While the popular crime series may be over, there are a number of memorable Peaky Blinders quotes that will stay with fans forever. For six seasons, Peaky Blinders offered a gritty and thrilling period saga looking at the Shelby crime family and its infamous gang. While the show was filled with violence and brutality, it was often the dialogue that stole the show. Steven Knight's scripts never shy away from quick, sassy banter and cinematic lines among its characters, whether it be Thomas Shelby's brooding musings, Alfie's wild outbursts, or Aunt Polly's fiery comebacks.
Peaky Blinders came to an end in 2022, and while there is some hope for the story's continuation, the show left plenty of great moments that the fans can look back on, including the endless lines that remain quotable years later. From the epic monologues to the thoughtful observations to the rare moments of humor, these memorable quotes highlight why Peaky Blinders will be so missed by fans.
30 "I'm Guessing You People All Decided That The Only Person Who Could Ever Kill Tommy Shelby, Is Tommy Shelby Himself."
Tommy Shelby - Season 6, Episode 6: "Lock And Key"
As fans eagerly await the arrival of the Peaky Blinder movie, season 6 of the show set up an intriguing direction for the next chapter. The final season of the show deals with, among many other things, Tommy's impending demise. A doctor reveals to him that he has a tumor on his brain that cannot be operated on and will kill him in a matter of months.
However, as the finale comes to an end, Tommy learns the truth that the doctor was working for Tommy's enemy, Oswald Mosely, and lied about Tommy's fatal diagnosis. After years of various enemies attempting to kill Tommy and Tommy managing to survive, he points out that his enemies assumed he could be the only one to kill himself. It is a line that speaks to the impressive legacy of Tommy Shelby while also speaking to the darkness in him that suggests he has a death wish at times.
29 "I Have No Limitations."
Tommy Shelby - Season 6, Episode 6: "Lock And Key"
One of those instances in which Tommy manages to escape what seems like a certain death comes in the finale. Though they were once like brothers, the final season of Peaky Blinders finds Tommy at odds with Michael as the latter blames Tommy for the death of Polly. Michael teams with Tommy's enemies to set him up to be killed only for Tommy to once again emerge unscathed and ready to turn the tables.
Though Tommy attempts to understand the fraction that occurred between the two men, in the end, he coldly executes Michael and delivers this line. With no one around to hear it, the line seems to be Tommy confirming to himself who he is and recognizing how far he has gone. He understands there is nothing that will stop him from pulling that trigger while also suggesting that he has mixed feelings about the revelation.
28 "We Shake Hands With The Devils And We Walk Past Them."
Polly Shelby - Season 4, Episode 6
Tommy Shelby and the Peaky Blinders are certainly no saints and there is a thin line between them and many of the villains on the show. However, there are foes that they face in the series who are easy for the audience to hate. However, given the world the Peaky Blinders operated in, it is not as if they have the luxury of standing above such people.
Molly astutely points out the compromise the Peaky Blinders have to face on nearly a daily basis. They form uneasy alliances and back people that they know are evil because sometimes they can use a little evil on their side. Polly always battled with these aspects of their position, and in a heartbreaking bit of irony, her words are proven even more true in Peaky Blinders season 6, as Tommy is forced to work alongside the people who had Polly killed.
27 "I’m Just Reminding Myself Of Who I’d Be If I Wasn’t Who I Was.”
Tommy Shelby - Season 2, Episode 5
Given the level of success Tommy is able to achieve and the wealth he has at the end of the series, it is amazing to look back at his humble beginnings. Even in the first season, when he had power on a street level, there was a sense that Tommy had already risen further than anyone ever thought he could. However, throughout the series, Tommy is able to hold onto that sense of where he can from.
During one scene in season 2, Tommy starts helping Curly clean out the horse barn. When Curly insists this is not something Tommy has to do, Tommy remarks that it is an exercise to remind himself where he came from. This is a sign of Tommy's intelligence, being humble enough to understand he needs to stay grounded and find a way to motivate himself toward future success.
26 "I'm Just An Extreme Example Of What A Working Man Can Achieve."
Tommy Shelby - Season 4, Episode 4: "Dangerous"
As with Tommy's ability to stay true to his roots amid his staggering success, it is sometimes easy to forget that Peaky Blinders is an underdog story at its center. Tommy beautifully reminds the audience of this with this funny and astute line that speaks to a lot of what motivates Tommy to achieve more.
