Succession: 10 Kendall Roy Quotes That Prove He’s Ruthless

One of the things that allows Succession to stand out is its ability to craft extraordinary characters who, time and again, reveal just how complicated they really are. There are few characters quite as complex as Kendall Roy who, during the three seasons of the series, shows many different sides to himself.

Even though he likes to pretend that he is more moral and ethical than his father or his siblings, there are many quotes where he demonstrates that, like a true son of Logan, he is ruthless when it comes to his own interests and desires.

About His Father:

“The Dinosaur Is Having One Last Roar At The Meteor Before It Wipes Him Out.”

The fraught dynamic between Logan and Kendall is one of the series’ most compelling relationships, and it’s clear that they are both very like and very unlike. In this quote, Kendall is taking yet another swipe at his father, seeing him as nothing more than a fossil from another era. It indicates that Kendall is quite capable of being ruthless when it comes to the perception of his father, a bit of hubris that will ultimately come back to haunt him.

On His Family’s Fortunes:

“You Can’t Put A Value On A Human Life, Except In Our Case, You Rather Precisely Can Because When Trading Opens Tomorrow, We’re Gonna Drop Like A Stone.”

There are many great quotes from the first season, and this is one that stands out. It’s a sentiment that is very much at odds with the Kendall that emerges in the later seasons, because here it demonstrates that he sees people as fundamentally things to be used as he sees fit rather than regarded as having worth in their own right. It’s a brutally pragmatic way of looking things, and it almost could have come from Logan rather than Roman.

On Being His Father’s Son:

“My Dad Is A Bastard, They Need To Know I’m A Bastard, Too.”

There’s no question that Logan Roy is one of the most terrifying characters in Succession, as he shows time and again. However, Kendall also has it in himself to be at least somewhat like his father, or at the very least he wants others to believe that. This quote demonstrates his ruthless awareness that, when it comes right down to it, he doesn’t have much choice except to show people that he is as much like his father as possible, otherwise they will never respect him.

Also On Being His Father’s Son:

“I’m Better Than You. You’re, You Know, I Hate To Say This Because I Love You, But You’re Kind Of Evil.”

One of Kendall’s ongoing struggles is whether he wants to be his father or whether he wants to take him down and be as unlike him as possible. This quote is a powerful indication of both of those tendencies, since he clearly realizes that his father is evil, even though he wants to be as much like him as possible.

More than anything else, however, it also shows how ruthless he can be with his words, and it shows that he has come to fully grasp his father’s moral weakness.

On His Own Morals:

“Who Said I Never Killed Anyone?”

One of the most shocking moments in Succession occurred early on, when Kendall accidentally killed a young man who was in his car with him. It’s a moment that haunts him. At the same time, as this quote indicates, it might be the case that he is just as amoral as his father. After all, it takes a particularly ruthless and heartless sort of person to refer to this incident so flippantly, even if Kendall is already high on power.

On His Independence:

“Does Anybody Want To Call Their Dad? Ok, Nobody Wants To Talk To Their F***In Dad.”

Like many people who have a difficult time getting out from beneath the shadow of their parents, Kendall sometimes overreacts to any suggestion that he needs his father’s permission to do something with the company. At the same time, this also leads him to be quite ruthless with others. This quote demonstrates his fervent and sometimes overwhelming desire to both separate himself from his father and also to demonstrate to others that he doesn’t need permission.

Doing so, of course, requires emasculating those that he doesn’t respect.

On Himself:

“Little Lord F*Ckleroy” Has Joined The Call.”

There are many classic one-liners in Succession (Logan alone has many great burns), and the characters aren’t afraid to be vulgar at every chance they can. This is especially true of Kendall, who can be quite ruthless and brutal when he deems it necessary. Here, in this quote, he turns that ruthlessness against himself when he joins a call by referring to himself in an insulting manner. It demonstrates that, by this point, he doesn’t care what anyone thinks of him in his pursuit of power.

On the Way Forward:

“All I Am Asking Is For Us To Move Forward From A Position Of Truth.”

Like many of the other great characters in this series, Kendall is a study in contradictions, with some traits that show him at his worst. While he clearly wants to dethrone his father, he can’t quite seem to decide whether he is quite the moral person that he claims to be. He can, at times, be quite ruthless in how he utilizes his moral outrage. As this quote demonstrates, he is more than willing to use a disingenuous piece of reasoning in order to get his family to agree to his terms.

On His Siblings:

“I’m Just Really Happy In My Headspace And I Hope They’re Happy In Theirs.”

The feuding among the siblings is, of course, one of the most appealing things about the series. While most of the children side with Logan, Kendall strikes out on his own. With this quote, he demonstrates his cold approach to their relationship. For much of the third season, he seems more than willing to throw his siblings under the bus, as long as it means that he will get ahead. As moral as he might be, his own ambitions often matter more than anything else.

On His Father, Unsurprisingly:

“Look At You. You’re 600 Years Old And You Pissed Off Your F*Cking Boyfriend, The President.”

Logan is someone who has a keen understanding of how power works. However, he sometimes alienates those who should be his allies, and Kendall shows that he is ruthless enough to take advantage of that fact. In fact, he never misses an opportunity to get under his father’s skin, utilizing every rhetorical weapon at his disposal in an effort to make Logan angry enough at him that the other man will ultimately make a mistake.

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