Designated Survivor Quotes that Make Politics Entertaining in a Good Way
If you can’t get enough of political dramas, these Designated Survivor quotes will hit the spot.
Politics in real life can be exhausting, but the plot that takes place in the television show Designated Survivor is sure to entertain you.
It follows the story of Thomas Kirkman. He is the person who was designated as the designated survivor for the state of the union.
When an attack kills all the successors to the President, he ends up in the role.
The show covers his story of stepping into the role while also trying to solve the mystery of who was behind the attack. These Designated Survivor quotes help tell the story.
Don’t forget to also check out these Outlander quotes recapping the first 5 seasons.
Designated Survivor quotes by Tom Kirkman
1. “Your problem wasn’t my scruples. It was your lack of them.” — Tom Kirkman
2. “If everybody is so afraid of losing, how on earth can anyone ever win?” — Tom Kirkman
3. “Technology changes. Human biology doesn’t.” — Tom Kirkman
4. “Without truth, there can be no trust.” — Tom Kirkman
5. “We’re not defined by our difficulties. We’re defined by how we respond to them.” — Tom Kirkman
6. “We’re gonna do our jobs. And we’re gonna keep doing them until someone makes us stop.” — Tom Kirkman
7. “Bullets don’t stop bleeding. They start it.” — Tom Kirkman
8. “It’d be a lot easier if someone left behind a manual.” — Tom Kirkman
9. “This is what you get for being honest in D.C., opportunism.” — Tom Kirkman
10. “Art is the lifeblood of society.” — Tom Kirkman
11. “ It’s not always up to us how history plays itself out.” — Tom Kirkman
12. “An architect’s first responsibility is to the people who are affected by his work.” — Tom Kirkman
13. “I don’t need a nuclear solution. I need a political one.” — Tom Kirkman
14. “Doing the right thing doesn’t always make you feel good.” — Tom Kirkman
15. “My country is predicated on the idea that one man matters. One man can make a difference.” — Tom Kirkman
16. “I never thought I’d be in a position to decide who lives or dies.” — Tom Kirkman
17. “If you do this long enough, you’ll realize you don’t really know anyone.” — Tom Kirkman
18. “You think I don’t want to strike back against the people who did this? I lost colleagues, friends, people I love. I want to find every single person involved in this attack from planning to execution and rip them limb from limb, which is why I need to know exactly who did this. Come back to me with more than 75%, and I’ll launch the damn missiles myself.” — Tom Kirkman
19. “What do you want me to do, General? Declare war? Why not? 40 minutes ago, they showed me the nuclear football. I guess I’ve had it long enough to try it out.” — Tom Kirkman
20. “Anger alone is no prescription. We need to figure out how to take that anger and turn it into action.” — Tom Kirkman
21. “An insomniac’s dream is a regular person’s sleep.” — Tom Kirkman
22. “What do you do when a bear charges you? Don’t panic. You don’t have to outrun the bear, just the guy standing next to you.” — Tom Kirkman
Designated Survivor quotes by Alex Kirkman
23. “An opportunist with a credible threat is a dangerous thing.” — Alex Kirkman
24. “You always need to make time for the things that are important.” — Alex Kirkman
25. “Change does not mean that we abandon our principles.” — Alex Kirkman
26. “Putting more bars on the prison is not the answer.” — Alex Kirkman
Designated Survivor quotes by Seth Wright
27. “That’s what a relationship is. It’s about losing control. It’s about surrendering.” — Seth Wright
28 “Tragedy either makes people appreciate their fellow men or fear them.” — Seth Wright
29. “When your ship’s taking on water, you don’t jump, you grab a bucket.” — Seth Wright
30. “Tragedy either makes people appreciate their fellow men, or fear them.” — Seth Wright
31. “When people don’t know who their enemy is, they start with people who look like me.” — Seth Wright
32. “There are three surefire ways for a press secretary to die a quick death. You get hostile, you lie, or you guess. You do any one of those three things, and you’re done.” — Seth Wright
33. “Maybe it’s just easier to lie to the world than it is to be honest with yourself.” — Seth Wright
Designated Survivor quotes by Cornelius Moss
34. “Sometimes you have to decide between a bad choice and no choice at all.” — Cornelius Moss
35. “Meeting with an enemy is a civilized thing to do. “ — Cornelius Moss
Designated Survivor quotes by Hannah Wells
36. “Sometimes you need to take what you think you know, throw it out the window, and follow your instincts because your life depends on it.” — Hannah Wells
37. “You don’t take credit for something until you’re done.” — Hannah Wells
38. “She’s not hunting you anymore. We’re hunting her. “ — Hannah Wells
39. “If you ever try to take me out again, you better not miss. Because I won’t.” — Hannah Wells
Designated Survivor quotes by Lorraine Zimmer
40. “This is politics. Even when you’re not campaigning, you’re campaigning.” — Lorraine Zimmer
41. “Everyone loves romance, and it’s great publicity.” — Lorraine Zimmer
42. “You don’t have to like someone to use them.” — Lorraine Zimmer
Designated Survivor quotes by Kimble Hookstraten
43. “I don’t trust anyone who has things handed to them in life, especially power.” — Kimble Hookstraten
44. “We all want to do the right thing, Mrs. Kirkman. But the right thing is seldom free.” — Kimble Hookstraten
Designated Survivor quotes by Mike Ritter
45. “Progress can sometimes skip a generation.” — Mike Ritter
46. “Two ways the President and his family can leave the White House… Out the front door in Kevlar vests and a 13-car armored motorcade or out the back in a Chevy and a ball cap.” — Mike Ritter
Designated Survivor quotes by Lyor Boone
47. “There are battles you lose even if you win.” — Lyor Boone
48. “If no one’s happy, that’s the mark of a good deal.” — Lyor Boone
Designated Survivor quotes from other characters
49. “What’s on the paper, that tells a story that we want to tell. But what’s not on the paper, that’s what people remember.” — Jason Atwood
50. “Stupid people are gonna say stupid s*** no matter how much of ourselves we amputate for them. They’re always gonna find a reason to look down on you.” — Isabel Pardo
Which of these Designated Survivor quotes is your favorite?
The first two seasons of Designated Survivor aired on network television. While there were some mixed reviews of it people generally liked the way Kiefer Sutherland played the lead role.
During these two seasons, the on-air president was known for staying somewhat neutral between political parties. This gave the show a different spin than many that were happening at the same time.
However, when the show was moved to Netflix for the third season, they positioned the character farther to the left. This wasn’t as well-received along with the fact that the show began to push the boundaries and become more vulgar.
Overall though, fans were interested in the story behind the “designated survivor”. You can read through the Designated Survivor quotes and lines above to see if the show is worth your watch.
September 8, 2021 7:00 AM EST