DFW Quotes of the Year 2018

The Observer owes a lot to those who just come out and say it. Whether it's the outgoing congressman lamenting that new Texas residents cost him his office because they just don't understand the state, or the leader of one of the city's biggest churches explaining why it's perfectly OK for migrant children to be separated from their parents at the border, the best stuff in North Texas frequently comes right from the horses' ... um ... let's say mouths.

Here are North Texas' best, worst and weirdest utterances of 2018.

"I have dedicated much of my life to serving others, but have never claimed to be without sin. I am truly sorry that I must end my career as an elected official because I betrayed the public's trust that I worked so very hard to earn." — Dallas City Council member Dwaine Caraway, announcing his resignation following his pleading guilty to federal corruption charges.

“What irony it is that that which we have built has also turned us into a larger metroplex that has gathered people from all over the country, including those from parts of our West who have come to Dallas and perhaps not really understood the true nature of Texas.” — Soon-to-be former Dallas Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, trying to make sense of his loss to Democratic challenger Colin Allred.

"Shit, for 60 minutes straight. If you hit a motherfucker in the mouth and then they ain't doing what they're regularly doing, putting up 50 points, they start to get a little distressed. Now you got them where you want them at, and then you fucking choke their ass out." — Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, describing his defense's strategy for beating the New Orleans Saints. The then-6-5 Cowboys backed Lawrence up, knocking off the 10-1 Saints 13-10 on Nov. 29.

“I am indeed satisfied with the indictment for murder of Amber Guyger because I truly believe that she inflicted tremendous evil on my son. I look forward to the next step, which is a conviction of murder for Amber Guyger and more so to the penalty, which will cause her to reflect on the pain she has caused.” — Allison Jean, the mother of Botham Jean. Guyger, then a Dallas Police Department officer, shot and killed Jean in his apartment, believing it was her own. A Dallas County grand jury indicted Guyger for murder earlier this month.

"I'm just sorry I didn't see it. I'm sorry I didn't recognize it. I just hope that out of this, we'll be better and we can avoid it and we can help make everybody just smarter about the whole thing." — Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban to ESPN after the announcement that he would donate $10 million to women's causes after a years-long pattern of sexual harassment was discovered in the Mavericks' front office. 

"I have no agenda [beyond helping the city of Euless] at all. If it was there, you would have seen it during my four years on the park board. There isn't one thing, one vote where you can look back and say, 'Look, here is his agenda.'" — Euless City Council member Salman Bhojani, who was attacked by Texas state Rep. Jonathan Stickland as he ran for council. Stickland claimed that Bhojani, a Muslim, had a secret agenda for Euless.

"After careful consideration and many sleepless nights, I have made the decision to retire from what I've been doing my whole life, which is playing baseball, the game I love." — Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre, announcing his retirement.

"You don't send children to jail with their parents in America, so I'm not sure why the only criminals who would get a pass on that policy would be illegal immigrants." — First Baptist Dallas pastor Robert Jeffress, explaining why he was totally cool with President Donald Trump's family separation policy.

"You are a fucking douche bag. You lying piece of shit." — Butch Groves, the head of the upper school at The Oakridge School in Arlington, tweeting to Stormy Daniels' attorney Michael Avenatti in the midst of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings. The school fired Groves.

"This case is not just about Jordan. It’s about Tamir Rice. It’s about Walter Scott. It’s about Alton Sterling. It’s about every unarmed African-American who has been killed and has not gotten justice. We’re just happy that, here in Dallas, Texas, Roy Oliver is going to have to do his time for taking Jordan’s life." — Daryl Washington, attorney for the family of Jordan Edwards, after a Dallas County jury convicted former Balch Springs cop Roy Oliver of murder for shooting 15-year-old Edwards with a rifle as he and his friends drove away from a party. 

"In my opinion, this should be named the 'Indentured Servants Bowl' because students generate millions and millions of dollars for their universities and the media while they don't get paid for their work." — Dallas City Council member Lee Kleinman on why the city should stop funding the First Responders Bowl at Fair Park. The council voted to keep paying for the game anyway.

“Why you lying, boy? That Obamacare saved my life and people like you want to kill people like me because we can't work. I'm trying to find a job, but they ain't going to cover me if you take away pre-existing conditions.” — Alvarado's Michael Lummus, berating an attorney representing plaintiffs trying to weaken or destroy the Affordable Care Act, prior to a federal court hearing in Fort Worth.

"I never protest during the anthem, and I don't think that's the time or the venue to do so. The game of football has always brought me such peace, and I think it does the same for a lot of people — a lot of people playing the game, a lot of people watching the game, a lot of people who have any impact of the game — so when you bring such controversy to the stadium, to the field, to the game, it takes away. It takes away from that. It takes away from the joy and the love that football brings a lot of people." — Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, explaining before the 2018 season why he wouldn't protest during the national anthem.

"Voters in Dallas County are very intelligent. If you look at the numbers, Pete Sessions outperformed Donald Trump by 30,000 votes. They know the difference between federal and local politics and who is working in their best interest." Dallas County GOP Chairwoman Missy Shorey, telling the Observer this summer how local Republicans could be competitive in the midterms. Sessions lost his seat, as did six Republican Texas House members.

"You take the five little people off those little stands where they are. You take off that man, you saw the other man off. You take him off. You take him off. You take him off at the top." — Caraway, describing his plan to leave Dallas' Confederate war memorial in place, but replace the figures that sit atop it with civil rights leaders.