Wake Up, Time To Die! The 20 Best Blade Runner Quotes

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 admires 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 terms 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 BladeRunner, 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.

“Nothing The God Of Biomechanics Wouldn’t Let You Into Heaven For.”

Roy

Roy Batty spends two-thirds of Blade Runner trying to get to Dr. Tyrell, naively thinking he can extend his four-year life cycle. When they finally meet and Roy learns the hard truth that Tyrell can do nothing, he becomes despondent. For Roy, the despair is aped, but for a moment he does seem bothered by the “questionable” things he’s done, as though they will count against him in another life his synthetic kind is sure to never see.

When Tyrell asks him to elaborate on the nature of the things, he sardonically utters this fanciful line. This is yet another case of asking what makes something a living being, with a soul. While many people believe humans are born with souls and will go to the afterlife after they die, the Replicants were not born at all. They were created, and their creator is a human on Earth who will one day die. Batty’s creator, Dr. Tyrell, dies and he has no way of ensuring that Roy will go anywhere when his life cycle ends. It is the true tragedy of his life.

“It’s Too Bad She Won’t Live. But Then Again, Who Does?”

Gaff

Edward James Olmos portrays the enigmatic Gaff in the film, a cop fond of folding origami animals, as well as waxing philosophical. A sometimes partner of Deckard’s, he knew more about the famous Blade Runner than he knew about himself. Gaff had lots of lines that sparked debate over Deckard’s status as a human or a Replicant, and his line concerning Rachael seemed to imply that whatever Deckard might be, he should attempt to live a life that meant something.

There is a huge debate about Deckard in movie fandom. It even exists in the realm of the film, as director Ridley Scott has hinted that Deckard is a Replicant, and just doesn’t know it. Meanwhile, actor Harrison Ford does not believe this is the case and argues that Deckard is human in the movie. However, as this quote by Gaff explains, it doesn’t really matter in the end. He admits that Rachael will never “live” as she is a Replicant, but he feels that humans are the exact same, meaning Deckard is doomed no matter his origin.

“Fiery The Angels Fell. Deep Thunder Rolled Around Their Shoulders… Burning With The Fires Of Orc.”

Roy

Rutger Hauer often suggested lines of dialogue for the movie to expand the scope of its world, and one came from famous English poet William Blake, who has become revered as one of the greatest literary minds to have ever existed. Hauer selected for Batty a quote from Blake’s “America: A Prophecy” in the scene he shares with Chew. Hauer changed the original opening line from “Fiery the angels rose” to “Fiery the angels fell,” perhaps indicating the Replicants’ fall from grace in the eyes of their creator.

Historians have alluded to the tumultuous figure of Orc and his story having something to do with a son revolting against his father. This is an interesting quote. In the Biblical tales, the Angels that revolted against God were all banished and fell from Heaven. In the world of Blade Runner, the Replicants who revolved against their human creators were sentenced to death, metaphorically falling when they returned to Earth, making the religious symbolism obvious in this story.

“Not Very Sporting To Fire On An Unarmed Opponent.”

Roy

“I Thought You Were Supposed To Be Good. Aren’t You The ‘Good’ Man?”

Batty taunting Deckard in their final climactic fight is just one of many instances in which Deckard confronts his own fallacies. Viewers spend the entire film wondering if Deckard is not only a human or a Replicant, but whether or not he is a “good man“ (the hero of the story) for killing beings who simply want the right to exist. Deckard knows he must do whatever he can to eliminate the threat that Batty presents, but even though he has a firearm and Batty is defenseless, his mind is a far greater weapon than anything material.

With it, he can disarm Deckard in ways that go beyond the physical. This is a great line, as it really blurs the lines between good and evil in this movie. Yes, Batty is a dangerous Replicant and has killed humans. Deckard knows that he has to stop him and the only way to do that is to end Batty’s life. However, Roy knows that there are doubts in Rick’s mind and he pokes these to, at the very least, extend his own existence a little bit longer. Is Rick Deckard a “good guy?” is debatable and both Deckard and Batty know this.

“Six! Seven! Go To Hell Or Go To Heaven!”

Roy

The confrontation between Rick Deckard and Roy Batty at the end of the movie is a chaotic wild ride of adrenaline and primal energy, thanks in part to Rutger Hauer’s bold physical performance. As he charges around the dilapidated building, he becomes a primordial version of a human. He is Deckard’s superior in brute strength, stamina, and cunning, but even he knows all those traits are for naught because he is running out of time.

It’s as though he wants to get a visceral experience out of his final moments, and he chooses Deckard as the devil he dances with. Incidentally in one version of the film, Rick Deckard has some truly poignant commentary as Batty dies in the Blade Runner ending. However, regardless of what Deckard says or does, Batty knows that his end is coming, and he wonders, even at the end, if there might be something after his death he can look forward to. Does a Replicant have a Heaven or Hell waiting for them?

