The Walking Dead‘s main story starts out after the zombie apocalypse and the best Rick Grimes quotes in the series helped the audience latch onto him as the hero and helped them understand the world he and his fellow survivors were living in. Actor Andrew Lincoln departed the show in season 9, but his presence lived on, thanks largely to a series of long-lasting quotes. Many of the quotes sent shivers down the spines of longtime fans, as they became more profound over time. Rick’s character went through many twists and turns, from salvation to damnation, and back again, and his evolution was driven largely by trauma, chaos, and bloodshed.

At long last, The Walking Dead came to an end after 11 seasons and over a decade on the air. In a stunning turn of events, the show’s closing sequence saw the return of Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in a thrilling set-up to set up for his spinoff series starring himself and Danai Gurira as Michonne. Though some of the best Rick Grimes quotes may ultimately be attributed to that spin-off, there’s no denying that some of Rick’s lines on The Walking Dead will haunt fans for years to come.

25 “At Least Have The Balls To Call This What It Is: Murder.”

2×12: “Better Angels”

In the first season of The Walking Dead, Rick Grimes woke up from a coma and then set out to find his wife, son, and best friend during a zombie apocalypse. Through most of those first two seasons, Rick was a good guy, pure at heart, and he set rules about what was murder and what wasn’t. Sadly, he also had to face his best friend, Shane, who had fallen in love with Rick’s wife Lori, and had established himself as a leader, something Rick threatened on both sides. Shane took Rick out to kill him, and this line shows Rick’s morals, something that changed drastically in the years after this shocking moment when Rick had to kill Shane.

24 “Either Way, I Don’t Pretend To Be A Governor.”

3×13: “Arrow on the Doorpost”

One of the biggest motifs in The Walking Dead is showing Rick Grimes as a leader and then contrasting him to other leaders they encounter. It seems that no matter what Rick does that is purely evil and vile to outsiders, he is still the good guy when he is compared to others. Looking at Negan, the Commonwealth, and even Deanna in The Commonwealth, Rick was the one most suited to lead people and keep them both alive and safe. The first major comparison was when Rick met The Governor in Woodbury. The two quipped back and forth about morals and leadership, and Rick delivered the perfect quote to show how they differed.

23 “I Killed My Best Friend For You People, For Christ’s Sake.”

2×13: “Beside The Dying Fire”

Rick Grimes did a lot of bad things in The Walking Dead. Many of them were for good reason or for the greater good, but there was one case where it was simply a case of self-defense. He killed people for poor reasons (like the sleeping people whom Negan protected) and for good reasons (the Terminus cannibals). However, it was his murder of his best friend Shane that helped morph Rick into someone who could – and would – kill when needed. When the other people at the camp questioned his leadership after this, Rick broke down and exclaimed that he killed his best friend to protect them. This was the start of a long dark road for the former police officer.

22 “I’m Gonna Make It Real, Carl.”

8×9: “Honor”

Rick Grimes had a lot of plans for the future with his son Carl. He had lost his wife, but he had a family of friends with the other survivors. However, it was Carl and young Judith who were Rick’s real family. Rick wanted to create a world that would be safer for Carl and Judith to grow up in. He did this in the comics and Carl lived a long life. It wasn’t his job in the TV show, and Carl didn’t even live long enough to see it. As Carl lay dying, he begged his dad not to keep killing and reminded him of the future in which they dreamed. That is when Rick broke down and made his promise, saying

“I’m gonna make it real, Carl. I promise.”

21 “They’re Fu**ing With The Wrong People.”

4×16: “A”

In the fourth season of The Walking Dead, Rick and the other survivors were all captured. This was when they battled the cannibals from Terminus and they had finally pushed Rick to the limit. They were in a gunfight with Gareth, but he had snipers and the survivors had no way out. They surrendered and Gareth locked them in a boxcar and that is when Rick turned and delivered one of the most intense quotes of his entire time on the show. He said, “They’re gonna feel pretty stupid when they find out.” When Abraham asked what he meant, Rick simply said, “They’re fu**ing with the wrong people.” What happened after this was some of Rick’s most gruesome kills.

20 “How You Live, How You Die… It Isn’t Up To Me…”

3×15: “This Sorrowful Life”

“How you live, how you die… it isn’t up to me. I’m not your Governor.”

