Breaking Bad is one of the most popular shows in television history, and it’s no surprise why. The story is engaging, the characters are complex and relatable, and the acting is superb. Breaking Bad was created by Vince Gilligan, premiering in 2008. The show follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), a high school chemistry teacher who turns to cooking methamphetamines after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. The title comes from the Southern colloquialism “breaking bad”, which means to raise hell or turn to a life of crime.
The show was critically acclaimed, and won multiple awards, including the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 2013 and 2014. It has been praised for its writing, acting, direction, cinematography, music, and historical authenticity.
One of the things that makes the show so great are the quotes. Whether they’re funny, thought-provoking, or just plain badass, there’s something for everyone. So without further ado, here are our favorite Breaking Bad quotes.
Table of Contents
- Walter White Quotes from Breaking Bad
- Jesse Pinkman Quotes from Breaking Bad
- Saul Goodman Quotes from Breaking Bad
- Mike Ehrmantraut Quotes from Breaking Bad
- Hank Schrader Quotes from Breaking Bad
- Honorable Mentions Quotes
- Interesting Facts about Breaking Bad
Walter White Quotes from Breaking Bad
I did it for me. I liked it. I was good at it. And I was really… I was alive.
Sometimes it feels better not to talk. At all. About anything. To anyone.
This is your fault. This is what comes of your disrespect. I told you, Skyler. I warned you for a solid year. You cross me, there will be consequences. What part of that didn’t you understand?
You think I came all this way just to let something as silly as lung cancer take me down? Not a chance. I’m not going anywhere.
You, you have no right to discuss anything about what I do. Oh, what the hell do you know about it anyway? Nothing. I built this. Me. Me alone. Nobody else!
I watched Jane die. I was there. And I watched her die. I watched her overdose and choke to death. I could have saved her. But I didn’t.
It can be done exactly how I want it. The only question is, are you the man to do it?
If you believe that there’s a hell, I don’t know if you’re into that, but we’re already pretty much going there, right? But I’m not gonna lie down until I get there.
If that’s true, if you don’t know who I am, then maybe your best course would be to tread lightly.
Say my name.
Jesse, you asked me if I was in the meth business or the money business. Neither. I’m in the empire business.
See that watch? It’s a birthday present. The person who gave me this present wanted me dead, too. Not that long ago, he pointed a gun right between my eyes, right here, and he threatened to kill me. He changed his mind about me, Skyler. And so will you.
When we do what we do for good reasons, then we’ve got nothing to worry about. And there’s no better reason than family.
Saul, Mike threatened me. He threatened Jesse. He probably threatened someone before breakfast this morning. It’s what he does. Come on. Grow a pair.
Secrets create barriers between people.
I have lived under the threat of death for a year now, and because of that, I’ve made choices. Listen to me. I alone should suffer the consequences of those choices, no one else. And those consequences, they’re coming. No more prolonging the inevitable.
I’m sorry, after everything you’ve done for me? What you’ve done for me?! You’ve killed me is what you’ve done! You signed my death warrant! And now you want advice? All right, I’ll give you advice. Go to Mexico and screw up like I know you will and wind up in a barrel somewhere!
I’ve got some math for you. Hank catching Gus equals Hank catching us!
I’ve been living with cancer for the better part of a year. Right from the start, it’s a death sentence. That’s what they keep telling me. Well, guess what? Every life comes with a death sentence, so every few months I come in here for my regular scan, knowing full well that one of these times, hell, maybe even today, I’m gonna hear some bad news. But until then, who’s in charge? Me. That’s how I live my life.
We’re done when I say we’re done.
What is going on with me is not about some disease, it’s about choices. Choices that I have made, choices I stand by.
Never give up control. Live life on your own terms.
You kill me, you have nothing. You kill Jesse, you don’t have me.
All right, let’s talk about Gale Boetticher. He was a good man and a good chemist and I cared about him. He didn’t deserve what happened to him. He didn’t deserve it at all. But I’d shoot him again tomorrow and the next day and the day after that. When you make it Gale versus me, or Gale versus Jesse, Gale loses, simple as that. This is on you, Gus, not me, not Jesse. Gale’s death is on you. I mean, really, what did you expect me to do just simply roll over and allow you to murder us? That I wouldn’t take measures, extreme measures to defend myself? Wrong! Think again.
