150 Most Iconic Joker Quotes of All Time

He’s one of the most iconic figures in movie history and popular culture. From his look and chilling laugh to the chaotic energy he summons whenever facing off against arch enemy Batman , the Clown Prince of Crime brings droll darkness to a whole other level—especially when he lets those poetic words fly. Nothing resonates with more sage villainy on the screen than those classic Joker quotes.

The Joker has battled against Batman and other heroes through comic books, movies, TV shows, and cartoons—embodied by a range of incredible actors over the years who've all brought new facets to the character. Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix each won an Oscar for playing the Joker, with Ledger taking home Best Supporting Actor posthumously for his unforgettable portrayal in The Dark Knight (2008). Phoenix won Best Actor for Joker (2019) in Todd Phillip’s gritty thriller, which saw the character start off with dreams of becoming a stand-up comedian before going off the rails.

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Famed Hollywood thespians Jack Nicholson, Mark Hamill, Cesar Romero, Zach Galifianakis, and others have all had their turn as the Joker too in some shape or form, inspiring some of the most memorable Joker quotes over the years—from Nicholson’s “healing power of laughter" observations to Galifianakis' LEGO-esque "Butt-mobile" barbs.

If there’s one tireless antagonist who could single-handedly spew a list of our favorite 150 movie lines, it’s this perma-smiling psycho. Here are some of the best Joker quotes from some of your favorite actors. And if you need an uplifting segue afterwards, check out our motivating lineup of 60 Best Quotes About Strength and Resilience .

Best Joker Quotes of All Time at a Glance

• “Why so serious?”—Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
• Put on a happy face!"—Jack Nicholson, Batman
• I used to think my life was nothing but a tragedy, but now I realize it's all just a fucking comedy."—Joaquin Phoenix, Joker

Joaquin Phoenix: Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)

• “I have the sneaking suspicion we’re not giving the people what they want.”
• “I’ll tell you what’s changed. I’m not alone anymore. That’s what you should be talking about.”
• “For once in my life, I have someone who needs me.”
• “Look around. Look at all these people. I will no longer allow any of you to keep me down.”
• “You are no different than any of those other people that underestimated me.”
• “So you don’t think this is me. Well, maybe you don’t know who I really was.”
• “I am free!”
• “Uh-oh, I’m in trouble.”

Barry Keoghan: The Batman (2022)

• "Riddle me this—the less of them you have, the more one is worth.”
• "What makes you think I come so cheap?”
• “Oh, a little lurid reading ... You think I get off on this stuff.”
• “Don't be sad. You did so well. And you know, Gotham loves a comeback story."

• “I think—somewhere deep down—you're just terrified. Because you're not sure he's wrong."
• “His violence is so— baroque . So meticulous. It's like he's been planning this his whole life.”
• “This is very personal. He feels these people have all wronged him. Probably goes way back. Unhealed wounds, stolen lunch money..... Maybe he's got a grudge against you too. Maybe you're the main course."
• “You two have so much in common. Masked avengers. But he's even more righteous. Are you afraid he makes you look soft?”

Jared Leto: Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)

• “Au, contraire, my little fishstick. He knows exactly what it's like to lose someone he loves. You know, like a father. Like a mother. Like an adopted son. Isn't that right, Batman?”
• “How many can die in your arms before you grow numb to death? How many dead eyes can you look into before you die inside yourself?”
• “You won't kill me. I'm your best friend. Besides—who's gonna give you a reach-around? You need me."
• “A truce!... I'm happy to discuss with you, in any way you like, why you sent the Boy Wonder to do a man's job.”

Mark Hamill: Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995)

• “Hey, Batman! You stink so bad I can smell you from here!”
• “Silly me, I forgot the acid!”
• “Oh, Batman, if you had the guts for that kind of fun, you'd have done it years ago!”
• “Justice is best served hot, Batman! You're going to melt like a grilled cheese sandwich!”
• “I'm crazy enough to take on Batman, but the IRS—no thank you!"
• “Without Batman, crime has no punchline.”
• “Oh, what the heck, I'll laugh anyway!"

Joaquin Phoenix: Joker (2019)

• “Is it just me, or is it getting crazier out there?”
• “I used to think my life was nothing but a tragedy, but now, now I realize it's all just a fucking comedy.”
• “Did I tell you I'm pursuing a career in stand-up comedy?”
• “I think I felt better when I was locked up in the hospital.”
• “I just don’t want to feel so bad anymore.”
• “I was put here to spread joy and laughter.”
• “My mother says that people nowadays lack empathy.”
• “I haven't even performed yet. Just been working my material. This business is all about fine tuning.”
• “Everyone's been telling me they think my stand-up is ready for the big clubs. It's just a matter of time before I get a break.”
• “I should have killed myself.”
• “When I was a little boy and told people I wanted to be a comedian, everyone laughed at me. Well, no one is laughing now.”

