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.