Danny Vinyard Quotes in American History X (1998)

Danny Vinyard: [Narrating his essay] So I guess this is where I tell you what I learned - my conclusion, right? Well, my conclusion is: Hate is baggage. Life's too short to be pissed off all the time. It's just not worth it. Derek says it's always good to end a paper with a quote. He says someone else has already said it best. So if you can't top it, steal from them and go out strong. So I picked a guy I thought you'd like. 'We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.'

[On Derek's change in prison]

Danny Vinyard: I'm sorry, Derek. I'm sorry that happened to you.

Derek Vinyard: I'm not. I'm lucky. I feel lucky because it's wrong, Danny. It's wrong and it was eating me up, it was going to kill me. And I kept asking myself all the time, how did I buy into this shit? It was because I was pissed off, and nothing I ever did ever took that feeling away. I killed two guys, Danny, I killed them. And it didn't make me feel any different. It just got me more lost and I'm tired of being pissed off, Danny. I'm just tired of it.

Danny Vinyard: [writing the beginning of the essay] People look at me and see my brother.

Seth: Come in here Danny.

Danny Vinyard: Seth... Hey man you going to Cam's party tonight?

Seth: Is Davina's ass water tight?

Danny Vinyard: You're fuckin sick man.

Seth: Alright, relax let me ask you a few questions.

Danny Vinyard: I'm not in the mood I got a lot of homework to do.

Seth: Tell me some of the shit you've learned fuckass before I pistol whip you!

Danny Vinyard: Ok, I believe in death, destruction, chaos, filth, and greed!

Seth: Cut the shit Danny come on. Tell me what I wanna hear asshole.

Danny Vinyard: You mean that shit about your mother man?

Seth: You wanna get fucking beaten Danny?

[Davina starts to laugh]

Seth: I'm not fucking talking to you Davina why don't you shut up?

Seth: Who do you hate Danny?

Danny Vinyard: I hate anyone that is a white Protestant.

Seth: Why?

Danny Vinyard: There a burden to the advancement of the white race. Some of them are alright I guess...

Seth: None of them are fucking alright Danny ok? They're all a bunch of fuckin' freeloaders. Remember what Cam said we don't know em we don't wanna know em They're the fucking enemy. Now what don't you like about them and say it with some fucking conviction!

Danny Vinyard: I hate the fact that's cool to be black these days.

Seth: Good.

Danny Vinyard: I hate this hip-pop fuckin' influence on white-fuckin'suburbia.

Seth: Good.

Danny Vinyard: And I hate Tabitha Soren and all there Zionist MTV fucking pigs telling us we should get along. Save the retorical bullshit Hilary Rodham Clinton cuz it ain't gonna fuckin' work.

Seth: That's some of the best shit I've heard come out of your mouth.

Davina Vinyard: No Danny I feel sorry for you. You don't really believe any of that shit do you?

Seth: Shutup Davina!

Davina Vinyard: No you shut the fuck up! Get out of the fuckin' house now you piece of shit please go!

Derek Vinyard: Nigger, you just fucked with the wrong bull! You should've learned your lesson on the fuckin' basketball court! But you fuckin' monkey's never get the message. My father gave me that truck motherfucker! You ever shoot at fireman? You come here and shoot at my family? I'm gonna teach you a real lesson now motherfucker. Put your fuckin' mouth on the curb.

Lawrence: Come on man...

Derek Vinyard: I said put your mouth on the curb!

[Lawrence bites onto the curb]

Danny Vinyard: Derek, no!

Derek Vinyard: That's it! Now say good night.

[Derek stomps Lawrence's head into the curb]

Danny Vinyard: [referring to Dr. Sweeney] He's one of those proud to be nigger people, I hate those guys.

Cameron: Now wait a minute Danny, he's not proud. No, he's a manipulative, self-righteous Uncle Tom who's trying to make you feel guilty about writing about Adolf Hitler. Yeah, when some nigger or some spick writes about Martin Luther King or fucking Caesar commie Chavez, he gets a pat on the head. You can see the hypocrisy in that, can't you?

Danny Vinyard: [arguing about his "Mein Kampf" paper] Look Sweeney, did you bring me here to talk about Derek? Because what happened to him has nothing to do with me.

Bob Sweeney: Everything you do right now has something to do with Derek.

Seth: Who do you hate, Danny?

Danny Vinyard: I hate anyone that isn't White Protestant.

Seth: Why?

Danny Vinyard: They're a burden to the advancement of the White race. Some of them are all right, I guess...

Seth: None of 'em are fucking all right, Danny, OK?

[Danny walks in on Derek and Stacey having sex]

Danny Vinyard: [whispering] Der. Derek.

Stacey: [Stacy sees Danny in the room] Jesus, Danny! Fuckin' perv.

Derek Vinyard: Jesus, Danny. What the fuck are you thinking?

Danny Vinyard: Derek, there's a black guy out there breaking into your car.

Derek Vinyard: How many Danny? How many?

[Derek quickly pulls on white boxers and black combat boots]

Danny Vinyard: One I think.

Derek Vinyard: Is he strapped?

Danny Vinyard: Huh?

Derek Vinyard: Does he have a fucking gun Danny?

Danny Vinyard: Man, I don't fucking know!

[Derek pulls out a gun from his dresser drawer]

Stacey: Oh, my God! Derek, what are you doing?

Derek Vinyard: Not right now honey.