"You may all go to Hell, and I will go to Texas," stated pioneer and Texas hero Davy Crockett to a crowd of Tennesseans after losing the 1835 race for Tennessee's seat in the United States Legislature. These iconic words have become legendary in the state of Texas, where Crockett went on to become a hero who died fighting at the Alamo along with more than a hundred other volunteers.
Texas is definitely a place worth talking about, and many more people of note have had words to say about the Lone Star State. Here are 20 iconic Texas quotes from historical figures and modern-day celebrities alike.
1. "You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas". - Davy Crockett
2. "When I make a vow to God, then I would suggest to you that's even stronger than a handshake in Texas." - Rick Perry
3. "You can imagine me as a kid growing up in redneck Texas with ballet shoes, tucking the violin under my arm." -Patrick Swayze
4. "Texas is neither southern nor western. Texas is Texas" -Senator William Blakley
5. "Texas is OK if you want to settle down and do your own thing quietly, but it's not for outrageous people, and I was always outrageous." -Janis Joplin
6. "Texas is a state of mind. Texas is an obsession. Above all, Texas is a nation in every sense of the word." -John Steinbeck
7. "To me, it's really the heart of Texas. You don't know the Lone Star State until you've experienced Gruene Hall." -Miranda Lambert
8. "I highly enjoy the people down in that area. A genuine authenticity comes to mind...ya'll have such vibrant silly energy, the culture is rich and everyone from locals to Winter Texans always seems to be in good spirits." Pat Green (on the Rio Grande Valley)
9. "Being from Texas, I would say I favor a pair of jeans you can wear some boots with." -Jensen Ackles
10. "I thought I knew Texas pretty well, but I had no notion of its size until I campaigned it." -Ann Richards
11. "As a child of West Texas, I identify with Hispanic culture every bit as much as I do North American culture." -Tommy Lee Jones
12. "Texas will again lift its head and stand among the nations. It ought to do so, for no country upon the globe can compare with it in natural advantages." -Sam Houston
13. "In Texas, we practically come out of the womb in jeans." -Kelly Clarkson
14. "Some folks look at me and see a certain swagger, which in Texas is called 'walking.'" -George W. Bush
15. "Havin' fun while freedom fightin' must be one of those lunatic Texas traits we get from the water - which is known to have lithium in it - because it goes all the way back to Sam Houston, surely the most lovable, the most human, and the funniest of all the great men this country has ever produced." - Molly Ivins
16. "If a man's from Texas, he'll tell you. If he's not, why embarrass him by asking?" - John Gunther
17. "What you Northerners never appreciate... is that Texas is so big that you can live your life within its limits and never give a damn about what anyone in Boston or San Francisco thinks... A writer can build a perfectly satisfactory reputation in Texas and he doesn't give a damn about what critics in Kalamazoo think. His universe is big enough to gratify any ambition. Same with businessmen. Same with newspapers. Same with everything." - James Michener
18. "There is a freedom you feel the closer you get to Austin, Texas." - Willie Nelson
19. "A born Texan has instilled in his system a mindset of no retreat and no surrender. I wish everyone the world over had the dominating spirit that motivates Texans." - Billy Clayton
20. "I have said that Texas is a state of mind, but I think it is more than that. It is a mystique closely approximating a religion. And this is true to the extent that people either passionately love Texas or passionately hate it and, as in other religions, few people dare to inspect it for fear of losing their bearings in mystery or paradox. But I think there will be little quarrel with my feeling that Texas is one thing. For all its enormous range of space, climate, and physical appearance, and for all the internal squabbles, contentions, and strivings, Texas has a tight cohesiveness perhaps stronger than any other section of America. Rich, poor, Panhandle, Gulf, city, country, Texas is the obsession, the proper study, and the passionate possession of all Texans." - John Steinbeck
Watch: 20 Things All Texans Have Done at Least Once
