casino a while back, huh?

Chris Vaughn: Yeah, it is.

Sheriff Stan Watkins: Because that matter's closed.

Sheriff Stan Watkins: I mean, you're lucky you weren't brought in on charges. I mean...

Chris Vaughn: Did you even look into it?

Sheriff Stan Watkins: They did an internal investigation. Uhmm, yeah. That's good enough for me.

Chris Vaughn: An *internal investigation*?

Sheriff Stan Watkins: Chris, I know you're familiar with the term no-fly zone. Because that's what the casino is. Since the mill closed down, that casino is the main source of revenue in this town. So case closed, basically. I'll see ya.

[walks away]

Chris Vaughn: I'm not gonna let this stand.

Sheriff Stan Watkins: [turns around] Excuse me?

[walks back over]

Sheriff Stan Watkins: What did you say to me?

Chris Vaughn: I SAID, I'm not gonna let this stand.

Sheriff Stan Watkins: You're lucky to be alive right now. That's all you need to be concentrating on. This is my town. Okay? I'm the sheriff here. I'll tell you what stands. Not the other way around. Now please get out of my building.

Chris Vaughn Sr.: Why does it always have to be your fight?

Chris Vaughn: You might need this.

[tries to hand him a shotgun]

Chris Vaughn Sr.: No. I put my guns down a long time ago.

Chris Vaughn: Come on. You're just being stubborn.

Chris Vaughn Sr.: You and me both, boy.

[Vaughn has been acquitted]

Chris Vaughn: [to the judge while taking his two-by-four back] THIS IS MINE.

Chris Vaughn: Life is a journey, not so much to a destination, but a transformation.

Chris Vaughn: Looking back doesn't it sometimes feel like our richest times come right in the midst of our hardest?

Chris Vaughn: But God made us to life in community, to laugh and cry.

Chris Vaughn: To hurt and to celebrate with each other, no matter what were going through.

Chris Vaughn: And transformation is tough, and we dont always end up where we think we will.

Chris Vaughn: But we have to remember, that even when we struggle to believe in Him, He always believes in us.

Chris Vaughn: He fills our lives with purpose and passion, if we just let Him.

Chris Vaughn: And the best part of the journey, is that the God of the universe, sometimes allows us to play a part in changing the world.

Chris Vaughn: Isn't that a trip?

Chris Vaughn: God wants so much more for your life than fine.

Chris Vaughn: Maybe your life was always falling apart, but now you're starting to care

[first lines]

Chris Vaughn: Today we come together to remember the life of Roger Andrew Dawson. Although we know he had so much life left in him, we thank God for the 17 years he did have.

Chris Vaughn: listen, God is not some little genie or a vending machine.

Chris Vaughn: And is not just worth it because he makes your life all better, but He's with you.