Braveheart is an American epic historical drama film from the year 1995 that was directed by Mel Gibson. In this article, we share with you the best and most memorable Braveheart quotes.
The movie follows Sir William Wallace, a Scottish warrior in the late 13th century, and the war between the Scotts and the English. This was the First War of Scottish Independence, with the Scottish warriors led by Sir William Wallace rising against the English warriors and King Edward I of England.
Braveheart stars Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Sean Lawlor, Patrick McGoohan, Angus Macfadyen, and others. It was filmed during the months of June – October, 1994, in Ireland and Scotland, and production budget amounted to $65-$70 million.
The movie was released on May 24, 1995, and was a huge success, as both the critics and the audience loved the movie. Braveheart grossed $75.6 million in USA and $210.4 million all over the world.
The movie won 5 Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Effects and Sound Editing, and Best Makeup.
And now, for the best Braveheart quotes.
Here is a sneak peek at the quotes in this article:
Table of Contents
- William Wallace Quotes from Braveheart
- Princess Isabelle Quotes from Braveheart
- Longshanks (King Edward I) Quotes from Braveheart
- Robert the Bruce Quotes from Braveheart
- Honorable Mentions Quotes from Braveheart
- Interesting Facts about Braveheart
William Wallace Quotes from Braveheart
William Wallace: I know. I know you can fight. But it’s our wits that make us men.
William Wallace: I have been given nothing. God makes men what they are.
William Wallace: Every man dies, not every man really lives.
William Wallace: Fight and you may die. Run, and you’ll live… at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin’ to trade all the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take… our freedom!
William Wallace: Lower your flags and march straight back to England, stopping at every home you pass by to beg forgiveness for a hundred years of theft, rape, and murder. Do that and your men shall live. Do it not, and every one of you will die today.
William Wallace: I want a wife and children, and grow crops, but it’s all for nothing if you don’t have freedom.
William Wallace: Truth is truth, even when told by a liar.
William Wallace: Incompetence is often highly regarded in governmental circles.
William Wallace: That’s my friend, Irishman. And the answer is yes. You fight for me; you get to kill the English.
William Wallace: What does that mean to be noble? Your title gives you claim to the throne of our country, but men don’t follow titles, they follow courage.
William Wallace: I came back home to raise crops, and God willing, a family. If I can live in peace, I will.
William Wallace: We all end up dead, it’s just a question of how and why.
William Wallace: I am William Wallace! And I see a whole army of my countrymen, here, in defiance of tyranny. You’ve come to fight as free men, and free men you are. What will you do with that freedom? Will you fight?
William Wallace: Go back to England and tell them there that Scotland’s daughters and sons are yours no more. Tell them Scotland is free.
William Wallace: There’s a difference between us. You think the people of this country exist to provide you with position. I think your position exists to provide those people with freedom. And I go to make sure that they have it.
William Wallace: Now is our chance. Now. If we join, we can win. If we win, well then we’ll have what none of us has ever had before: a country of our own.
Robert the Bruce: I respect what you said, but remember that these men have lands and castles. It’s much to risk.
William Wallace: And the common man, who bleeds on the battlefield, does he risk less?
William Wallace: Your heart is free. Learn to follow it.
Faudron: William Wallace, we’ve come to fight and to die for you.
William Wallace: Stand up, man, I’m not the pope.
William Wallace: And if this is your army, why does it go?
Veteran: We didn’t come here to fight for them!
Young Soldier: Home! The English are too many!
William Wallace: Sons of Scotland! I am William Wallace.
Young Soldier: William Wallace is seven feet tall!
William Wallace: Yes, I’ve heard. Kills men by the hundreds. And if HE were here, he’d consume the English with fireballs from his eyes, and bolts of lightning from his arse.
William Wallace: In the Year of our Lord 1314, patriots of Scotland – starving and outnumbered – charged the fields of Bannockburn. They fought like warrior poets; they fought like Scotsmen, and won their freedom.
Princess Isabelle: Peace is made in such ways.
William Wallace: Slaves are made in such ways. The last time Longshanks spoke of peace I was a boy. And many Scottish nobles, who would not be slaves, were lured by him under a flag of truce to a barn, where he had them hanged. I was very young, but I remember Longshanks’ notion of peace.