It is a way of proving himself to the world and making them pay for underestimating him.
He is an intelligent man who could have made something legitimate in this world. However, he is not interested in simply taking a piece of what those in power are willing to offer him, he wants to take as much as he wants from them for himself. It is a way of proving himself to the world and making them pay for underestimating him. Time and time again in the series, Tommy has stepped into a world he didn't belong in and left with more control.
25 "I Will Wear High Heels So That You Will Hear My Approach On The Cobblestones, And You Will Have Time To Repent. "
Polly Shelby - Season 5, Episode 3: "Strategy"
While the characters in Peaky Blinders often prove themselves to be flawed and even evil people at times, they always seem to find enemies that are worse than they are. It can be so satisfying seeing them put these people in their place and Aunt Polly is one of the best characters to fulfill this job. While Polly usually stays out of the nastier aspects of the group, she is keen to teach an abusive nun a lesson.
She accompanies Tommy to a meeting with this woman which is rare in itself. However, Tommy seems to know to allow her to take charge when it comes to ensuring the nun understands how seriously they take this situation. Warning the corrupted woman to change her ways, Polly ends with this chilling threat about what will happen if she needs to visit the nun again.
24 "This Whole Bloody Enterprise Was Women's Business While You Boys Were Away At War."
Polly Shelby - Season 1, Episode 1
One of the biggest elements missing from the final season of Peaky Blinders was the absence of Polly following the death of Helen McCrory. She was certainly one of the standout characters on the show and delivered some of the best lines. Part of what makes Polly so endearing is how she refuses to buckle to anyone, including Tommy.
When he suggests that there is some business the Shelby women should not be involved in, Polly is not at all afraid to remind Tommy how there would be no business without the women. From the beginning of the show, she was one of the most powerful people in this circle of characters and never let anyone forget it. Though she respects Tommy, she makes it clear to him that she will never accept being considered less important than he is.
23 "I Heard You Dress Well Mr. Shelby. But Now I See, Not So Well As Me."
Luca Changretta - Season 4, Episode 2: "Heathens"
One of the best villains of Peaky Blinders is Luca Changretta. The mafia man comes over from America to exact revenge on Tommy Shelby for the murder of his father. Luca quickly establishes himself as an intimidating threat, partially due to his confidence that he will be able to wipe out the entire Shelby family despite their untouchable reputation.
Working his way into Tommy's office, Luca seems to relish putting his enemy on edge. He sizes him up and delivers this oddly threatening line that suggests the myth of Tommy Shelby is overstated and establishes him as someone who might actually take Tommy down. There are not too many characters who can make Tommy squirm, but that is exactly what Luca does here, showing him that he understands the power Tommy has and is unimpressed.
22 "And If We Lift Our Heel Off Their Necks Now, They'll Just Come At Us."
Tommy Shelby - Season 3, Episode 2
Tommy is a fascinating protagonist in the series, often challenging the audience's willingness to him. He can be a brutal, heartless, and ruthless leader who goes to extremes to maintain the power he has fought so hard for. There are times when his tactics are perceived as being too much for even his most loyal followers to get behind.
With the violence erupting around them, many of the Peaky Blinders, especially Polly, desire that there be peace. Tommy seems to have the same outlook as he makes a deal to end the war with his enemies. However, he quickly goes back on the deal and strikes at them when they finally think they are safe. He insists that this is a maneuver to protect the family, but it becomes clear Tommy is no longer the underdog but the one with the boot on people's necks.
21 "There's No Rest For Me In This World. Perhaps In The Next."
Tommy Shelby - Season 4, Episode 6: "The Company"
Even with his many victories, Tommy is a tortured man who seems to have no way out of the life he has built for himself. The series begins with him as a man of ambition and it is thrilling to see him rise up in the world with each new victory. However, as the series goes on, these victories begin to seem sour as the more power he gains, the more he is sucked into a dark world in which he does not seem to belong.
He acknowledges that all this fighting for power will not bring him any peace and that he'll have to wait for a new life in order to rest. Interestingly, the end of the series seems to offer this rest to Tommy, allowing him to choose between a life where he is thought to be dead or one where he goes back to his old ways to seek revenge. It's likely a question the Peaky Blinders movie will answer.
