House of Cards quotes

Marty Spinella

Mrs. Underwood... Claire... I am sincerely sorry that you had to go through that ordeal, truly. And it actually sickens me that someone made you feel unsafe in your own home. And I give you my word that to the best of my knowledge, none of our people had anything to do with it. But you know what sickens me more? That right now, your husband is using you as a prop on national television to try and win a debate. So I think you're the one that owes your wife an apology, Frank. And when you're done apologizing, can we please get back to the issue here of educating our children?

Congressman Frank Underwood says he got quote, "schooled" by AFT spokesman and chief strategist Martin Spinella during a debate last night on this network. In the past 24 hours, reruns of the gaffe have played nonstop on TV news programs and the Internet. A YouTube clip set to techno music has logged more than 300,000 hits and spawned dozens of other spoofs.

Are you letting pride cloud your judgment, Frank?

Frank Underwood

Respectfully, sir, you're allowing fear to cloud yours.

Claire Underwood

You know what Francis said to me when he proposed? I remember his exact words. He said, 'Claire, if all you want is happiness, say no. I'm not gonna give you a couple of kids and count the days until retirement. I promise you freedom from that. I promise you'll never be bored.' You know, he was the only man - and there were a lot of others who proposed - but he was the only one who understood me. He didn't put me on some pedestal. He knew that I didn't want to be adored or coddled. So he took my hand and put a ring on it. Because he knew I'd say yes.

Frank Underwood

You know the difference between you and me, Marty?

Marty Spinella

What?

Frank Underwood

I'm a white-trash cracker from a white-trash town that no one would even bother to piss on. But here's the difference — I've made something of myself. I have the keys to the capitol. People respect me. But you, you're still nothing. You're just an uppity dago in an expensive suit turning tricks for the unions. Nobody respects the unions anymore, Marty. They're dying. And no one respects you. The most you'll ever make of yourself is blowing men like me. Men with real power. Yes. I can smell the cock on your breath from here.

Marty Spinella

You think you can get under my skin?

Frank Underwood

I know I can.

Zoe Barnes

[looking out the window] I can see your security guy.

Frank Underwood

Meechum?

Zoe Barnes

He's cute.

Frank Underwood

He'd never go for you.

Zoe Barnes

Why not?

Frank Underwood

You're too intimidating.

Zoe Barnes

But he's the one with the gun.

Frank Underwood

But you're the one with the Congressman.

I've been doing this a long time, Congressman. I know when I've scraped all the shit off the shoe.

Peter Russo

Do you get off on this or something?

Does a doctor enjoy it when he cups your balls and asks you to cough?

Frank Underwood

There's no better way to overpower a trickle of doubt than with a flood of naked truth.

Doug Stamper

But the most important count I do has nothing to do with work. It's the number of days since April 4, 1999. As of this morning, that's 5,185. The bigger that number gets, the more it frightens me, because I know all it takes is one drink to go back to zero. Most people see fear as a weakness. It can be. Sometimes for my job, I have to put fear in other people. I know that's not right. But if I'm honest, like the fourth step asks us to be, I have to be ruthless, because failure is not an option. The same goes for my sobriety. I have to be ruthless with myself. I have to use my fear. It makes me stronger. Like everyone in this room, I can't control who I am. But I can control the zero. Fuck the zero.

Frank Underwood

Aren't you going to wish me a happy Father's Day?

Zoe Barnes

You don't have any children.

Frank Underwood

Don't I?

Frank Underwood

The Sentinel, South Carolina's premier military college. They taught me the values of honor, duty, and respect. They also hazed me, tried to break me, and, senior year, nearly expelled me when I volunteered for a Senate race and my studies suffered. But that didn't stop them from soliciting a hefty sum for their new library 30 years later. How quickly poor grades are forgotten in the shadow of power and wealth.

[to Christina] So, you're fuckin' my son? [Christina says nothing] Relax. I'm just messin' with you.

Peter Russo

You elected me to represent you, but I couldn't forestall the inevitable. The shipyard was gonna close. If not this year, then next year, or the year after that. You all know that. Here's another truth that's gonna be hard to swallow: I'm all you've got.

Frank Underwood

The library is a sham. Higgins asked me a favor. I asked someone else a favor. They slapped my name on it. Politics. Like everything else.