William Wallace: Give me the strength to die well.
Princess Isabelle: I understand you have suffered. I know… about your woman.
William Wallace: She was my wife. We married in secret because I would not share her with an English lord. They killed her to get to me. I’ve never spoken of it, I don’t know why I tell you now, except… I see her strength in you. One day, you’ll be a queen. And you must open your eyes. You tell your king that William Wallace will not be ruled… and nor will any Scot while I live.
William Wallace: Before we let you leave, your commander must cross that field, present himself before this army, put his head between his legs, and kiss his own arse.
William Wallace: I’m dreaming.
Murron: Yes, you are. And you must wake.
William Wallace: I don’t want to wake. I want to stay here with you.
Hamish: Your dream isn’t about freedom. It’s about Murron! You’re doing this to be a hero, ’cause ya think she sees ye!
William Wallace: I don’t think she sees me. I know she does. And your father sees you, too.
William Wallace: Are you ready for a war?
William Wallace: I will bury you in the rose garden.
Princess Isabelle Quotes from Braveheart
Princess Isabelle: You see? Death comes to us all. But before it comes to you, know this: your blood dies with you. A child who is not of your line grows in my belly. Your son will not sit long on the throne. I swear it.
William Wallace: Why do you help me?
Princess Isabelle: Because of the way you are looking at me now.
Princess Isabelle: I understand you have recently been given the rank of knight.
William Wallace: I have been given nothing. God makes men what they are.
Princess Isabelle: I’ve come to beg for the life of William Wallace.
Prince Edward: You’re quite taken with him, aren’t you?
Princess Isabelle: I respect him!
Princess Isabelle: Forgive me, sire. I thought that generosity might demonstrate your greatness to those you mean to rule.
Princess Isabelle: The king will be dead in a month and his son is a weakling. Who do you think will rule this kingdom?
Longshanks (King Edward I) Quotes from Braveheart
Longshanks (King Edward I): Archers.
English Commander: I beg pardon, sire. Won’t we hit our own troops?
Longshanks (King Edward I): Yes… but we’ll hit theirs as well. We have reserves. Attack.
Longshanks (King Edward I): The trouble with Scotland is that it’s full of Scots.
Longshanks (King Edward I): Not my gentle son. The mere sight of him would only encourage an enemy to take over the whole country. So whom do I send?
King’s Advisor: Milord, the princess might be taken hostage or her life be put in jeopardy.
Longshanks (King Edward I): Oh, my son would be most distressed by that. Uh, but in truth, if she were to be killed, we would soon find the king of France a useful ally against the Scots. You see, as king, you must find the good in any situation.
Longshanks (King Edward I): Not the archers. My scouts tell me their archers are miles away and no threat to us. Arrows cost money. Use up the Irish. The dead cost nothing.
Longshanks (King Edward I): One day you will be a king. At least try to act like one.
Longshanks (King Edward I): Bring me Wallace. Alive if possible, dead… just as good.
Longshanks (King Edward I): If we can’t get them out, we’ll breed them out.
Longshanks (King Edward I): Who is this person that speaks to me as though I needed his advice?
Longshanks (King Edward I): My son’s loyal wife returns, unkilled by the heathen.
Robert the Bruce Quotes from Braveheart
Robert the Bruce: I have nothing. Men fight for me because if they do not, I throw them off my land and I starve their wives and their children. Those men who bled the ground red at Falkirk, they fought for William Wallace, and he fights for something that I never had. And I took it from him, when I betrayed him. I saw it in his face on the battlefield and it’s tearing me apart.
Robert’s Father: All men betray. All lose heart.
Robert the Bruce: I don’t want to lose heart. I want to believe as he does… I will never be on the wrong side again.
Robert the Bruce: You have bled with Wallace. Now bleed with me!
Robert the Bruce: This Wallace, he doesn’t even have a knighthood, but he fights with passion and he inspires.
Robert’s Father: Longshanks required Wallace. So did our nobles. That was the price of your crown.
Robert the Bruce: Die! I want you to die.
Robert the Bruce: After his execution, the body of William Wallace was torn to pieces. His head was mounted on London Bridge. His limbs were sent to the four corners of Britain as a warning. The effect it had was great… but it was not the effect that Longshanks planned. And I rode out to pay homage to the armies of England’s new king, and to accept his endorsement of my crown.
