Summary

• Blade Runner's iconic quotes are both poetic and sly, showcasing the best of the science fiction genre through its memorable characters.
• The film's exploration of humanity through man-versus-machine narrative remains relevant and thought-provoking even after decades of its release.
• The profound and complex themes of Blade Runner are reflected in its powerful dialogue, highlighting the moral implications of creating beings "more human than human."

When Ridley Scott adapted Philip K. Dick's classic sci-fi novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? for the big screen, there was plenty of gilded text to turn to for memorable Blade Runner quotes. Blade Runner took the novel's broader themes and infused them with elements that can make a cinematic experience truly unique: arresting visuals and memorable one-liners. Scott's opus wasn't a dramatic hit in 1982 but has since risen to the level of a cult classic and even spawned a sequel, thanks in no small part to its quotable lines.

Fans continue to enjoy Blade Runner having some of the best Ridley Scott film quotes because they're neither gimmicky nor do they exist for the sake of exposition. Just like the movie's soundtrack, art direction, and thematic elements, the script and its endlessly quotable lines represent the best parts of the science fiction genre. Given its candid inspection of what it means to be human via its man-versus-machine narrative, Blade Runner's script is economical where it has to be, poetic where it should be, and with these top quotes, "built to last."

"Wake Up. Time To Die."

Leon

Rutger Hauer steals the movie by playing both a touching and terrifying villain. However, credit must be given to famous character actor Brion James, whose performance as Leon is no less memorable. Unhinged and wild, he's a desperate replicant who struggles to understand his emotions. After being relentlessly tested and experimented on, it's not surprising that he makes a tumultuous escape early on in the film, taking human lives in the process.

Leon delivers one of the most recognizable Blade Runner quotes, which, while brief, is a study in irony, and a perfect representation of the sly humor worked into the movie. This is also a chance to show that some Replicants are very dangerous. While it is easy to feel sorry for the Replicants who just want to live in peace, seeing ones like Leon makes it hard to sympathize with all of them. However, this is also another way they are more human than human.

"I Was Quit When I Come In Here, Bryant. I'm Twice As Quit Now."

Deckard

One of the best rough-around-the-edge heroes of any 1980s movie, Rick Deckard is an amalgamation of jaded private detective and cynical action star, with a smattering of sarcasm that contributes to some quotes from Blade Runner that are surprisingly clever. He doesn't want to be recruited to hunt Replicants, and his sardonic exchange with his boss makes that very clear. However, he knows that he really has no choice, which makes these quips his only defense.

It also offers an insight into his character as a man who is tired of the hypocrisy of hunting and killing beings that humans created and simply wants to discard without any repercussions or discomfort. Deckard wants out, knows that this isn't possible, and understands that he has to keep killing, even if he doesn't fully believe in it anymore. He is a reluctant hero, and this is something that carries him into his appearance in the sequel as well, as Rick Deckard just wants out.

"'More Human Than Human' Is Our Motto."

Rachael

Tyrell Corp sought to distinguish itself in the field of artificial intelligence by making synthetic life forms that were "more human than human," never expecting that its replicants would desire to feel fear, anger, hate, and love, which turned out to be a dangerous prerogative. Moral implications in the making of replicants arose when the designers were aware of the dangers their existence created.

Dr. Tyrell himself experienced them firsthand when, much later, he was killed for the commodification of his creations. This is a stark quote, as it is clear that they wanted the Replicants to look human, and do human work, but the last thing that they wanted was for the Replicants to have human weaknesses. Those "weaknesses" include learning they have emotions, and that when their emotions start to build up, Replicants become as deadly as any human because then they are as human as the men hunting them down.

"Do You Like Our Owl?"

Rachael

In the near-future world of Blade Runner, real animals are difficult to come by, leaving people no choice but to spend thousands of dollars on synthetic versions. Tyrell Corp offers a beautiful line of mammals, fouls, and reptiles that are "more animal than animal." When Deckard makes a visit to the company's headquarters, he notes a particularly exquisite owl. Rachael asks him how he likes it, and he's incredulous when he finds out it's a fake.

This is another instance where Deckard finds everything happening to be repulsive. The fact that he ires the owl and finds it exquisite, only to learn it is as "fake" as the Replicants that he is sent out to kill, starts to bother him more and more. He realizes at this moment that it is becoming almost impossible to tell a real human or animal from a Replicantl. Once they start to seamlessly integrate with each other, including bringing animals into the situation, humans are no longer as special as they think they are.

"Painful To Live In Fear, Isn't It?"

Leon

While Roy Batty gets a lot of attention in Blade Runner for his intensity, Leon Kowalski set the tone for the Nexus 6 malevolence that would underscore the rest of the film. Leon utters the above line, which is echoed by Batty later in the film's climax, embodying the film's moral position. More sophisticated replicants like Rachael aren't aware they're synthetic beings, but Leon and Roy are. They know they have expiration dates, they just don't know when it is.