In the early seasons of The Walking Dead, character development was essential when it came to establishing the paths taken in future episodes. After Hershel’s (Scott Wilson) farm burned down, Rick made it clear to the other survivors that they needed to show absolute obedience to his orders if they wanted to remain a part of his group. Season 3 saw the rise of the Governor (David Morrissey), a character who was one of the most dangerous Walking Dead villains. This Rick Grimes quote made a profound statement when he essentially backed off of his previously tyrannical attitude and referenced the Governor directly.

19 “I’m Not The Good Guy Anymore.”

2×10: “18 Miles Away”

In season 2 of The Walking Dead, Shane (Jon Bernthal) criticized Rick for trying to survive while also trying to be the good guy, something Shane believed to be impossible. Rick corrected his ex-best friend by dropping this quote to show that he was starting to change, and not in a good way. Fans saw what Shane was becoming, but Rick was already heading down a similar path. By the time Shane was killed, and the survivors had scattered, Rick was fed up, frustrated, and paranoid. He was starting to slip from hero to villain, with all the psychological trappings that come with such a shift.

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18 “I Try Not To Mix It Up With The Almighty Anymore.”

2×04: “Cherokee Rose”

“Last time I asked God for a favor and stopped to admire a view, my son got shot. I try not to mix it up with the almighty anymore.”

Season 2 saw new challenges, threats, and heartbreaking Walking Dead events, not the least of which was Rick’s young son Carl getting shot by accident whilst in the woods. For a while, Carl’s life teetered on the edge of a knife, but he finally managed to pull through and recover. Rick was left devastated by the ordeal, and it changed his way of looking at the concept of religious belief. He was used to praying for good things to happen, only for terrible events to unfold at almost precisely the same time, as evidenced by this powerful Rick Grimes quote.

17 “Rest In Peace. Now, Get Up, And Go To War.”

5×10: “Them”

During a heavy storm in season 5, Rick and the group took shelter in a barn where he spoke about his grandfather, who had fought in WWII. The anecdote was designed to show the survivors that fear of dying would end up becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. He shared his grandfather’s wisdom on the subject, which was summed up in this quote. In Rick’s own words, “And then after a few years of pretending he was dead, he made it out alive.” Ironically, this sentiment would be mirrored in future seasons featuring the Whisperers, who shared the same outlook but with a much more different approach.

16 “That’s What I’m Gonna’ Use To Kill You.”

5×01: “No Sanctuary”

“There’s a compound bow and a machete with a red handle. That’s what I’m gonna use to kill you.”

When Rick and the group made it to the town of Terminus, they didn’t expect the kind of reception they got. Terminus was a community that just so happened to cannibalize other humans for food, and they became eerily comfortable with the entire process. Their leader Gareth (Andrew J. West) was eager to get his hands on a bag of guns belonging to Rick’s group, to which Rick offered to take him out into the forest and show him where they were. He then added this quote at the end with a sense of complete relaxation and confidence, which was spine-tingling to watch.

15 “I’m Sorry This Happened To You.”

1×01: “Days Gone Bye”

Before walkers became commonplace in The Walking Dead, the show used them to tell stories about what may have happened to these former humans. One of the first walkers ever to appear on the show was a woman severed at the waist that Rick came across in the series premiere. He would revisit the undead zombie later in this great Walking Dead episode, uttering this quote to her in an attempt to show sympathy. That sentiment would fade quickly, with him growing to loathe the undead for all the misery and bloodshed they caused, but this Rick Grimes quote still represents the character’s innate goodness.

14 “You Don’t Know What It’s Like Out There.”

5×12: “Remember”

“You don’t know what its like out there. You may think you do, but you don’t.”

When Rick and the survivors made it to Alexandria, it was practically a slice of heaven. The community was self-sustaining, civil, and seemed to be run by good people. It had all the comforts of the pre-apocalypse world, not the least of which was a sense of safety and community. However, the group quickly realized that Alexandria’s residents were soft, and had never known much in the way of adversity. By contrast, Rick and his group had gone through the meat grinder several times, and the horrors would stay with them for years. This Rick Grimes quote may seem simple enough, but the character’s weathered face gets the point across.

13 “We Don’t Kill The Living.”