The cook can’t stop. That’s the one thing I’m certain of. Production cannot stop.
Name one thing in this world that is not negotiable.
Let’s see, how should I put this? I’m in, you’re out.
The chemistry must be respected.
This money, I didn’t steal it. It doesn’t belong to anyone else. I earned it. The things I’ve…done to earn it…they…the things I’ve had to do…I’ve got to live with them. Skyler, all that I’ve done, all the sacrifices that I’ve made for this family, all of it, will be for nothing if you don’t accept what I’ve earned.
I have money. I have more money than I know how to spend. What I don’t have is my family.
It cannot be blind luck or some imaginary relative who saves us. No, I earned that money, me.
This is insane. I have so much cash on hand that I actually count it by weighing it on my bathroom scale. And yet, I can’t spend it. I can’t tell my family about it. All of whom think that I am right on the edge of bankruptcy. I mean, it’s insane.
There’s the easy way, and then there’s the right way.
This family is everything to me. Without it, I have nothing to lose.
My son! My bottle! My house!
Smoking marijuana, eating Cheetos, and masturbating do not constitute plans in my book.
You’re not his pal. You’re his boss. This only works when they’re scared of you.
Our son doesn’t know who Boz Scaggs is. We have failed as parents.
There’s more than one kind of prison.
Doctor, my wife is seven months pregnant with a baby we didn’t intend. My 15-year-old son has cerebral palsy. I am an extremely overqualified high school chemistry teacher. When I can work, I make 43,700 dollars per year. I have watched all of my colleagues and friends surpass me in every way imaginable, and within eighteen months, I will be dead. And you ask why I ran?
Today is the first day of the rest of your life.
Let’s get something straight. This, the chemistry, is my realm. I am in charge of the cooking. Out there on the street, you deal with that. As far as our customers go, I don’t want to know anything about them. I don’t need to see them. I don’t want to hear from them. I want no interaction with them whatsoever. This operation is you and me, and I’m the silent partner.
I haven’t been myself lately, but I love you. Nothing about that has changed, nothing ever will. So right now, what I need, is for you to climb down out of my ass. Can you do that? Will you do that for me, honey? Will you please, just once, get off my ass? You know, I’d appreciate it. I really would.
Who are you talking to right now? Who is it you think you see? Do you know how much I make a year? I mean, even if I told you, you wouldn’t believe it. Do you know what would happen if I suddenly decided to stop going into work? A business big enough that it could be listed on the NASDAQ goes belly up. Disappears! It ceases to exist without me. No, you clearly don’t know who you’re talking to, so let me clue you in. I am not in danger, Skyler. I am the danger! A guy opens his door and gets shot and you think that of me? No. I am the one who knocks!
Well, technically, chemistry is the study of matter. But I prefer to see it as the study of change.
I have spent my whole life scared. Frightened of things that could happen, might happen, might not happen. Fifty years I spent like that. Finding myself awake at three in the morning. But you know what? Ever since my diagnosis, I sleep just fine. And I came to realize it’s that fear that’s the worst of it. That’s the real enemy. So, get up, get out in the real world and you kick that bastard as hard as you can right in the teeth.
There is gold in the streets, just waiting for someone to come and scoop it up.
Oh, no. I don’t want to hear about the police! I do not say that lightly!
It’s always been one step forward and two steps back.
Walter Jr., you’re my big man. There are going to be some things that you’ll come to learn about me in the next few days. But just know that no matter how it may look, I only had you in my heart. Goodbye.
Jesse Pinkman Quotes from Breaking Bad
I’m not doing what you want anymore. Okay, asshole? This is just a heads-up to let you know I’m coming for you. See, I decided that burning down your house is nothing. Next time, I’m gonna get you where you really live.
Look, you two guys are just guys, okay? Mr. White, he’s the devil. You know, he is smarter than you, he is luckier than you. Whatever you think is supposed to happen, I’m telling you, the exact reverse opposite of that is gonna happen, okay?
