Frank Underwood quotes from House of Cards

Claire Underwood

What if you lose?

Frank Underwood

I will not be a placeholder president, Claire. I will win. And I will leave a legacy.

Claire Underwood

You mean we will.

Frank Underwood

Tell me, do you kiss the wife of every president?

Viktor Petrov

Not every president's wife looks like yours.

Frank Underwood

I'd push him down the stairs and light his broken body on fire just to watch it burn, if it wouldn't start a world war.

You know what I dreamed of when I came here? Choking you with my bare hands.

Frank Underwood

Mr. Mahmoud, you may hate me. You may hate the office I hold. But here's the reality: I must make decisions every day that I hope are just. I don't know right from wrong all the time. I wish I did. But what I can't be is indecisive.

It says in the Quran that the taking of one life is like the taking of all mankind.

Frank Underwood

It also says that the saving of one life is like the saving of all mankind.

You didn't ask me here to apologize. You asked me here to forgive you.

Frank Underwood

I didn't order the strike to-

I won't forgive you, Mr. President. I don't want to make it any easier for you to sleep at night. Knowing a few lines of the Quran does not absolve you.

Frank Underwood

I have a duty to this nation, Mr. Mahmoud. I swore an oath.

There's a fine line between duty and murder. Only you have to power to stop what happened to me. The next time you wield it, I hope you'll think twice.

My letter of resignation.

Frank Underwood

I can't accept that. You're too valuable to us.

I can't run for office as a Solicitor General.

Frank Underwood

Then you should reconsider running for office.

It's too late for that, I think.

Frank Underwood

I don't understand, Heather, I offered you a seat on the Supreme Court.

If Jacobs was stepping down, which he isn't.

Frank Underwood

You spoke to him?

As Solicitor General, I'm friendly with all of the justices. I keep those relationships private, so no one will suspect any bias toward me. But Robert and I are very close. He and Ruth have me over for dinner once a month.

Frank Underwood

So you already knew about the Alzheimer's.

He told me the day he was diagnosed.

Frank Underwood

I've never had anything but his best interests at heart.

You don't care about Robert. You wanted to sideline me.

Frank Underwood

So you actually think you have a shot at this office.

Yes I do, and so does the leadership.

Frank Underwood

You're in over your head Heather, no matter what Birch or Womack are telling you.

Why should it concern you, Mr. President? You've announced that you're not running.

Frank Underwood

Is this personal for you?

Don't flatter yourself!

Frank Underwood

You got Walker, but you couldn't get me!

I don't have to run to make sure you leave office, you couldn't win anyway. I'm running because I know I'd make a good President.

Frank Underwood

Oh you might very well make a good President, but right now you're being delusional.

When Birch approached me, I wasn't sure. I was tempted, but I knew it was a long shot. And when you offered the nomination I was overwhelmed. It's what I've been working toward my entire career. But then I spoke to Robert and when he told me how you threatened him I knew I had to run. Someone needs to scrub the stink from this office.

Frank Underwood

I didn't threaten him.

What would you call it?

Frank Underwood

I was trying to save him, the same way I'm trying to save you now, once the news of his Alzheimer's gets out, which it will, because no matter how much we all try to lie about it, it's gonna leak. Can you imagine, what that's going to do to his reputation? He deserved better than that and you deserve being an also ran. Help me convince him. Take the seat on the Court where you belong.

Is this how you live with yourself? By rationalizing the obscene into the palatable..

Frank Underwood

I haven't excused you yet!

See you in Iowa.

Frank Underwood

I understand the Old Testament God, whose power was absolute, who ruled through fear. [points to the Cross] But Him?

There's no such thing as absolute power for us, except on the receiving end. Using fear will get you nowhere. It's not your job to determine what's just. It's not your place to choose which version of God you like best. It's not your duty to serve this country alone, and it better not be your goal to simply serve yourself. You serve the Lord, and through Him you serve others. Two rules: Love God, and love each other. Period. You weren't chosen, Mr. President. [points to the Cross] Only He was.

Frank Underwood

May I have a few moments for myself, to pray?

It's all yours. [leaves]

Frank Underwood

[to the Cross] Love. That's what you're selling. Well, I don't buy it.

Edward Meechum

Is everything all right, sir?

Frank Underwood

I was praying, and it just fell. Have someone come in and clean this up.

Edward Meechum

Yes, sir.

Frank Underwood

[to the audience] Well, I've got God's ear now.

What's on your mind, Mr. President?

Frank Underwood

At the burial the other day, you talked about Abraham and Isaac, God giving up his only son.

Between you and me, that's the same sermon I always use at Arlington. You put enough soldiers in the ground, you get tired of writing new ones.