They live in perpetual fear, the fear of death, which is one of the most brutal components of the human condition. When it comes to Blade Runner quotes like this one, it is one of the more complex themes of the film. What do Replicants really represent? Anyone that society deems to be different or expendable spends their entire life in fear of their deaths. In the case of this sci-fi masterpiece, it is androids, but how different is that from humans who often live with the same fears that they are not deemed worthy of human rights?

"I'm Not In The Business. I Am The Business."

Rachael

Deckard often claimed to have little regard for Replicants, and if they functioned as they were designed to, he would have no need to notice their behavior at all. Speaking to Rachael about retiring Replicants is the only time he confesses to getting "the shakes" from killing them. His topic of being in "the business" doesn't resonate with her because she can't relate to Deckard's living made from the commercial aspect of her peers.

Rachael has to come to with the grim thought that she's nothing more than a commodity, but by being "more human than human," she can understand her deplorable treatment. This is a terrifying thought for her, as she deals with a man whose job is to kill Replicants, even though it is becoming more evident that they have feelings, fears, and more, which makes pulling the trigger no different than killing a real human being. For Rachael, it becomes even more terrifying, since she isn't human at all.

"I've Had People Walk Out On Me Before, But Not When I Was Being So Charming."

Deckard

This is not one of Harrison Ford's most iconic movie quotes, but even so, it showcases a playfulness to Deckard's personality. Normally a very cynical rogue, Rachael seems to bring out his more "charming" side, and the joy from their interactions seems to give him something worth pursuing. This Blade Runner quote not only serves to make Deckard a more appealing leading man, but it also highlights the romantic subplot between him and Rachael, which only grows as the movie progresses.

But first, of course, they must have a lovers' quarrel before they can realize how much they mean to one another. This is a scene that shows that Rick is a decent human at times, and it makes him more relatable than if he were just a monotonous Replicant-killing machine. However, it also plays into the story later in the movie when he learns the truth about the Replicants that are standing in front of him the entire time, and the fact that he was killing beings that he could have easily been charming instead.

"Chew, If Only You Could See What I've Seen With Your Eyes."

Roy

Throughout Blade Runner, the "eye" is a powerful symbol. The film begins with Leon's erratic eye movements being studied as part of a test to determine whether or not he's human, and Roy's artificial eyes offer him a way to begin developing certain emotions. When Roy hunts down Chew, the man responsible for making his eyes, he explains to the terrified engineer that the eyes he created for him helped to inform his maturing feelings. Chew may have given him his eyes, as Tyrell Corp gave him his body and mind, but it's he who used them to transcend his replicant status.

This also plays into the most famous Blade Runner quote that comes later in the movie, where Batty explains what all his eyes have seen. The Replicants were supposed to be unfeeling, uncaring, robotic workers, who cared for nothing but getting their work done. However, thanks to their eyes showing them the beauty of the world — and the ugliness of humanity — those same eyes helped create something greater than the Replicant's creators ever could have imagined.

"I Can't Rely On My Memories."

Rachael

One of the most moving aspects of the plot is that the Replicants are made to be sympathetic beings. Every Replicant, no matter their history, can be viewed tragically, especially Tyrell's star creation Rachael, who at one point tells Deckard that she can't even rely on her own memories. Memories are what make up a person's personality and sense of self. Without them, they are a blank slate, devoid of past experiences, and unable to know how to interact with the world.

Rachael thought she knew who she was because of the memories implanted into her cortex, but after discovering the truth, she realizes she cannot ever know who she truly is, adding to the movie's fantastic sense of neo-noir dread. This also adds a bit of mystery to the movie. If a Replicant can't trust their memories that tell them who they are, that means anyone could be a Replicant, and believe deep down they are human without knowing any better, which includes Rick Deckard.

"The Light That Burns Twice As Bright Burns Half As Long"

Dr. Tyrell

"And You Have Burned So Very, Very Brightly, Roy. Look At You: You're The Prodigal Son; You're Quite A Prize!"

When Roy Batty goes in search of his creator, intending to ask for an extension of his life cycle, he finds only an avuncular rebuke from his father figure, Dr. Tyrell. Tyrell tries to convince his irascible creation that he's managed in his four years to live an extraordinary life, but that no matter what he does, he cannot stop his time from running out. Roy cannot take the news and kills Tyrell, one final act of punishment for making a being that is so sophisticated it can perceive the injustice of its own fate.

The very power that Tyrell granted his creation uses it to end his life. This is a motif in many monster movies. When a man plays God and creates life, he often dies at the hands of his own creation, either physically or metaphorically, which goes back to the Frankenstein storyline. This is similar, but what is tragic is that Batty's creator knows that his creation has done more than he ever could have imagined. Dr. Tyrell might have died at Batty's hands, but he learns, before his death, that he created something very special.