1×05: “Wildfire”

Rick Grimes’ development was the one that The Walking Dead focused on the most. A significant aspect of this was the fact that Rick went from a by-the-book sheriff’s deputy to an unpredictable killing machine in just a few seasons. Having gone on several murderous rampages, while making many questionable decisions, viewers were sometimes reminded of his previous sentiment, which bears out in this Rick Grimes quote. Killing the living was regrettable, but became necessary for the characters’ survival at times. For Rick, it tragically became easier and easier as time went by.

12 “I Don’t Take Chances Anymore.”

6×15: “East”

When Rick first stumbled his way out of the hospital and into a zombie-infested world, he tried to keep as much of his civility and compassion as possible. He believed it was necessary in a world lost to chaos, but his softness had left his group vulnerable on more than one occasion. After getting burned multiple times and losing people he cared about, Rick began to change his stance. He was far less forgiving of others, particularly those outside his group. This is another simple Rick Grimes quote that is very powerfully believable when coming from this tormented character.

11 “Starting Right Now, We Have To Live In The Real World!”

5×15: “Try”

Season 5 of The Walking Dead featured one of Rick’s most notable emotional meltdowns shortly after he and his group made it to Alexandria. At the time, he was beating an abusive man who tormented his wife and kids. After Rick reached his breaking point and initiated the brawl with Pete on the streets of Alexandria, he soured his reputation with the entire community. It took Michonne kicking him out to put a stop to his behavior before he went too far. Rick was spiraling down a chasm of his own making, and without the leverage to reel him back to reality, he would have turned into a Negan-like character.

10 “No More Kid Stuff.”

2×12: “Better Angels”

For Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs), the apocalypse was a huge adjustment. It wasn’t long before this harsh new world forced him to grow up. In season 2, Rick took Carl aside for a talk, a moment which would echo in his mind months later when he was faced with the decision to put his own mother down. Rick’s cold dose of reality was bitter but necessary. “No more kid stuff. I wish you could have the childhood I had, but that’s not gonna happen. People are gonna die. I’m gonna die. Mom. There’s no way you can ever be ready for it. I try to be, but I can’t.”

9 “I’m Doing Stuff, Lori… Things. Isn’t That Enough?”

3×01: “Seed”

After an offscreen winter insinuating the group’s struggle to survive in the wilderness following the fall of the farm, it was revealed that Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) and Rick’s marriage was essentially on the brink of collapse. In the midst of the stresses involving the need to survive on a day-to-day basis, Rick snapped at Lori with this quote. It came hot on the heels of a realization that Lori had become intimate with Shane. His death split the two apart, and it didn’t help that Rick had taken on a more dictatorial attitude toward the group. Isolated and withdrawn from the others, Rick sabotaged his own relationship.

8 “I’m Gonna Kill You…”

7×01: “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be”

“I’m gonna kill you. Not today, not tomorrow. But I’m gonna kill you.”

After encountering Negan and watching in horror as he beat two of his friends to death before his very eyes, Rick was left traumatized. The villain had proven his point, and he spent a great deal of time driving that point home in the most brutal and grotesque manner possible. Despite all that, Rick muttered this quote to Negan, face-to-face in hushed tones as a warning of what was to come. Negan tried to intimidate that attitude out of him, but it only steeled his resolve.

7 “This Isn’t A Democracy Anymore.”

2×13: “Beside The Dying Fire”

Some individuals become tyrants and dictators because they believe they know what’s best for those under their care. Power corrupts quickly, and with relative ease, and a man like Rick was no exception. After the tragic events of season 2, Rick’s personality shifted into much darker territory. This famous Rick Grimes quote came at the end of the season in order to dictate how things were going to be from that moment on. Anyone who wanted out was free to go, but those who stayed would have to abide by Rick’s rules. This attitude ended up alienating a large portion of the group and did Rick no favors.

6 “I Got A Call.”

3×05: “Hounded”

Still reeling from Lori’s tragic death, Rick was clearly struggling to cope with the grief and began hearing the sound of a phone ringing at regular intervals. While the audience suspected that Rick might have started to lose his grip on reality, he was still holding onto hope that someone would be on the other end. Rick spoke to several phantom callers who are revealed to be characters who died in season 1: Amy (Emma Bell), Jacqui (Jeryl Prescott), Jim (Andrew Rothenberg), and then he finally speaks to the recently deceased Lori. In the midst of this, Hershel found Rick waiting by the phone, mumbling this unsettling quote.