Harvey Specter from the TV show ‘Suits’ is the kind of character one can love or hate, but can never ignore. His arrogant yet charismatic mannerisms coupled with his witty dialogues make him an ideal fit for a top-brass lawyer at a law firm considered New York’s best. His dialogues are not just entertaining, they are key to winning it big like he does.
As dramatic as Specter’s life has been portrayed on the show, his philosophy is equally sassy. Be it his professional life where he is always at the top of his game, or his personal life where he navigates through many of his own complexities — Harvey always has an on-point philosophy to lace the drama in his life. Here are some of his top quotes that perfectly justify Harvey Specter’s iconic character and pass on his philosophy to make it big in life to his audience:
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Harvey Specter Is A Man Of Action
1. “I don’t play the odds, I play the man.“
Harvey delivers one of his most iconic dialogues in season 7, signifying that he’s not the kind of person to rely on probabilities for his success. He would rather venture into the mind of the other person, and find out what he’s thinking and why, to chalk out a solution. Harvey believes in making things happen, not leaving them to the odds.
2. “I don’t have dreams, I have goals.“
In the pilot episode of the series, Harvey meets another important character, Mike Ross. One of the significant things that Harvey tells Mike in their initial conversations is that he does not believe in the concept of ‘dreaming’ because dreams are just wishes that are not concrete enough. He would rather have goals and work towards them to achieve whatever he wants.
3. “You want to lose small, I want to win big.“
Towards the end of the show, Harvey is shown to have won most of his cases, but also to have lost some. However, his strategies as a lawyer are no less than carefully crafted chess moves. During an argument with another lawyer about his negotiation strategies, he tells him that it’s more about the big wins than the small losses for him.
4. “Ever loved someone so much you would do anything for them? Yeah, well, make that someone yourself and do whatever the hell you want.”
In the last season of the show, Harvey says this to Donna — his long-time executive assistant and complicated romantic partner. During a heartfelt conversation with her, Harvey tells her to put herself above others and see how things work out for the best.
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Harvey Specter Knows How To Win
5. “Winners take responsibility for the things they did wrong. When things don’t go well, those are the people who have the ability to change.“
Harvey delivers this dialogue to emphasize the importance of introspection. Though he refuses to give up or accept defeat in most parts of the series, Harvey values accountability and learning from his mistakes, which is also reflected in several instances.
6. “I don’t get lucky; I make my own luck.“
With this dialogue, Harvey yet again asserts that he essentially believes in making things happen rather than leaving them to luck or destiny. As he walks his talk in the entire series, Harvey can be seen doing things by hook or by crook, both on professional and personal fronts.
7. “I refuse to answer that on the grounds that I don’t want to.“
Witt is a quintessential element of Harvey Specter’s character. In season 2 of the show, Harvey delivers this witty dialogue while being questioned during a deposition. Though his confidence is always laced with arrogance, it almost always does the job of intimidating his rivals well.
8. “Sometimes the good guy’s gotta do bad things to make the bad guys pay.“
As a lawyer, Harvey often finds himself in moral dilemmas. He however believes in making people pay for their deeds, even at the cost of doing what is conventionally considered a bad thing to do to someone.
9. “I’m against having emotions, not using them.”
Harvey’s character is shown to have a stoic approach — he refuses to let his emotions show. With this dialogue, he conveys that despite his reluctance to be emotional, emotions are an innate part of his being — though he would rather use them strategically when it comes to his professional life.
10. “Sometimes success is standing still.”
Last, but not the least, this is one of Specter’s underrated observations. During a quiet moment of reflection, Harvey observes that success is not always conspicuous. Sometimes, it is still, and quiet, and one might fail to recognize it.
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