• “Until a little while ago, it was like nobody ever saw me. Even I didn't know if I really existed.”
• “It's funny, I was thinking the other day, why are rich people so confused by the poor people? Because they don't make any sense!”
• “I don't want anything from you. Well, maybe a hug.”
• “It's just so hard to try and be happy all the time, y'know, when everything's going to shit all around you.”
• “You remember how you used to tell me that God gave me this laugh for a reason? That, I had a purpose? Laughter and joy—that whole thing.”
• “Happy?! I'm not happy. I haven’t been happy for one minute of my entire fucking life.”
• “Thanks for having me on, Murray. I can't tell you how much this means to me. It's been a lifelong dream.”
• “My mom died. I'm celebrating.”
• “I stopped taking my medication. I feel a lot better now.”
• “I don't believe in anything.”
• “Hey Murray, one small thing? When you bring me out, can you introduce me as “Joker?”
• “I'm just trying to make people laugh.”
• “It's been a rough few weeks. Ever since I killed those three Wall Street guys.”
• “There's no punchline.”
• “Comedy is subjective, isn't that what they say? All of you, the system that knows so much, you decide what's right or wrong. What's real or what's made up. The same way you decide what's funny or not.”
• “Do I look like the kind of clown who could start a movement?"
• Everybody's awful these days. It's enough to make anyone crazy.”
• “Have you seen what it's like out there? Everybody just yells and screams at each other. Nobody's civil anymore.”
• “How about another joke?”
• “What do you get when you cross a mentally-ill loner with a system that abandons him and treats him like trash?... I'll tell you what you get. You get what you fucking deserve.”
• “Good night, and always remember—that’s life!”
• “Isn't it beautiful.”
• “Everything's good now.”

Zach Galifianakis: The LEGO Batman Movie (2017)

• “I'm your new co-pilot, and I always come to work with a smile!”
• “Your city is under attack by Gotham's greatest criminal minds.”
• “Batman will grovel at the feet of his greatest enemy!”
• “Tonight is my greatest plan yet—and trust me, Batman's never going to see it coming.”
• “I've got a surprise for you guys—and it's gonna make you smile.”
• “Bye, Batman!”
• “Lovely to meet you all. I'm the—oh, fist bump? ... handshake? It doesn't matter. I'm the Joker.”
• “Hello, Gotham City! The Clown Prince of Crime is back!”
• “I've come to finally take over the city, but in order to do that, I need to break my friends out of a giant, scary prison—and I ain't talking about those rogue losers dressed in cosplay. I'm talking about my new peeps. The greatest villains you'll ever see."

• “Uh-oh. What do we have here, Batman? It looks like a bunch of relationship comedies. What's that one? Must Love Dogs. ”
• “Hold on a sec, are you trying to tell me that Bruce Wayne is Batman's roommate?”
• “I'm rubbing my butt all over your stuff. We're go gonna have to rename this the Butt-mobile.”
• “It's gotta be one or the other, Batman. Save the city, or catch your greatest enemy. You can't do both.”
• “Superman's not a bad guy!”
• “He's a 9,000-year-old incarnation of evil with an eye for jewelry. Give it up for Sauron!”
• “Oh, no, no, no. I'm very bad, too. They just showed a video montage.”
• “Look, everyone here knows what it's like to be hurt by a hero, don't they? We've all been taken for granted, right?”

Jared Leto: Suicide Squad (2016)

• “You helped me? By erasing my mind? What few faded memories I had of who I was? You left me in a black hole of rage and confusion. That's the medicine you practice.”
• “Open up, doll—and bite hard—or you'll break those perfect porcelain capped teeth when the juice hits your brain.”
• “Don't touch me.”
• “These are good, reliable people. Good men. Loyal men. And they're falling like dominos.”
• “You make my teeth hurt.”
• “I am not someone who is loved. I'm an idea, a state of mind.
• I execute my will according to my plan. And you, Doctor, are not part of my plan.”
• “I can make you smile.”
• “Will you embrace me and only me? Will you bind your spirit to me in hate? Do you consign your soul to me? Do you laugh at the world in disgust?”
• “Desire becomes surrender. Surrender becomes power. Do you want it?”
• “The shit I have to do for you.”
• “Maybe we should date other people.”
• “One more step, you die—and you deserve to. Switching sides. Now you're lap poodles. Pets.”
• “I'm the most real thing here."
• "I can't take your head, so I'll take his.”
• “Hurry up. Do you have to make a goddamn show out of everything?”
• “That's the last time you disobey me!”