Robert’s Father: At last, you know what it means to hate. Now you’re ready to be a king.
Robert the Bruce: My hate will die with you.
Robert the Bruce: I shall tell you of William Wallace. Historians from England will say I am a liar, but history is written by those who have hanged heroes.
Honorable Mentions Quotes from Braveheart
Young William: I can fight.
Malcolm Wallace: I know. I know you can fight. But it’s our wits that make us men.
Malcolm Wallace: Your heart is free. Have the courage to follow it.
English Commander: I hope you washed your ass this morning. It’s about to be kissed by a king.
Argyle Wallace: Saying goodbye in their own way. Playing outlawed tunes on outlawed pipes.
Murron MacClannough: Every nobleman who had the will to fight was at that meeting. We cannot beat an army.
Stephen of Ireland: Just when we thought all hope was lost, our noble saviors have arrived.
Stephen of Ireland: The Almighty says this must be a fashionable fight. It’s drawn the finest people.
Campbell: I’ve lived long enough to live free and proud to see you become the man that you are. I’m a happy man.
Malcolm Wallace: We do not have to defeat them. Just fight them. Now, who’s with me?
Robert’s Father: I’m the one that’s rotting, but your face looks graver than mine.
Argyle Wallace: You did not want your father to die either, but it happened.
Faudron: William Wallace, we’ve come to fight and to die for you.
Interesting Facts about Braveheart
After you enjoyed these epic and loved quotes from the movie, it’s time to learn some interesting facts about Braveheart that will entertain you, but may also even surprise you. Here we go.
- The Screenplay was Inspired During a Vacation – Screenwriter Randall Wallace was vacationing in Edinburgh, Scotland, where he saw the statues of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. He asked the tour guide about them, wanting to know more, and after the later explained and told Randall the story, he came up with the idea and inspiration to write a screenplay about the two, thus creating the screenplay for the movie Braveheart.
- Braveheart was the First Movie Appearance for James Robinson – Before Braveheart, actor James Robinson who played Young William had never acted in a movie before. During casting calls in Scotland, Gibson asked a young actor there on set if he knew anyone who could fit the movie and be good for it. That young man thought of James Robinson who got the part to play Young William.
- Mel Gibson’s Brother is Also in the Movie – Donal Gibson is Mel Gibson’s younger brother and he too takes part in Braveheart. In the movie, he plays the part of the leader of one of the clans that joins up William Wallace, half-way into the movie.
- Battle Scenes in the Movie Were Inspired by the Movie Mad Max – According to director of Braveheart, Mel Gibson, he was inspired by the movie Mad Max when shooting the battle scenes in Braveheart movie. This includes shooting at different speeds, the use of jump cuts, and even using various techniques to make more atmospheric shots.
- Mel Gibson Had to Star in the Movie – During that time (1995), Mel Gibson’s experience as a director was slim to non-existent. Before Braveheart, he only directed a small drama by the name of “The Man Without a Face” and was known as an actor, not a director. That is why Paramount Pictures agreed to let Gibson direct Braveheart only if he himself starred in it as well. So, basically, Gibson had no choice but to star in the movie as well, if he wanted to direct it.
- Auditioning for the Movie Wasn’t Ordinary – You know how actors read lines when they audition for a part in a movie? Well, this was different when it came to Braveheart. Actors didn’t read lines when they auditioned for the movie, instead, they sat down with Mel Gibson over tea and just talked to him. That was how they auditioned for this movie. Amazing!
- Actual Members of the Wallace Clan Are Extras in the Movie – Mel Gibson brought actual members of the Wallace clan to be extras in the movie. You can actually see them during opening shots of battles.
- Real-Life Soldiers in the Movie – Reserve soldiers from the Irish territorial army were used in the movie as extras during battle scenes. The same soldiers played both English as well as Scottish forces in the movie, because that saved production money. They just had to change costumes according to the angles that Mel Gibson wanted to shoot.
For more quotes from epic movies, please visit our pages dedicated to Gladiator quotes, The Shawshank Redemption quotes, Top Gun quotes, and Iron Man quotes.