“I Want More Life.”

Roy

One of the original Replicants to lead a revolt off-world, Roy Batty was designed and engineered to be a combat soldier. Like many of his Nexus 6 generation, his life cycle was only four years, just enough time for him to fulfill his purpose. But Roy, like the other replicants, wanted emotions. He wanted a chance to experience life the way humans did, and he led the hunt for Tyrell so that his creator could extend his life expectancy. Blade Runner is a movie in which the villain was actually right, from a certain point of view.

This is the big moral question that many of the Blade Runner quotes possess. Once humans create Replicants, and once these Replicants gain feelings and emotions, and become “more than human,” do they have the right to live? What makes a person born of skin and blood have more rights to live than a Replicant created to believe they are also human? These are tough questions, and Roy Batty makes sure that everyone he crosses understands that this is an important question they could consider as well.

“I Think, Sebastian, Therefore I Am.”

Pris

With her doll-like features and child-like personality, Pris represents the innocence of a synthetic person who hasn’t lived a very long life. She sees the world through young eyes, where everything is dazzling and new, and life stretches onward in endless possibilities. The harsh reality of Pris’s situation is that she doesn’t have a very long life at all, and like many things about that life, she doesn’t understand why that is. She’s able to playfully philosophize with J.F. Sebastian in this quote, but it doesn’t mean she grasps its meaning.

This quote is not original to Blade Runner, of course. The line is from 17th-century French Philosopher René Descartes. According to Descartes, he can’t doubt his existence because he was the person who was doubting it to begin with. If a person can doubt they exist, that means that they do exist — even if reality is not real. It is something that Pris might have heard or learned, but it is also true. If she believes that she is real, then — for her — she is real, even if she is a Replicant.

“I’ve Seen Things You People Wouldn’t Believe.”

Roy

“Attack Ships On Fire Off The Shoulder Of Orion. I Watched C-Beams Glitter In The Dark Near The Tannhauser Gate. All Those Moments Will Be Lost In Time, Like Tears In Rain.”

One of the most tragic figures in all of Blade Runner is its villain, who emerges as a Byronic hero of sorts at its epic finale. Though he’s killed mercilessly, the audience can’t help but empathize with him due to the magnetic performance of the late Hauer, who imbues Batty with a sense of noble righteousness. In a scene that poses bigger questions than the main plot, Roy hints at a wider universe as he mentions “attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion” as his body begins to shut down.

In his quest for more life, he communicated to Deckard the injustice of the Tyrell Corp, and by telling him his memories, they will be preserved after his death. It became one of the most provocative — not to mention human — lines of the entire film, and “tears in rain” remains a beloved Blade Runner quote. What is impressive is that Hauer improvised a lot of this quote, showing his understanding of the character. Roy has seen more than most humans, yet never had the right to even live freely.

“You’re So Different. You’re So Perfect.”

J.F. Sebastian

Blade Runner has a reputation for being a great cyberpunk movie because of its emphasis on futuristic technological advancements. Indeed, Tyrell’s quest for perfection through technology created Replicants but is juxtaposed against characters like J.F. Sebastian, who love the old, discarded, and forgotten. A quirky inventor who works for Tyrell, JF Sebastian helps the Replicants and shows a surprising amount of tenderness towards them.

Though he likes to repair what’s broken rather than cast it aside, abhorring the planned obsolescence that has doomed Pris and Roy to their deaths, even he can recognize the supremacy of their engineering. There are too many people in Blade Runner who look at Replicants as horrifying creations that must be destroyed. Of course, in movies like this, that is because people fear what they do not understand. Sebastian knows how beautiful and amazing Replicants are, and is one of the few people who sympathize with them in this world.

“I Don’t Get It, Tyrell, How Can It Not Know What It Is?”

Deckard

The very question Deckard asks Tyrell reverberates throughout the movie; as he pursues the Replicants to the ends of their life spans, he confronts different aspects of his own humanity, with models like Roy and Rachael challenging him to face a disturbing truth; that he might be a Replicant himself. This Blade Runner quote references Deckard’s test of Rachael, but based on his own explanation about how her memories could be implanted, and she would never be able to know, it’s as likely that his memories could be implanted as well.

Fans have spent as many decades quoting Blade Runner as they have looking for the red glow in Deckard’s eyes. While Harrison Ford denies that Deckard is a Replicant, director Ridley Scott said he always thought that the character was. Ford takes it from his work acting in the movie and with the knowledge he has of the script. However, Scott added this line to cloud the thinking, and when adding things like Rachael and the unicorn dream sequence, it is clear that the seeds were planted for this twist.