Dennis Haysbert Quotes

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The Quotable Dennis Haysbert

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Dennis Haysbert's Famous Lines

TV title: 24
Character name: David Palmer
Quote(s):
Sherry Palmer: We've had a hard day, but when you look at it in perspective, you'll realize I was acting in your best interest. And I know you're so mad at me.

President Palmer: I'm not mad at you.
Sherry Palmer: Oh, good.
President Palmer: I feel sorry for you.
Sherry Palmer: You feel sorry for me?
President Palmer: You've lost touch of what it is to be a friend... a parent... a wife. After today, I never want to see you again.

Sherry Palmer: David!
President Palmer: Please, Sherry, I've heard it all before. And I don't care what this may do to my candidacy. And it's not because I don't want to be President. I do. I just don't think you're fit to be the first lady.
Sherry Palmer: Do you really think you can just leave me? Don't you think for a second it'll be that easy!
President Palmer: Secret Service will escort you back to Washington when you're ready.
[turns away from her and walks towards the room exit]
Sherry Palmer: [screaming after David, who is ignoring her rantings] David, you don't just walk away from me! David, you can't do this without me! David, I'm talking to you!
[a secret Service Agent stops her from following after David Palmer after he leaves the room]
Sherry Palmer: Get your hands off of me!

President Palmer: Let's skip the sound bytes and cut straight to the chase.
President Palmer: I'm the president Mike. You do not call me by my first name.

President Palmer: What are you trying to do? Start a war with the Middle East?
Roger Stanton: No.
President Palmer: Then what?
Roger Stanton: Your defense policy is too passive. You need more resources...
President Palmer: You're trying to hijack my presidency.
Roger Stanton: No, no, no. But, I'd like to give it some balls.

Sherry Palmer: What? What's Funny?
President Palmer: No, nothing really. It's just that, when I wanted you to pull back, just let things be, you were a shark. Now that I've asked you back. I need you to be a shark.
Sherry Palmer: I can still be, whatever you need me to be.

President Palmer: Jack, you saved my life. I trust you as much as I trust anybody.

President Palmer: Make no mistake: if we unleash our military power on nations that later prove innocent, it will rank as one of the most despicable sneak attacks in history. Any chance for peace in the Middle East will vanish forever. Even if it'll cost American lives in the future, we must delay this attack until we are certain of our ground.

President Palmer: Mike, I want to thank you for calling CTU in the eleventh hour.
Mike Novick: Of course, Mr. President.
President Palmer: [leans in close] But you should have been with me to the end. That's what I expected of you, that's why I appointed you! I'm relieving you of your post, effective immediately.
Mike Novick: [starts crying] Yes, Mr. President.

President Palmer: All right. This is what we're gonna do. We may be short on manpower, but it doesn't have to appear that way. Send all the Eastern Georgia National Guard to Marietta, and tell the media that this is where something's going to happen.
Mike Novick: Uh, what's going to happen, sir?
President Palmer: If this is what the people are going to be watching, let's show them how we're going to respond. I want them to see how we protect our citizens. We will not put up with racism or xenophobia. If this is where it's going to start, this is where it's going to stop.

President Palmer: Now, Jack, if it were anyone else, I would ask you if you were sure. But with you, I already know the answer. God bless you, and good luck.

President Palmer: [Explaining to President Logan, whom he is advising, why he authorized a covert operation that could be construed as an act of war; Logan disagrees] We didn't bring this crisis on ourselves, but we'll be the ones to settle it. This is a dirty business and we have to get our hands dirty to clean it up!

Sherry Palmer: Mike's job is to tell you what you want to hear. Mine is to tell you the truth
President Palmer: You're not qualified for that job.

On his Character in 24:

It may have opened the eyes, the minds and the hearts of people because the character was so well liked. So they were going to embrace anybody - white, black, brown, male, female - that kind of resembled that character. It just so happens that Barack is the man he is.

For someone to walk through that door? Not just any black man could have done that, it had to be someone as special, intelligent and driven as Barack Obama. Barack really exceeds what David Palmer is, or was, on TV.”

“Did he need David Palmer? I don’t know. I just think it kind of worked out that way, for better or not. Quite frankly, I didn’t do anything but play the role the way I wanted it to be played. The entire show might have had a little bit to do with opening the hearts, the minds and the eyes of people to the possibility of an African-American president.

