The quotable can account for a lot of quality within a TV show, a series can rightly live and die by the caliber of its dialogue and AMC's The Walking Dead is no different. Though the hit show hasn't always delivered the most compelling speech from characters, for every line like "They're screwing with the wrong people" there's been a multitude of excellent, highly quotable excerpts of dialogue from the very best Walking Dead characters.
Whether they made fans laugh, cry, or both, The Walking Dead's standout quotes remain memorable and often inspire repeat viewings from the die-hard within the fanbase. With season 11 now well underway, expect the cool, calm, and downright crazy quotes to keep on coming.
10 He May Be A Country Boy, But Daryl Knows The Law
Once introduced, Daryl Dixon made quite the impression back in season 1. After returning from a hunt, the little Dixon brother immediately made his presence felt with some loudmouth chatter, before succumbing to rage upon finding out that his brother Merle had been left behind.
Rick and Shane were forced to calm Norman Reedus' character with a little violent persuasion. With Shane's arms wrapped around his neck, Daryl hilariously called out, "Chokehold is illegal!" Only for Shane to respond with, "You can file a complaint." It remains one of the show's most adored and humorous moments from two of its greatest characters.
9 Morgan Only Needed One Simple Rule To Keep Him From Killing
Season 5 gave fans the return of one of its most complex and captivating characters in Morgan Jones. After Morgan saves Daryl and Aaron from seemingly certain death via a hungry horde of walkers, Daryl asks Rick's original savior why he did it.
Morgan responds, "Because all life is precious Daryl." Morgan was far from the man viewers last saw hiding behind booby traps, he'd changed, and this quote set the tone for who Morgan would become, gave him something of a catchphrase, and established the inner conflict that would define him as a character.
8 Business In The Front, Party In The Back. Don't Mess With Eugene's Mullet
Despite being a zombie show, The Walking Dead has often offered up moments of hilarity amongst the horror. Eugene's dialogue has been the source of laughs on multiple occasions, and his manner of speaking lets him stand out just as well as his haircut does.
When he debuted, Eugene sported a magnificent mullet, and when feeling particularly generous with his secrets, he let the cat out of the bag regarding his fake relationship with Human Genome Project director T. Brooks Ellis. Eugene said, "I lied about T. Brooks Ellis liking my hair, I do not know T. Brooks Ellis, but I did read one of his books and he seemed like the type of guy who wouldn't blink twice at a Tennessee top hat."
7 In Times Of Trauma, Just Look At The Flowers
AMC's hit series has featured a number of upsetting deaths throughout its run so far, though few can match that of Lizzie's and Mika's. The two young sisters die in the same episode, with Lizzie murdering her little sister first, then being executed herself by Carol as a consequence.
As Carol carries out the mortifying task, she emplores Lizzie to look at the flowers. It makes for difficult viewing, and Carol's line remains an unforgettable piece of one of the best horror shows to ever grace screens.
6 Alpha Says When And Where The Trail Ends
The Walking Dead's introduction of The Whisperers made for some truly terrifying TV, and when their leader's first appearance followed one episode later, it really hit home that the show's heroes were about to face a villain like never before.
Emerging out of the woods disguised as a walker, Samantha Morton's Alpha took a big step into the spotlight and spat out her iconic first line, "Trail ends here." She made a serious statement, it was clear that business was about to pick up in The Walking Dead.
5 Negan And Lucille Wear Out Their Welcome Pretty Quickly
Just when The Walking Dead seemed to be showing signs of rot, Negan showed up and with a couple of swings of his beloved baseball bat Lucille changed the show forever. Jeffrey Dean Morgan's quotable rogue could certainly warrant an entire discussion just on lines of his own, but his best arguably comes when he first appears and puts the hurt to Rick and the gang.
"It's gonna be pee-pee pants city here real soon." is utterly chilling given the context that Negan is about to murder someone whilst the others are forced to watch, and the childish nature of the line gave fans the perfect taste of what to expect from the egotistical, sadistic, and at times hilarious big evil of The Walking Dead.
4 Daryl Dixon Steps Up To Put Dale Down
Dale may have rubbed some fans the wrong way with his tendency to stick his nose into other people's business, namely Andrea's, yet the old man with the R.V. often served as the group's moral compass and remains one of The Walking Dead's few neutrally good characters.
When Dale's number was up, he went out in spectacularly gruesome fashion, having his insides spilled out by a walker whilst he was still alive. Fan-favorite Daryl stepped up to put Dale out of his macabre misery, uttering the iconic line "Sorry brother." as he pulled the trigger.
3 Glenn Made His Final Heartbreaking Thoughts Clear For All
The pizza delivery boy turned Walking Dead warrior was one of the most kind-hearted and admirable characters on the show. Defiant until the end, after taking a blow from Negan's bat that would kill most men, Glenn managed to utter The Walking Dead's most heartbreaking line of dialogue.
"Maggie, I'll find you." is the show at its most distressing, but it burned a memory into the brains of so many fans, that of Glenn's love for Maggie being the only thing on his mind as he took his last breath.
2 The Governor Understands The Rules Of The New World
David Morrissey's The Governor is certainly in contention for The Walking Dead's greatest villain, and with one of his most heinous acts became his greatest line. With Andrea imprisoned and tied down, Woodbury's leader fatally wounded Milton and left him to reanimate, with Andrea now being undead Milton's only food source.
Before The Governor closes the door behind him, he says: "In this life now, you kill or you die... or you die and you kill." Iconic, brutal, and terrifyingly clever.
1 Hershel Takes The Risk For Those He Loves
One of The Walking Dead's most beloved and heroic characters, Hershel Greene stood for all the good left in the post-apocalyptic world. In season 4, as he prepares to commit his most heroic act of putting himself in grave danger in order to save the sick closed off inside the prison, Hershel gave an incredibly emotional speech.
"You step outside, you risk your life. You take a drink of water, you risk your life. And nowadays you breathe, and you risk your life. Every moment now you don't have a choice. You can only choose what you're risking it for." A touching quote that summed up Hershel as a character, and sadly prepared viewers for the tragedy to come.