Frank Underwood

It was the first time I had heard it.

Won't be the last.

Frank Underwood

I want to understand what justice is.

That's a big one.

Frank Underwood

I know.

There's our justice, the kind men create. We base it on things like the Ten Commandments. But those can be read a million different ways.

Frank Underwood

"Thou shalt not kill" seems pretty clear.

Who's to say? If we didn't kill, others would kill instead of us. There's a lot of killing in the Bible. King David was a warrior.

Frank Underwood

How do you reconcile that with the laws that God gave Moses?

Even those laws require interpretation.

There are two laws we have to remember above all else. He tells us to love God and to love each other.

Frank Underwood

You can't love the people you kill.

You sure as hell can. And you have to love the people who are trying to kill you.

Jesus loved the Romans. "Father, forgive them," he said, "for they know not what they do."

Frank Underwood

"Yeah, well, why didn't he fight? Why did he allow himself to be sacrificed?

I ask myself that question a lot.

We're drafting a law that says that this use of funds is illegal.

Frank Underwood

And who's going to enforce that law?

We were ready to impeach one president; we'll do the same with you, if necessary.

Frank Underwood

And put Donald Blythe in this office? You know he's not up for the job. Congress would get killed for malpractice. As crooked as you may think I am, you know I can handle the pressure, and you know that Donald can't. So pass your law, I'll veto it, and when you overrule me in the Senate, we'll let the third branch decide.

Don't declare war on Congress, Mr. President.

Frank Underwood

Not on Congress. I'm declaring war on atrophy. [to the audience] But, these days, who could tell the difference?

Frank Underwood

There won't be a revolution because you freed one man.

Viktor Petrov

Revolutions sneak up on you, one small step at a time. I can't ignore the smallest step.

Frank Underwood

[about Corrigan] He was a coward, and I'm glad he's dead.

Claire Underwood

He had more courage than you'll ever have.

Frank Underwood

Do you really wanna discuss courage, Claire? Because anyone can commit suicide, or spout their mouths off in front of a camera. You wanna know what takes courage? Keeping your mouth shut, no matter what you may be feeling. Holding it all together when the stakes are this high.

Claire underwood

We're murderers, Francis.

Frank Underwood

No, we're not. We're survivors.

Claire Underwood

If we can't show respect for one brave man and still accomplish what we set out to do, then I'm disappointed in both of us.

Frank Underwood

I never should have made you ambassador.

Claire Underwood

I never should have made you president. [leaves]

Frank Underwood

[to the audience] What're you lookin' at?!

Tom Yates

[to Frank about his marriage] Everything okay between you two?

Frank Underwood

You bet. [pause] Well, they've been better. [pause] No, it's not okay.

Frank Underwood

Are the AARP here?

Remy Danton

In the lobby. The chairman told me they wanna support Dunbar.

Frank Underwood

They're just trying to rattle us.

Remy Danton

Dunbar's promising to save Social Security, go after Wall Street and government waste instead of entitlements.

Frank Underwood

Well, get 'em in here.

Remy Danton

Here's a list. The meeting's not for another 10 minutes.

Frank Underwood

Well, start bringing them in here. It'll take them that long to hobble over on their walkers.

Claire Underwood

I can't believe we've become this.

Frank Underwood

Become what?

Claire Underwood

Like everyone else.

Frank Underwood

Henry Mitchell, the new Senate Majority Leader. What happened to Hector Mendoza? Well, you don't declare a couple of paid speeches as income, and boom, you're no longer in Congress, and certainly not running for president. [pointing to Mitchell's portrait of Eisenhower] You got rid of Ronnie. Hector loved that painting.

Oh, he's not gone, just in storage.

Frank Underwood

[to the audience] Just like Hector.

Mr. President, I know you have a thousand things on your mind, but I would just love to talk to you about how to revolutionize the food processing industry here in Iowa.

Frank Underwood

[to the audience] Please, slit my wrists with his butter knife.

Frank Underwood

Heather.

Mr. President?

Frank Underwood

Doug Stamper is my friend and you came very close to killing him.

Excuse me?

Frank Underwood

You're aware he's an alcoholic.

Yes.

Frank Underwood

And how serious his injuries were.

Mr. President—

Frank Underwood

But you still put him to work, a man who's trying to recover, who's trying to get back his life. Did you honestly think he could handle that?

Douglas came to us.

Frank Underwood

And you should have turned him away, if you had one ounce of decency.

What's happened? Is he okay?

Frank Underwood

You don't have the right to ask me that question. And if you do anything that endangers his health again, I swear to God, I will put you in your fucking grave.