Movie title: Goodbye Bafana

What Bafana means? Bafana" is a Zulu word and is a pleural form of "umfana". It simply means "boys

Character name: Nelson Mandela
Quote(s):

(when asked what made him think he could handle playing Mandela in Goodbye Bafana) I was asked to do it by director Billie August. He sent me this wonderful letter but I almost turned him down because I was so afraid. It's a very emotional issue with me. I know Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King came before him, but this man, the sacrifices he made. He spent 27 years in prison! But I was challenged. I thought: If you do not do this, you will regret for the rest of your life. And if it did not work, well, at least you gave it your best shot. I have no idea how this movie will turn it. It was the toughest thing I have ever done in my life.

TV title: The Unit
Character name:Jonas 'Snake Doctor' Blane
Jonas Blane's nickname, Snake Doctor, is a southern US term for a dragonfly. Dragonflies are believed to follow snakes and stitch up their wounds when they are injured.

Quote(s):

(on playing soldiers in The Unit) It really is fun. I’m a big kid at heart and it’s really nice to get paid to go rolling around in the dirt and shoot guns.

Movie/TV title:
Character name:
Quote(s):

Dennis Haysbert Quotes
Help construct the ultimate crib sheet of quotes about career, costars, the Hollywood fame game, and more! Add an attribution, when possible.
(On his role as David Palmer in the TV Series 24) I felt like the president. I went around the world and the reception was always that of a dignitary. (on his role in Major League) He's one of my favorite characters. He's alive in the hearts of teens and ball players (on success) I always thought things would end up pretty much the way they are right now, but I thought it would happen a whole lot earlier. I dreamt well, and those dreams are starting to come to fruition. (on being asked to run for president, following his role as President David Palmer on the TV series 24) I've lost track of how many times people have asked me to run for president. (on being named Grand Marshal of Allstate 400 at the Brickyard) As a huge NASCAR fan, I am excited about Allstate's sponsorship of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. And I'm equally excited and honored to be selected as the Grand Marshal of one of NASCAR's premier races. (on staring down a barrel of a gun) I was buying a coffee in a pastry shop in Hollywood. Suddenly, an armed robber burst through the back door, demanding money. He was wielding a .57 Magnum, nobody argues with one of those, you just freeze and do as you're told. (on fascination with movies and television from an early age) I used to watch and was fascinated with movies and television shows. It wasn't until I was finishing up junior high school that the interest really peaked. I saw a couple of plays and they weren't very good. I just thought if those guys could get up there and do it, I could. I had always been an athlete, but with acting there was a calling and I said, 'I got to do this.' It was about emotional fulfillment. (on what drew him to the role of Jonas Blane in The Unit) What drew me to the role initially is that it was going to be action-oriented. What I got, which is a blessing, is a sympathetic, charismatic, great men's man and friend. This guy is everything. He is a father, he's a husband, he's a leader, he's a friend, he’s a warrior and he's compassionate. (when asked how it feels to have earned the distinction of being one of America's favorite TV presidents) It's great validation of what I've been working toward my entire career. I've never been as successful and as happy as I am now with my work and with getting work. I've had other jobs that were really good but didn't seem to lead to anything, you know? So it's pretty gratifying. I just pray it continues. (when asked if he would very consider going into politics) If I thought I could say what I would want to say in the political arena as an actor or as an advocate for a charity, I would probably. But you look at how they scrutinize politicians in this country and the dirty tricks and the dirty stories they dig up that are inconsequential to anything or anybody, but they use it to destroy some of the best politicians we could have. No, I wouldn't do it. That, and there's way too much compromise. You have to get in bed with some really nasty people, and I don't know that I have the constitution for that. (on his favorite teams) I am still particularly loyal to the Bay Area teams -- the Oakland Raiders, and San Francisco 49ers. And it's real tough. And I know you'll get a lot of letters on this, but I love Dallas now because T.O. is there. (when asked what sports he played at San Mateo High (CA)) Football, baseball and track. Then at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, I got into fencing. I actually entertained the thought of training for the Olympics. I love the sport. I pride myself on being limber. (on why he chose to become an actor) I really do believe that was what I was put on this planet to do. To give to people and through my performances show them another world. In the case of 24 to show them what a politician, black or white, should be. Basically, I wanted to be a service to others. (On Hollywood’s double standard regarding interracial sex, in concern with the movie Far from Heaven) In Monster's Ball [starring Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton] you see them having full-on passionate sex, whereas here you don't even get to see them holding hands. I... I don't agree with that. I'm really tired of seeing it done just one way. (question: So why does that happen?) The only thing I can think is the white establishment is threatened by that. They're threatened by black male-white female relationships and passion being shown on screen. But they're very comfortable with James Bond and Halle Berry [Die Another Day] or Robert De Niro and Angela Bassett [The Score]. Some of our female stars are bedding down with white men in films, which I have no problem with. But balance it. Let me have a love scene between me and Julianne Moore or Michelle Pfeiffer or Cameron Diaz. (on bringing a white girlfriend home in the 70s) Well, I don't think he was unhappy about it. He was more fearful for me. From the time he grew up he couldn't walk on the same sidewalk, much less look into the eyes of a white woman in the South. In certain times in the South's history, you'd get strung up for doing that. You don't easily lose those fears. It's a knee-jerk reaction. Or it might have been a certain amount of envy on a certain level. Perhaps he was thinking: "I wasn't even allowed to talk to a white woman, never mind date them." The bottom line is, people are people and the sooner we realize that, the better off things are going to be. (on love) I've had my children's projectile vomit on me, but it never changed how much I love them. You just stroke their head, put a cold compress on them. That's what I want…that unconditional love. I don't want things to change [in a romance] just because of marriage. I want someone that I can laugh with. Someone that I can have a discussion with, that even if you disagree with each other, that you are together, you have each other's back. That you love and respect one another. That you can enjoy each other's company, that when they're sick you react as though they were your child. See, I have a theory about parenting. There's an old saying: 'If you watch your pennies, you don't have to worry about your dollars.' Well, if you watch your kids when they're younger, you have less to worry about when they're teenagers. You just give them the attention that they need and deserve, and love them. I usually don’t divulge too much about my personal life but yet, it makes it hard when you’re really busy all the time. It’s hard on relationships. I’m divorced, so that should tell you something. (why he felt so strongly about his 24 character being assassinated) We have this legacy in this country and in the world of killing our leaders - especially our beloved leaders - and this character was very beloved. I know it upset a lot of people because I see people in the street all the time and they tell me. It felt wrong to have him killed off that way. I didn’t mind getting written out but what I did mind was having that character assassinated. I didn’t like that at all. As a matter of fact, for the longest time I wasn’t going to shoot the scene and they were going to have to make it a CNN scene on a TV screen as a news bulletin. But one of my good friends on the show talked me into it.