Yeah, bitch! Magnets!
So, what if this is like math or algebra? And you add a plus douchebag to a minus douchebag, and you get, like, zero douchebags?
Did you know that there’s an acceptable level of rat turds that can go into candy bars? That’s the government, Jack. Even the government doesn’t care that much about quality. You know what is okay to put in hot dogs? Huh? Pig lips and assholes. But I say, hey, have at it bitches, ’cause I love hot dogs.
Hearts and minds, right? Get them young and they’re yours forever.
Yo, Gatorade me, bitch.
So, you’re chasing around a fly, and in your world I’m the idiot.
I am not turning down the money! I’m turning down you! You get it?! I want nothing to do with you! Ever since I met you, everything I ever cared about is gone! Ruined, turned to s***, dead, ever since I hooked up with the great Heisenberg! I have never been more alone! I have NOTHING! NO ONE! ALRIGHT, IT’S ALL GONE, GET IT? No, no, no, why… why would you get it? What do you even care, as long as you get what you want, right? You don’t give a s*** about me! You said I was no good. I’m nothing! Why would you want me, huh? You said my meth is inferior, right? Right? Hey! You said my cook was GARBAGE! Hey, screw you, man! Screw you!
If the cops catch me, I give them what they want the most. You. They nab me, I make a deal to give up the great Heisenberg and his million-dollar drug ring. You’re my free pass, bitch.
What’s the point of being an outlaw when you got responsibilities?
What happens now? I’ll tell you what happens now. Your scumbag brother-in-law is finished. Done. You understand? I will own him when this is over. Every cent he earns, every cent his wife earns is mine. Anyplace he goes, anywhere he turns I’m gonna be there, grabbing my share. He’ll be scrubbing toilets in Tijuana for pennies, and I’ll be standing over him to get my cut. He’ll see me when he wakes up in the morning, and when he crawls to sleep in whatever rat hole’s left for him after I shred his house down. I will haunt his crusty ass forever until the day he sticks a gun up his mouth and pulls the trigger just to get me out of his head. That’s what happens next.
What you said in the desert. I get it, what you meant. I deserve whatever happens.
You either run from things or you face them, Mr. White.
This is the best shiz ever. Everybody and their mother’s gonna want a taste.
I don’t s*** where I eat.
When the going gets tough, you don’t want a criminal lawyer. You want a “criminal” lawyer.
Oh, like I came to you begging to cook meth. “Oh, hey, nerdiest old dude I know, you wanna come cook crystal?” Please! “I’d ask my diaper-wearing granny but her wheelchair wouldn’t fit in the RV!”
So you do have a plan? Yeah, Mr. White! Yeah, science!
We’re all on the same page. The one that says, if I can’t kill you, you’ll sure as shit wish you were dead.
Some straight like you, giant stick up his ass, age what, 60? He’s just gonna break bad?
Even government doesn’t care that much about quality. You know what is okay to put in hot dogs?
This ain’t chemistry, this is art. Cooking is art. And the shit I cook is the bomb.
I’m a blowfish! Blowfish! Yeah! Blowfishin’ this up!
What do I look like? Scarface?
You got me riding shotgun to every dark recess of this state. It’d be nice if you clued me in a little.
Saul Goodman Quotes from Breaking Bad
You two wanna go stick your wangs in a hornet’s nest, it’s a free country, but how come I always gotta get sloppy seconds, huh?
Let’s just say you and I don’t wear the same rose-colored glasses where Johnny Fabulous is concerned.
What the hell is wrong with you? You act like you’re the first guy this ever happened to. I caught my second wife screwing my stepdad, okay? It’s a cruel world, Walt. Grow up.
Idle hands are the devil’s plaything.
Speaking as your lawyer, I’m always looking for billable hours. But speaking as your business associate I’m strongly advising that you get your shit together.
We live to fight another day. And after a decent interval of time, well, there are other fish in the sea. You’ve been out of circulation for a while. You’ll be just amazed at what’s out there. Thailand, the Czech Republic, I mean, those women are so grateful to even be here.