Heath Ledger: The Dark Knight (2008)

• “Why so serious?”
• “I believe that what doesn't kill you simply makes you stranger.”
• "The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules."
• “How about a magic trick? I'll make this pencil disappear.”
• “A year ago, these cops and lawyers wouldn't dare cross any of you. What happened? Did your balls drop off?”
• “I know why you're holding your little group therapy session in broad daylight. I know why you're afraid to go out at night. Batman. He's shown Gotham your true colors.
• "I can tell the squealers every time.”
• “Like my mother used to tell me, if you're good at something, never do it for free.”
• “Wanna know how I got these scars?
• "Let's put a smile on that face.”
• "You want order in Gotham? Batman must take off his mask and turn himself in. Every day he doesn't, people will die. Starting tonight."
• "I'm a man of my word.”
• “I had a wife, beautiful like you—who tells me I worry too much, who says I need to smile more. So I put a razor in my mouth and do this to myself, and you know what? [laughs] She can't stand the sight of me. She leaves!
• I see the funny side. Now I'm always smiling.”
• “Those mob fools want you gone, so they can get back to the way things were. But I know the truth. There's no going back.”
• “Don't talk like one of them. You're not, even if you'd like to be. To them you're a freak like me. They just need you right now.”

• “Their morals, their code—it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. When the chips are down, these civilized people—they'll eat each other.
• I'm not a monster... I'm just ahead of the curve.”
• “The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules.
• “I'm a man of simple tastes. I like gunpowder, dynamite, gasoline.”
• “This town deserves a better class of criminal—and I’m gonna give it to them.”
• “I'm a dog chasing cars. I wouldn't know what to do with one if I caught it. I just do things. I'm just the wrench in the gears. I hate plans. Yours, theirs, everyone's."
• “Look what I've done to this city with a few drums of gas and a couple of bullets."
• "Nobody panics when the expected people get killed. Nobody panics when things go according to plan, even if the plan is horrifying. If I tell the press that tomorrow a gangbanger will get shot, or a truckload of soldiers will be blown up, nobody panics. Because it's all part of the plan. But when I say that one little old mayor will die, everybody loses their minds!"
• "Introduce a little anarchy, you upset the established order and everything becomes chaos. I'm an agent of chaos.”
• “I took Gotham's white knight, and I brought him down to my level."
• "Madness is like gravity. All it takes is a little push.”
• "Don't test the monster in me."

Jack Nicholson: Batman (1989)

• “Jack? Jack's dead, my friend. You can call me Joker."
• "Gotham City—it always brings a smile to my face.
• “Losing is a bad habit.”
• “Remember, put on a happy face!”
• “I've given a name to my pain, and it is BATMAN!”
• “You can't make an omelet without breakin' some eggs!”
• “That's right, folks. Who can you trust? Me! I'm here handing out real money, And where's Batman? He's at home washing his tights.”
• “Now comes the part where I relieve you, the little people, of the burden of your failed and useless lives."
• As my plastic surgeon always said, 'When ya gotta go, go with a smile.'”
• “Do I look like I'm joking?”
• "Haven't you heard of the healing power of laughter?”

• “Tell me something, my friend—you ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?”
• “Where does he get those wonderful toys?”
• “Never rub another man's rhubarb.”
• “Can somebody tell me what kind of a world we live in where a man dressed up as a bat gets all of my press?"
• "This town needs an enema!”
• “I'm only laughing on the outside. My smile is skin deep, if you could see inside I'm really crying. You might join me for a weep.”
• “I am the world's first fully functioning homicidal artist.”
• “Now that's good work. The skulls, the bodies... you give it all such a glow. I don't know if it's art, but I like it.”
• “New and improved Joker brand—with secret ingredient, Smylex!”

Cesar Romero: Batman (1966)

• “Ho-ho, a joke a day keeps the gloom away!”
• “And now to make him Batbait.”
• “Delicious! Just the sort of square citizen Batman will dash to rescue!”
• “I'll incapacitate the beast with my trick confetti!”

• “What a pity that would be—on the eve of the greatest criminal coup anyone ever dreamed of.”
• “You silly bird, they've been on to your umbrella tricks for years.”
• “I'm afraid they'll find our humor very, very dry.”

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