Dennis Haysbert Quotes

Help construct the ultimate crib sheet of quotes about career, costars, the Hollywood fame game, and more! Add an attribution, when possible.

(On his role as David Palmer in the TV Series 24) I felt like the president. I went around the world and the reception was always that of a dignitary.

(on his role in Major League) He's one of my favorite characters. He's alive in the hearts of teens and ball players

(on success) I always thought things would end up pretty much the way they are right now, but I thought it would happen a whole lot earlier. I dreamt well, and those dreams are starting to come to fruition.

(on being asked to run for president, following his role as President David Palmer on the TV series 24) I've lost track of how many times people have asked me to run for president.

(on being named Grand Marshal of Allstate 400 at the Brickyard) As a huge NASCAR fan, I am excited about Allstate's sponsorship of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. And I'm equally excited and honored to be selected as the Grand Marshal of one of NASCAR's premier races.

(on staring down a barrel of a gun) I was buying a coffee in a pastry shop in Hollywood. Suddenly, an armed robber burst through the back door, demanding money. He was wielding a .57 Magnum, nobody argues with one of those, you just freeze and do as you're told.

(on fascination with movies and television from an early age) I used to watch and was fascinated with movies and television shows. It wasn't until I was finishing up junior high school that the interest really peaked. I saw a couple of plays and they weren't very good. I just thought if those guys could get up there and do it, I could. I had always been an athlete, but with acting there was a calling and I said, 'I got to do this.' It was about emotional fulfillment.