As to your dead guy, occupational hazard. Drug dealer getting shot, I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say it’s been known to happen.
Who do I look like, Maury Povich? I’m not your marriage counselor.
The money laundering aspect is fairly straightforward. But I gotta tell ya, the not-telling-your-wife aspect? Most people want to know why they suddenly got rich.
Some people are immune to good advice.
That’s my legal opinion. Make hay while the sun is still shining.
Even drug dealers need lawyers, right? Especially drug dealers.
If a mosquito’s buzzing around you, it bites you on the ass, you don’t go gunning for the mosquito’s attorney. You go grab a flyswatter.
Did you not plan for this contingency? Well, next time, plan for it, would you? The Starship Enterprise had a self-destruct button. I’m just saying.
Let’s just say I know a guy… who knows a guy… who knows another guy.
Christ, you two. All I can say is if I ever get anal polyps, I’ll know what to name them.
Conscience gets expensive, doesn’t it?
Don’t drink and drive. But if you do, call me.
Better call Saul!
Walter never told me how lucky he was, prior to recent unfortunate events. Clearly his taste in women is the same as his taste in lawyers: only the very best with just a right amount of dirty.
Better safe than sorry. That’s my motto.
If you’re committed enough, you can make any story work. I once convinced a woman that I was Kevin Costner and it worked because I believed it.
All right, $16,000 laundered at 75 cents on the dollar, minus my fee, which is 17%, comes to $9,960. Congratulations, you’ve just left your family a second hand Subaru.
Let’s start with some tough love, alright? Ready for this? Here it goes: You two suck at peddling meth. Period.
The fun’s over. From here on out, I’m Mr. Low Profile. Just another douche bag with a job and three pairs of Dockers. If I’m lucky, month from now, best-case scenario, I’m managing a Cinnabon in Omaha.
I’m not saying it’s not bad. It’s bad. But it could be worse.
Hey, I’m a civilian! I’m not your lawyer anymore. I’m nobody’s lawyer.
Mike Ehrmantraut Quotes from Breaking Bad
You’re never too old for balloons.
You are not the guy. You’re not capable of being the guy. I had a guy, but now I don’t. You are not the guy.
The order of the day is “eyes open, mouth shut.”
Keys, scumbag. It’s the universal symbol for keys.
How about we lose the sunglasses? I feel like I’m talking to Jackie Onassis here.
I don’t know what kind of movies you’ve been watching, but here in the real world, we don’t kill eleven people as some kind of prophylactic measure.
You are a time bomb, tick, tick, ticking. And I have no intention of being around for the boom.
Just because you shot Jesse James, don’t make you Jesse James.
The moral of the story is… I chose a half measure when I should have gone all the way. I’ll never make that mistake again. No more half measures, Walter
You know Walter, sometimes it doesn’t hurt to have someone watching your back.
Hank Schrader Quotes from Breaking Bad
You want me to beg? You’re the smartest guy I ever met. And you’re too stupid to see… he made up his mind 10 minutes ago.
My name is ASAC Schrader. And you can go fuck yourself.
Look, the day I go in with this, it’s the last day of my career, Marie. I’m going to have to walk in there, look those people in the eye and admit that the person I’ve been chasing the past year is my own brother-in-law. It’s over for me. 10 seconds after I tell this story, I’m a civilian. Then how can we help Skyler, if she comes to her senses? When I go in there, I’m bringing proof, not suspicion. I can be the man who caught him, at least.
It was you. All along, it was you! You drove me into traffic to keep me from that laundry. That call I got telling me Marie was in the hospital? That wasn’t Pinkman. You had my cell number. You killed ten witnesses to save your sorry ass. You bombed a nursing home. Heisenberg. Heisenberg! You lying, two-faced sack of shit.
Tagging trees is a lot better than chasing monsters.
Well, at least this time he didn’t shit himself. Guess that’s progress.
Free food always tastes good. Free drinks even better.
This job can be boring as hell. Until it’s not.
Some of you already know my brother-in-law. He’s a good man. The doctors are saying this operation has a real chance of helping him. Of course they’re also saying they want to be paid in private islands, so dig deep.