(on what drew him to the role of Jonas Blane in The Unit) What drew me to the role initially is that it was going to be action-oriented. What I got, which is a blessing, is a sympathetic, charismatic, great men's man and friend. This guy is everything. He is a father, he's a husband, he's a leader, he's a friend, he’s a warrior and he's compassionate.

(when asked how it feels to have earned the distinction of being one of America's favorite TV presidents) It's great validation of what I've been working toward my entire career. I've never been as successful and as happy as I am now with my work and with getting work. I've had other jobs that were really good but didn't seem to lead to anything, you know? So it's pretty gratifying. I just pray it continues.

(when asked if he would very consider going into politics) If I thought I could say what I would want to say in the political arena as an actor or as an advocate for a charity, I would probably. But you look at how they scrutinize politicians in this country and the dirty tricks and the dirty stories they dig up that are inconsequential to anything or anybody, but they use it to destroy some of the best politicians we could have. No, I wouldn't do it. That, and there's way too much compromise. You have to get in bed with some really nasty people, and I don't know that I have the constitution for that.

(on his favorite teams) I am still particularly loyal to the Bay Area teams -- the Oakland Raiders, and San Francisco 49ers. And it's real tough. And I know you'll get a lot of letters on this, but I love Dallas now because T.O. is there.

(when asked what sports he played at San Mateo High (CA)) Football, baseball and track. Then at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, I got into fencing. I actually entertained the thought of training for the Olympics. I love the sport. I pride myself on being limber.

(on why he chose to become an actor) I really do believe that was what I was put on this planet to do. To give to people and through my performances show them another world. In the case of 24 to show them what a politician, black or white, should be. Basically, I wanted to be a service to others.

(On Hollywood’s double standard regarding interracial sex, in concern with the movie Far from Heaven) In Monster's Ball [starring Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton] you see them having full-on passionate sex, whereas here you don't even get to see them holding hands. I... I don't agree with that. I'm really tired of seeing it done just one way. (question: So why does that happen?) The only thing I can think is the white establishment is threatened by that. They're threatened by black male-white female relationships and passion being shown on screen. But they're very comfortable with James Bond and Halle Berry [Die Another Day] or Robert De Niro and Angela Bassett [The Score]. Some of our female stars are bedding down with white men in films, which I have no problem with. But balance it. Let me have a love scene between me and Julianne Moore or Michelle Pfeiffer or Cameron Diaz.

(on bringing a white girlfriend home in the 70s) Well, I don't think he was unhappy about it. He was more fearful for me. From the time he grew up he couldn't walk on the same sidewalk, much less look into the eyes of a white woman in the South. In certain times in the South's history, you'd get strung up for doing that. You don't easily lose those fears. It's a knee-jerk reaction. Or it might have been a certain amount of envy on a certain level. Perhaps he was thinking: "I wasn't even allowed to talk to a white woman, never mind date them." The bottom line is, people are people and the sooner we realize that, the better off things are going to be.

(on love) I've had my children's projectile vomit on me, but it never changed how much I love them. You just stroke their head, put a cold compress on them. That's what I want…that unconditional love. I don't want things to change [in a romance] just because of marriage. I want someone that I can laugh with. Someone that I can have a discussion with, that even if you disagree with each other, that you are together, you have each other's back. That you love and respect one another. That you can enjoy each other's company, that when they're sick you react as though they were your child.

See, I have a theory about parenting. There's an old saying: 'If you watch your pennies, you don't have to worry about your dollars.' Well, if you watch your kids when they're younger, you have less to worry about when they're teenagers. You just give them the attention that they need and deserve, and love them.

I usually don’t divulge too much about my personal life but yet, it makes it hard when you’re really busy all the time. It’s hard on relationships. I’m divorced, so that should tell you something.

(why he felt so strongly about his 24 character being assassinated) We have this legacy in this country and in the world of killing our leaders - especially our beloved leaders - and this character was very beloved. I know it upset a lot of people because I see people in the street all the time and they tell me. It felt wrong to have him killed off that way. I didn’t mind getting written out but what I did mind was having that character assassinated. I didn’t like that at all. As a matter of fact, for the longest time I wasn’t going to shoot the scene and they were going to have to make it a CNN scene on a TV screen as a news bulletin. But one of my good friends on the show talked me into it.

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