Sometimes forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest, doesn’t it?
Going after neo-Nazis, you don’t wear swastikas.
It’s easy money. Until we catch you.
Appearances, Gomie. It’s all about appearances.
If you’re gonna bring a gun, you gotta bring enough gun.
Does the Pope shit in his hat?
Did I say you could open your mouth? And, hands off the car!
A guy that clean has to be dirty.
You really want to burn him down? Let’s do it together.
Now look buddy, the last thing I want to do is get you in hot water, but some meth monkey had a feeding frenzy in here.
Honorable Mentions Quotes
Tuco Salamanca: This kicks like a mule with his balls wrapped in duct tape.
Tuco Salamanca: Respect, ese. You gotta give it to get it.
Tuco Salamanca: Sometimes you got to rob to keep your riches.
Tuco Salamanca: Talk is talk. But owing me money that’s bad.
Marie Schrader: Chemotherapy and marijuana go together like apple pie and Chevrolet.
Marie Schrader: Facing death, it changes a person.
Marie Schrader: Pain is weakness leaving your body.
Skyler White: The devil is in the details.
Skyler White: You know what Walt? Someone has to protect this family from the man who protects this family.
Interesting Facts about Breaking Bad
After we had great time reminiscing unforgettable quotes, lines and phrases from the show, let’s have a look at some interesting facts about Breaking Bad that may even surprise you.
- Many TV Networks Decided to Pass on the Show – I’m pretty sure presidents of those networks still kick themselves over such a decision, passing on a show that has become a huge success worldwide. Believe it or not, but some major networks that have decided to pass on the show were HBO, TNT, and FX.
- AMC Wanted a Star for the Show – When Breaking Bad kicked off, actor Bryan Cranston wasn’t well known and AMC wanted a star to play the lead part. The names that were suggested to play the part of Walter White were Matthew Broderick or John Cusack. AMC weren’t sure at all about Bryan Cranston, but creator of the show, Vince Gilligan, had worked in the past with Cranston on an episode in X-Files and showed this episode to the networks’ people. After watching that episode, they changed their minds, agreeing that Cranston had what it takes to play Walter White in the show.
- Jesse Pinkman Was Supposed to Die – The charter of Jesse Pinkman wasn’t supposed to be a major character at all. It’s funny saying it now, right? After all, a whole great deal of the show revolves around the partnership between Pinkman and White, but originally, Jesse Pinkman was supposed to die in episode 9 of season 1. So, what happened? It seems that the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike saved his character from getting killed as planned. Although, Gilligan said in an interview that they all understood pretty fast that it would be a mistake getting rid of the character, because Aaron Paul is such a great actor.
- Getting Help by the DEA Cooking Meth – You read it right. See, creators of the show thought it would be a better idea to inform the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) about their plans, and in the process getting their advice and help in this matter. Creators of the show asked the DEA to consult them about meth cooking, to get everything done right. Surprisingly enough, the DEA agreed to help, and so DEA chemists helped as consultants and taught actors Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston how to make crystal meth.
- What is the Famous Blue Meth in the Show? In the show, the iconic blue Meth is a special kind of high-quality meth cooked by White and Pinkman. But in reality, this blue meth was actually blue rock candy from The Candy Lady, which is a boutique candy store located in Albuquerque.
- A Real Chemist at the Car Wash – In the show, the character of Bogdan (Walter White’s boss at the car wash) was played by Marius Stan. You couldn’t have recognized him, because this role was actually his acting debut. What’s more interesting, is that in real-life, Stan is a chemist with a PhD in chemistry. I guess he could have helped Walter cook some meth as well, for real.
- The number 62 – In total, there are 62 episodes of Breaking Bad and that’s no coincidence. If you take a look at the periodic table of elements, you’ll see that the 62nd element on the table is Samarium, an element that is used to treat various kinds of cancer, including lung cancer, which is the type of cancer that Walter White suffered from in the show.
For more quotes from highly popular TV shows, please visit our pages dedicated to Westworld quotes, Seinfeld quotes, Twin Peaks quotes, and Doctor Who quotes.